| Carney Chukwuemeka | |
| Full Name: | Carney Chibueze Chukwuemeka[1] |
| Birth Date: | 20 October 2003[2] |
| Birth Place: | Eisenstadt, Austria |
| Height: | 1.87m (06.14feet)[3] |
| Position: | Attacking midfielder, left winger |
| Currentclub: | Chelsea |
| Clubnumber: | 17 |
| Youthyears1: | –2016 |
| Youthclubs1: | Northampton Town |
| Youthyears2: | 2016–2021 |
| Youthclubs2: | Aston Villa |
| Years1: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Aston Villa |
| Caps1: | 14 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Chelsea |
| Caps2: | 23 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | England U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2020–2021 |
| Nationalteam2: | England U18 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021–2022 |
| Nationalteam3: | England U19 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 13 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 6 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2022–2023 |
| Nationalteam4: | England U20 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 23:23, 15 April 2024 (UTC) |
Carney Chibueze Chukwuemeka (born 20 October 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for club Chelsea.
A product of the Northampton Town and Aston Villa academies, Chukwuemeka made his debut for the latter club's first team in 2021, before signing for Chelsea in 2022.[4] Born in Austria to Nigerian parents, he represents England at youth international level.
Chukwuemeka joined the Aston Villa academy from the Northampton Town academy in March 2016.[5] [6] He signed his first professional contract with Villa in July 2020.[7]
Chukwuemeka made his senior debut for the team on 19 May 2021 in a 2–1 away victory over Tottenham Hotspur, hitting the post within minutes of entering the game.[8] On 23 May 2021, he was named Aston Villa Academy Player of the Season for the 2020–21 season.[9] The following day, Chukwuemeka was part of the Aston Villa U18s squad that won the FA Youth Cup, beating Liverpool U18s 2–1 in the final.[10]
Chukwuemeka made his first senior start on 24 August 2021 in a 6–0 victory against Barrow in the second round of the EFL Cup, and made his first league start four days later in a 1–1 draw with Brentford, a performance Paul Merson hailed as "outstanding", adding "he will be an absolute star".[11]
On 2 August 2022, Aston Villa and Chelsea confirmed that the clubs had reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Chukwuemeka, subject to the player agreeing personal terms and undergoing a medical.[12] [13] On 4 August 2022, Chelsea announced the signing of Chukwuemeka on a six-year contract.[14] [15]
On 20 August 2023, Chukwuemeka scored his first senior goal in a 3–1 loss to West Ham United, later in the same match he was substituted after suffering a knee injury.[16]
Chukwuemeka is eligible to play for the national teams of Austria,[17] England and Nigeria. After making two appearances for England U17 national team, on 29 March 2021, he made his debut for the England U18 squad in 2–0 victory over Wales.[18]
On 2 September 2021, Chukwuemeka made his debut for the England U19s during a 2–0 victory over Italy U19s at St. George's Park, he also captained the side.[19] On 10 November 2021, he scored his first goal at this level, in a 4–0 victory over Andorra U19 in a 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification match.[20]
On 17 June 2022, Chukwuemeka was named in the England squad for the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals.[21] Chukwuemeka featured in every game of their tournament, scoring in group stage victories against Austria and Serbia.[22] On 1 July 2022, he scored the second goal in England's 3–1 extra time victory over Israel in the final.[23] [24] His performances during the competition led to his inclusion in the UEFA team of the tournament.[25]
On 21 September 2022, Chukwuemeka made his England U20 debut during a 3–0 victory over Chile at the Pinatar Arena.[26] On 10 May 2023, Chukwuemeka was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[27] [28] However, he didn't arrive at the tournament until after the group stages due to his club commitments.[29] His only appearance of the tournament saw him start in their round of sixteen defeat against Italy.[30]
Chukwuemeka is of Igbo descent. He was born in Austria to Nigerian parents and then later moved and was raised in Northampton, England. His older brother Caleb plays as a forward for Slovenian club NK Tabor Sežana.[31]
He attended St James CofE primary school in Northampton and then Northampton School for Boys with his brother.[32]
| Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Aston Villa U21 | 2020–21 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||||
| Aston Villa | 2020–21 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||||
| Chelsea | 2022–23 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 2 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 23 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | ||||
| Career total | 37 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 47 | 2 | |||
Aston Villa
2020–21
England U19
Individual