Forward 22
Liverpool FC snatched Hugo Ekitike in one of the most controversial moves in the summer of 2025, which gained headlines in the English football transfer market.
Ekitike was born on June 20th, 2002, in Reims, France, to a Cameroonian father and a French mother. His football journey began at his home town club, Cormontreuil FC, in the year 2008, before joining the youth academy at Stade de Reims in 2013, where his foundation as a professional footballer was laid.
At just 18, he signed his professional contract with Reims, where he made his debut appearance for the senior team in a 3:1 loss against Lorient on 17 October, 2020. Shortly after, he was sent on a loan spell to Vejle Boldklub, a club in the Danish Superliga, where he completed the 2020/2021 season.
Ekitike returned from loan in the summer of 2021; he scored twice for Reims on 26 September 2021 in a 3:1 victory against Nantes, and he came in as a substitute in the 70th minute to give Reims the lead in the 71st and 78th minutes of the game.
In the January 2022 transfer window, he rejected a move to Newcastle, despite it being a good offer from the club, but in July 2022 he made a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain with a buy option of €35 million, including add-ons.
Hugo Ekitike made his debut for PSG on 6 August, 2022 in a 5:0 away win against Clermont; he made his UEFA Champions League debut against Benfica in a 1:1 draw at the PSG home ground. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 November 2022, in a 5:0 win against Auxerre.
At the end of the 2022/2023 season, he finished with four (4) goals and four (4) assists in 32 matches for the club. PSG made his transfer permanent after paying €28.5 million and an additional €6.5 million for bonuses to Reims.
Despite signing a permanent deal with the club, he was not given enough game time, as PSG had a lot of star players, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, whom he obviously could not start ahead of.
Ekitike was sent on a loan move to the Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the 2023/2024 season with a possible buy option. He made his debut for the side in a 2:0 away defeat against FC Köln, where he came in as a substitute in the 77th minute of the game.
He scored his first goal for Eintracht Frankfurt on 19 April 2023 in a 3:1 home victory against FC Augsburg. A few days later, his buy option was triggered, and a fee of €16.5 million was paid to Paris Saint-Germain for a deal that will run until the end of the 2028/2029 season.
He rediscovered his confidence in Germany, where he dominated games, scoring goals and delivering assists. At the end of the 2024/2025 season, he scored 15 goals and 8 assists in 33 league appearances, while also helping Eintracht Frankfurt finish 3rd in the Bundesliga and secure their spot in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool made a big-money move for Hugo Ekitike in the summer of 2025, after snatching the transfer from Newcastle United, and also signed their most important player, Alexandar Isak. The transfer was worth about £82.4 million: a £69 million initial payment and an additional £13 million on performance based add-ons.
Ekitike made his debut for Liverpool in the FA Community Shield match against Crystal Palace, where he also scored his first goal for the Reds, but eventually the game was lost on Penalties. He scored his first Premier League goal on debut for Liverpool on the 15th of August against Bournemouth in a 4:2 home victory.
He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for Liverpool on 22 October 2025 against his former side, Eintracht Frankfurt, in a 5:1 victory.
He made his senior international debut on 5 September 2025, coming in as a substitute in the 81st minute in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Ukraine, which ended in a 2:0 victory for France.
Ekitike scored his first senior international goal for France on 13 November 2025 in a 4:0 victory against the same Ukraine, a win that guaranteed France’s place in the 2026 World Cup.
He has had a smooth run at Liverpool FC in the 2025/2026 season, scoring 14 goals and delivering 4 assists in all competitions for the club. Towards the end of the season, in a UEFA Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain, he sustained an Achilles injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.
PROFILE
Full Name: Hugo Timothée Ekitike
Date of Birth: June 20 2002
Nationality: French
Position: Centre Forward
Preferred Foot: Right
Height: 1. 90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Current Club: Liverpool FC
CLUB TROPHIES
Currently, Hugo Ekitike has no trophies with Liverpool.
