George Elokobi facts for kids
Elokobi playing for Nottingham Forest in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Nganyuo Elokobi | ||
| Date of birth | 31 January 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Mamfe, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Maidstone United (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2004 | Dulwich Hamlet | ||
| 2004–2008 | Colchester United | 39 | (2) |
| 2005 | → Chester City (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2008–2014 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 85 | (2) |
| 2012 | → Nottingham Forest (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Bristol City (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Oldham Athletic | 24 | (3) |
| 2015–2017 | Colchester United | 46 | (3) |
| 2016 | → Braintree Town (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Leyton Orient | 24 | (2) |
| 2019 | Aldershot Town | 13 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Maidstone United | 55 | (2) |
| Total | 311 | (14) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2023– | Maidstone United | ||
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George Nganyuo Elokobi (born 31 January 1986) is a football coach and former player from Cameroon. He is currently the manager of Maidstone United.
George played as a centre back during his career. He moved from Cameroon to England when he was 16. He started playing for a non-League team called Dulwich Hamlet. Later, he joined Colchester United. He also played on loan for Chester City, which was his first professional team.
In 2008, George joined Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves). He helped them get promoted to the Premier League, which is the top football league in England. He played regularly for Wolves for a few years. He also went on loan to Nottingham Forest and Bristol City.
After leaving Wolves, George played for Oldham Athletic and then returned to Colchester United. He also had a loan spell at Braintree Town. Later, he joined Leyton Orient and Aldershot Town. In 2019, he moved to Maidstone United as a player and academy coach.
During his playing career, George helped his teams get promoted four times. He also scored goals in every division, from the Premier League down to the National League South. He retired from playing professional football in 2022.
Contents
- George Elokobi's Early Life
- Playing Career: George Elokobi's Journey in Football
- International Football
- Coaching Career
- Personal Life
- Career Statistics
- Managerial Statistics
- Honours and Awards
- See also
George Elokobi's Early Life
George Elokobi was born in Mamfe, Cameroon. When he was just eleven years old, he sadly lost both his father and his grandfather. He then went to live with his grandmother. His mother moved to England to study and later found work there. She was able to send George to a good boarding school in Cameroon called St. Joseph's College Sasse.
At 16, George moved to London to live with his mother. He went to college and studied subjects like business, IT, and sociology.
Playing Career: George Elokobi's Journey in Football
Starting at Colchester United
After arriving in England in 2002, George joined the youth team at Dulwich Hamlet. Scouts from Colchester United noticed him there. He had a trial with Colchester and then signed with them in June 2004.
Loan to Chester City
George didn't play for Colchester's main team in his first year. Instead, he was loaned to League Two team Chester City in January 2005. He made his first professional appearance for Chester on January 29, 2005, against Swansea City. In his fifth and final game for Chester, he was sent off for a foul.
First Goals and Promotion with Colchester
Even though he didn't play much in his first season, Colchester gave George a new contract. He made his debut for Colchester on August 24, 2005, in a League Cup game. Three days later, he made his first league start. On September 24, he scored his first professional goal for Colchester against Huddersfield Town.
George was out for a while in late 2005 because he had mumps. He returned in November and scored another goal in a Football League Trophy match. That season, he played 12 league games and helped Colchester finish second in the league, earning promotion to the Championship.
Becoming a Regular and Moving On
In the 2007–08 season, George became the regular left-back for Colchester. His good performances even led to rumors that Celtic might want to sign him. However, George said he would keep working hard. In November 2007, he asked to leave the club because his contract was ending. He scored his final goal for Colchester in a 2–1 win against Sheffield Wednesday. He played his last game for Colchester in January 2008.
Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers
On January 31, 2008, George signed with Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) for £500,000. He quickly became a regular player for Wolves.
Injury and Promotion to Premier League
In August 2008, George suffered a serious knee injury that was expected to keep him out for the whole season. Despite his injury, Wolves gave him a new contract as they were doing very well. Wolves went on to win the Championship title and were promoted to the Premier League. George returned from his injury sooner than expected and even played in the final game of the season when Wolves lifted the Championship trophy.
Playing in the Premier League
George made his Premier League debut on August 22, 2009, against Manchester City. He played 26 games in the 2009–10 season, which helped him earn a new three-year contract in August 2010.
George scored his first goal for Wolves on October 26, 2010, in a League Cup game against Manchester United. He played 32 games that season, and Wolves managed to stay in the Premier League. In the 2011–12 season, George scored another goal in a League Cup win.
Loan Spells and Injuries
In February 2012, George was loaned to Championship team Nottingham Forest. He played 12 games and helped Forest avoid relegation. His parent club, Wolves, were unfortunately relegated to the Championship that season.
In September 2012, George was loaned to Bristol City. However, in his very first game, he suffered a bad ankle injury that ended his loan early. He returned to Wolves and played in the final game of the season, which saw Wolves relegated again.
Leaving Wolves
Before the 2013–14 season, George extended his contract with Wolves for one more year. However, he didn't play much that season, only making nine appearances. The club decided not to offer him a new contract, and he left Wolves.
Oldham Athletic and Return to Colchester
After leaving Wolves, George signed a one-year contract with League One team Oldham Athletic in August 2014. He made his debut the next day against his old club, Colchester United. He scored his first goal for Oldham in December. He played 27 games for Oldham, scoring three goals. When his contract ended, he decided to leave the club.
In July 2015, George returned to Colchester United after seven years away. He signed a two-year contract. He made his second debut for Colchester in August and scored an equalizing goal in his first start. He played 19 games in the 2015–16 season, scoring two goals.
Loan to Braintree Town
In October 2016, George was loaned to National League team Braintree Town. He scored two goals in an FA Cup game for Braintree.
Final Season at Colchester
George was called back to Colchester in November 2016. He helped the team end a long winless streak. He scored his first goal of the season in February 2017. He played 29 league games that season. He left Colchester at the end of his contract.
Later Playing Career
In July 2017, George signed a two-year contract with National League team Leyton Orient. He left the club in January 2019.
On February 12, 2019, George signed for another National League team, Aldershot Town.
Maidstone United and Retirement
After leaving Aldershot, George joined Maidstone United on a one-year contract. In his final season as a player, Maidstone won the National League South title, which was his fourth career promotion. He scored in the very last game of his playing career on May 7, 2022. On May 3, 2022, George announced that he would retire from playing professional football at the end of the season.
International Football
George was first called up to the Cameroon national team in November 2010 for a training camp. He was called up again in March 2011 for a qualifying game, but he was an unused substitute.
Coaching Career
After the previous manager left in January 2023, George Elokobi became the temporary manager of Maidstone United.
On March 24, 2023, George was named the permanent manager at Maidstone United. In the 2023–24 season, Maidstone had an amazing run in the FA Cup. They reached the fourth round for the first time ever. On January 27, 2024, Maidstone made history by reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup. They beat Ipswich Town 2–1, which was a big surprise! They became the first club outside the top five tiers of English football to reach the FA Cup fifth round since 1978.
Personal Life
George Elokobi also appeared in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso. He was part of a team of former professional players who played against AFC Richmond in the show's game scenes. Other famous players like Lee Hendrie and Jermaine Pennant were also involved.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Colchester United | 2004–05 | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | League One | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Championship | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 1 | ||
| Total | 39 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 46 | 3 | ||
| Chester City (loan) | 2004–05 | League Two | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2007–08 | Championship | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 32 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | League One | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 85 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 103 | 4 | ||
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2011–12 | Championship | 12 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 0 | |||
| Bristol City (loan) | 2012–13 | Championship | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Oldham Athletic | 2014–15 | League One | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Colchester United | 2015–16 | League One | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
| 2016–17 | League Two | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| Total | 46 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Braintree Town (loan) | 2016–17 | National League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| Leyton Orient | 2017–18 | National League | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | 23 | 3 | |
| 2018–19 | National League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 | 2 | 28 | 4 | |||
| Aldershot Town | 2018–19 | National League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Maidstone United | 2019–20 | National League South | 29 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2020–21 | National League South | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | National League South | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Total | 55 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 69 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 311 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 361 | 21 | ||
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Maidstone United |  |
9 January 2023 | Present | 97 | 41 | 24 | 32 | 42.27 | |
| Total | 97 | 41 | 24 | 32 | 42.27 | — | |||
Honours and Awards
As a Manager
Maidstone United
- National League South: 2021–22
Individual Awards
- National League South Manager of the Month: December 2024
See also
In Spanish: George Elokobi para niños
