Charles Gbeke

Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978 in Abidjan) is an Ivorian-born Canadian soccer player who is currently a free agent.

Gbeke began his career with brief stints with Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps, where he was deployed as a defender but failed to establish himself as a starter. It was in the Canadian Professional Soccer League during his stint with the Ottawa Wizards he made the transition to a striker. His achievements at Ottawa included winning a league title and a Open Canada Cup.

He returned to the USL First Division on loan to the Toronto Lynx, where he proved to be a consistent striker capable of performing in the First Division. Following a brief stint in Europe, he was acquired by the Montreal Impact in a trade deadline move after tallying two goals in six games. Gbeke led the defending champions in scoring in the postseason, tallying all three goals, but the team was knocked out 4-3 on aggregate by the eventual champion Seattle Sounders. The following year he was transferred to the Rochester Rhinos.

Gbeke found success again since his return to Montreal as he went on to record 10 goals that claimed him the Goal Scoring Championship for the first time in his career. After a slow start with Montreal he was traded back to Vancouver only to win his first USL First Division Championship, where he scored both goals in the Whitecaps' 2-1 victory over Puerto Rico Islanders. In 2009 went on to claim the Goal Scoring Championship for the second time in three years with 12 goals. In February 2010 he was ranked 18th in the USL First Division Top 25 of the Decade, a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade.