Elijah Gift

Elijah Gift Izobodo John (born 11 June 2006) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a winger for Athletic Bilbao B.

Early life
Gift was born in Corella, Navarre, Spain to a Nigerian father and a Spanish mother of Cuban descent. His family moved to England around 2015 for work reasons.

Club career
As a child in Spain, Gift joined the Escuela de Fútbol Francisco Castejón. After moving to England in 2015, he joined the youth academy of English side Huddersfield Town and in 2017, was signed Premier League side Liverpool.

He signed for Athletic Bilbao in 2023 for a fee of around €1 million and was expected initially to play for CD Basconia, the club's fifth-tier farm team for teenagers, but was unable to do so due to technicalities concerning its status as a semi-independent organisation and the recent completion of his international transfer, so was instead assigned to the Juvenil A (under-19) squad. He started his senior career with the reserve team Athletic Bilbao B, making his debut during a 3–1 win over UD Mutilvera in the Segunda Federación on 2 March 2024.

International career
Gift has represented Spain internationally at youth levels. He was called up to the provisional squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship but did not make the final cut.

Style of play
Gift mainly operates as a winger. He is known for his strength.

Personal life
Gift has been reported to be a supporter of Liverpool.