Joshua Laqeretabua
{{short description|Fijian footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Joshua Laqeretabua
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Joshua Laqeretabua{{cite web |url=https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/gc-media-assets.gc.eflservices.co.uk/9edd2ed0-6c4a-11ef-9965-335248f7bb41.pdf |title=Club List of Registered Players as at September 2024 |publisher=English Football League |page=58 and 59 |access-date=16 September 2024}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|09|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = England
| height = 1.85m
| currentclub = Charlton Athletic
| clubnumber = 38
| position = Defender
| youthyears1 = 2013–2023
| youthclubs1 = Charlton Athletic
| years1 = 2023–
| clubs1 = Charlton Athletic
| caps1 = 2
| goals1 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2023–
| nationalteam1 = Fiji U20
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| club-update = 22:10, 3 December 2024 (UTC)
| nationalteam-update = 17:10, 9 October 2023 (UTC)
}}
Joshua Laqeretabua (born 26 September 2005) is a Fijian footballer who currently plays for League One club Charlton Athletic. He is a Fiji youth international.{{cite web |title=Soccerway profile |url=https://us.soccerway.com/players/josh-laqueretabua/812724/ |publisher=Soccerway |access-date=8 October 2023}}
Club career
Laqeretabua joined the academy of Charlton Athletic at the under-9 level. He won the 2022–23 league championship with the under-18 side. In July 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club, a two-year deal.{{cite web |last1=Matairakula |first1=Talei |title=Laqeretabua signs first professional contract |url=https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/sports/football/laqeretabua-signs-first-professional-contract/ |publisher=Fijian Broadcasting Corportation |access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite web |title=Joshua Laqeretabua Signs First Pro Deal |url=https://www.charltonafc.com/news/josh-laqeretabua-signs-first-pro-deal |publisher=Charlton Athletic FC |access-date=8 October 2023}}
Laqeretabua made his competitive debut for Charlton's senior side on 5 September 2023 in a 3–4 2023–24 EFL Trophy loss to Crawley Town.{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=John |title=Charlton to Make Break Count |url=https://issuu.com/communitymattersmedia/docs/slw15_final |publisher=South London Weekly |access-date=8 October 2023 |pages=38}}{{cite web |last1=Mail |first1=Harry |title=Charlton Athletic caretaker boss reacts to attacker injury boost |url=https://the72.co.uk/2023/09/06/charlton-athletic-caretaker-boss-reacts-to-attacker-injury-boost/ |publisher=The 72 |access-date=8 October 2023}}
Laqeretabua made his first League One appearance for Charlton on 26 November 2024 – coming off the bench in the 87th minute – in a 1–0 win away at Burton Albion.{{cite web |title=Burton Albion 0-1 Charlton Athletic |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/czj7l93nrevt#Line-ups |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=26 November 2024}}
On 13 January 2025, Laqeretabua signed a new long-term contract with the Charlton Athletic, putting pen-to-paper on a three-and-a-half year deal keeping him at the club until 2028 with the addition of a club option of an extra year.{{cite web |title=Josh Laqeretabua signs new long-term contract |url=https://www.charltonafc.com/news/josh-laqeretabua-signs-new-long-term-contract |publisher=Charlton Athletic FC |access-date=13 January 2025}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c77r441v5mjo|title=Charlton Athletic extend academy defender Josh Laqeretabua|date=13 January 2025|website=BBC Sport}}
International career
Laqeretabua's parents are from Fiji's Tailevu Province. In 2022, he was identified as one of the promising Fijian footballers who would make up the next generation of the country's national team.{{cite web |title=Fiji’s football youth revolution is on |url=https://www.theroar.com.au/2022/06/17/fijis-football-youth-revolution-is-on/ |publisher=The Roar |access-date=8 October 2023}} In February 2023, at age seventeen, he accepted a call-up to the Fiji under-20 team for a training camp ahead of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, despite being on the radar of the English FA.{{cite web|title=Under-20 World Cup: a guide to players and coaches to look out for |url=https://www.insideportharcourt.com/2023/05/20/under-20-world-cup-a-guide-to-players-and-coaches-to-look-out-for/ |publisher=Inside Port Harcourt |access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Nair |first1=Krishneel |title=Josh Laqeretabua and Semi Nabenu have been invited to join Fiji U20- Reddy |url=https://www.fijivillage.com/sports/Josh-Laqeretabua-and-Semi-Nabenu-have-been-invited-to-join-Fiji-U20---Reddy-r84x5f/ |publisher=Fiji Village |access-date=8 October 2023}} About the call up, Laqeretabua said, "It has always been my dream to be called up to play for my parents' country of birth."{{cite web |last1=Nasokia |first1=Waisea |title=Josh Laqeretabua Ready To Relish Opportunity |url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2023/05/18/josh-laqeretabua-ready-to-relish-opportunity/ |publisher=The Fiji Sun |access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite web |title=Josh Laqeretabua on Fiji U20s call up |url=https://www.charltonafc.com/video/player/0_xr4oclww |publisher=Charlton Athletic FC |access-date=8 October 2023}} He went on to be part of Fiji's final squad for the tournament, making two appearances.{{cite web |last1=Saltori |first1=Rafael |title=Fijian youngster Josh Laqeretabua signs his first professional contract in England |url=https://oceaniafootballcenter.org/2023/07/04/fijian-youngster-josh-laqeretabua-signs-his-first-professional-contract-in-england/ |publisher=Oceania Football Center |access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Cawley |first1=Richard |title=Highly-rated Charlton Athletic defender – who played at U20 World Cup – signs two-year professional deal |url=https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/highly-rated-charlton-athletic-defender-who-played-at-u20-world-cup-signs-two-year-professional-deal/ |publisher=London News Online |access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite web |title=Ademola Lookman 2.0? 4 Charlton Athletic Players Who Could Be the Next Big Stars to Emerge |url=https://onefootball.com/en/news/ademola-lookman-20-4-charlton-athletic-players-who-could-be-the-next-big-stars-to-emerge-38347602 |publisher=One Football |access-date=8 October 2023}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 10 December 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|EFL Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="3"|Charlton Athletic
|2023–24{{soccerbase season|183215|2023|accessdate=9 October 2023}} |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2{{Efn|Two appearances in the EFL Trophy}} | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2024–25{{soccerbase season|183215|2024|accessdate=9 October 2023}}
|2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3{{Efn|Three appearances in the EFL Trophy}} | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Charlton Athletic total
!2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{GSA player|joshua-laqeretabua/564517}}
- {{soccerbase|183215}}
- {{Soccerway player|josh-laqueretabua/812724}}
- [https://www.charltonafc.com/player/263 Charlton Athletic profile]
{{Charlton Athletic F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laqeretabua, Joshua}}
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Fijian men's footballers
Category:Fiji men's international footballers
Category:English men's footballers
Category:English people of Fijian descent
Category:Charlton Athletic F.C. players