Charles Gbeke facts for kids
Gbeke in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles Patrick Gbeke | ||
| Date of birth | March 15, 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998 | Vancouver 86ers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2000 | Troyes B | ||
| 2000 | Comercial | ||
| 2001 | S. E. Matsubara | ||
| 2001 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 3 | (0) |
| 2002 | Seattle Sounders | 1 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Ottawa Wizards | 18 | (10) |
| 2004 | → Toronto Lynx (loan) | 16 | (6) |
| 2004 | → Hamilton Thunder (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 2005 | Herfølge | 8 | (0) |
| 2005 | Toronto Lynx | 6 | (2) |
| 2005 | Montreal Impact | 9 | (2) |
| 2006 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 22 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Montreal Impact | 40 | (11) |
| 2008 | → Trois-Rivieres Attak (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 42 | (15) |
| 2010 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 21 | (9) |
| International career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Canada | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016 | Cascavel | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978) is a former professional soccer player. He played as a forward, which means he was a player who mainly tried to score goals. Charles was born in Ivory Coast. He also played three games for the Canadian national team.
Charles Gbeke started his career with teams like the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps. At first, he played as a defender, but he later became a forward. He really shined when he joined the Ottawa Wizards in the Canadian Professional Soccer League. With the Wizards, his team won the Eastern Conference title and had an amazing undefeated season.
Later, he joined the Toronto Lynx on loan. He proved he was a great goal-scorer in the USL A-League. After playing a short time in Europe, he joined the Montreal Impact. He scored many goals for them, especially in the playoffs. The next year, he moved to the Rochester Rhinos.
Gbeke found great success when he returned to the Montreal Impact. He scored 10 goals and won the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer. He then moved back to the Vancouver Whitecaps. There, he helped them win their first USL First Division Championship in 2008, scoring both goals in the final game. In 2009, he won the Golden Boot award again with 12 goals. He was even ranked among the top 25 players of the decade in the USL First Division.
In 2010, Charles Gbeke went to China to play for Guangzhou Evergrande. He helped his team get promoted to the top league, the Chinese Super League. After that season, he decided to retire from playing professional soccer.
Contents
Playing for Different Teams
Early Career and First Steps
Charles Gbeke was born in Ivory Coast, but he grew up in Montreal, Canada. From 1999 to 2001, he played soccer in France for Troyes AC's reserve team. He also played in Brazil for clubs like Comercial and S. E. Matsubara.
In 2001, he played for the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Seattle Sounders. On May 2, 2003, he signed with the Ottawa Wizards in the CPSL. During the 2003 season, he helped his team have an undefeated season. They won their division title for the third time in a row. Charles Gbeke was the top goal scorer for his team that season with 10 goals.
In 2004, Gbeke was loaned to the Toronto Lynx. He played his first game for them on June 13, 2004. He even scored his first goal for the Lynx against his old team, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Even though he was with Toronto for a short time, he was a very good striker. He scored six goals for the Lynx.
He finished that season with the Hamilton Thunder. He scored a goal in his very first game for them. He helped Hamilton win their conference title and get into the playoffs. In 2005, Gbeke played briefly in Denmark for Herfølge. After that, he returned to the Toronto Lynx for a second time.
Time with Montreal and Rochester
On August 1, 2005, Charles Gbeke joined the Montreal Impact. In his first game with the Impact on August 7, he scored a goal and helped set up another. During the playoffs, he scored all three goals for his team in the semifinals.
The next year, Gbeke left Montreal to play for the Rochester Rhinos in 2006. He scored two goals in 22 league games for Rochester. He helped the Rhinos reach the USL First Division Championship finals. However, they lost to his former team, the Whitecaps.
In 2007, Gbeke returned to the Montreal Impact. He became the top scorer in the United Soccer Leagues First Division with 10 goals. He was named to the All-League second team. He also won the Impact's Offensive Player of the Year award. In 2008, he played a few games for the Impact's farm team, the Trois-Rivières Attak.
Back to Vancouver Whitecaps
On June 30, 2008, Gbeke was traded back to the Vancouver Whitecaps. He scored both goals in Vancouver's 2–1 win in the USL First Division final against Puerto Rico. This win gave the Whitecaps their second USL Championship. It was also Charles Gbeke's first USL Championship.
Gbeke won the USL First Division Golden Boot award again in 2009, scoring 12 goals. He also helped the Whitecaps reach the Championship finals for the second year in a row. They played against the Montreal Impact in the final, which was the first time two Canadian clubs met in the USL final. Unfortunately, the Whitecaps lost that series. Gbeke left the Whitecaps at the end of the 2009 season.
Playing in China
In February 2010, Gbeke moved to China. He signed with Guangzhou F.C.. He played his first game for Guangzhou on April 3. He helped his teammate Gao Lin score a goal by earning a penalty kick.
He scored his first goal for the club on April 10. In the 2010 season, Gbeke scored 9 goals in 21 games. Guangzhou finished first in the League One and moved up to the top league. After this successful season, Charles Gbeke retired from playing soccer.
Playing for His Country
On February 1, 2008, Charles Gbeke played his first game for the Canadian national team. They won the game 1–0 against Martinique. He played a total of three games for Canada in 2008. He also played in two FIFA World Cup qualification matches. He was part of the team for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but he did not play in any games.
Coaching Career
In 2015, Charles Gbeke became the head coach for Futebol Clube Cascavel in Brazil. He coached them in the Campeonato Paranaense league. He left his coaching role in 2016.
Honors and Awards
Ottawa Wizards
- Canadian Professional Soccer League Eastern Conference: 2003
Vancouver Whitecaps
- USL First Division: 2008
Guangzhou Evergrande
- China League One: 2010
Individual Awards
- USL First Division top scorer (Golden Boot): 2007, 2009
See also
In Spanish: Charles Gbeke para niños
