OTD: SIMON ADINGRA BORN

On this day in 2002, current Sunderland winger Simon Adingra was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He joined the club in the summer 2025 transfer window and recently scored his first goal for the club.

Simon Adingra started out in football at the Right to Dream academy in Ghana before moving to FC Nordsjælland’s academy in 2020. In the following year he made his debut in a 2-2 draw with Copenhagen, coming off of the bench and scoring his side's second goal. The 2021-22 season was his first one regularly featuring in a first team as he played 33 games and managed 10 goals plus three assists. 

In summer 2022 he went to Brighton and Hove Albion and was quickly sent out on loan to Belgium with Union SG, where he became a regular. In total he featured 51 times in all competitions in 2022/23, scoring 15 and assisting 14, including games in the Europa League.

Upon his return to England he was a regular sight for Brighton, recording 40 appearances in 2023-24, with seven goals and three assists. Notable goals included one against Ajax in the EL, against Liverpool in the Premier League and two in the same match versus Sheffield United following a very successful AFCON.

In his final season at Brighton he played a further 33 times, registering five goals and another two assists. There was another goal versus Liverpool, this time around in the EFL Cup and he found the back of the net in an opening day victory at Goodison Park.

In July 2025, Adingra signed for the Lads on a five-year contract. On his debut for the club, on the opening day of the season against West Ham United, he was denied an assist due to a deflection after he sent the ball into the box for our second goal of a 3-0 win. He started the next game away to Burnley but was dropped for the following match at home to Brentford. He was back in the starting XI away to Crystal Palace and played well in a hard-fought 0-0 draw. Adingra was then dropped again, playing just over 45 minutes across his next two appearances and then making the odd cameo appearance off of the bench between the conclusion of the October international break and the start of AFCON.

It was widely expected that he'd be going to AFCON with the Ivory Coast, mostly due to the fact that he was the Best Young Player at the last tournament in 2023 and was integral to his country winning the tournament. He scored a last minute equaliser against Mali to take the game to extra time in the quarter final before assisting both goals for his nation in the final versus Nigeria as they came back from behind in the final hour. He was a regular in the squad since that tournament win, up until the November international break when he was dropped. He was then not given the call-up for the squad for AFCON, which he said was "painful". Whether that's because he faced stiff competition in his positions (he can play on both sides of the wing) in the form of former Sunderland player Amad Diallo and also Yan Diomande (who plays for a very good RB Leipzig team) or because he hasn't been starting many games for us, or a combination of both or maybe something else entirely is unknown.

Still, when one door closes, another one opens as the saying goes and he's been afforded two starts for us since AFCON kicked off (at the time of writing). Adingra has used this game time well so far, scoring the opening goal in a 1-1 draw with Leeds United to conclude 2025 and get him underway as a Sunderland player.

So far, he has 26 caps and has scored four goals for his country and it would be wrong to write him off for a potential return to the Elephants at some point in the future.