Joel_Kojo
Joel Kojo
Ghanaian-born Kyrgyz footballer (born 1998)
Joel Kojo (Russian: Джоэл Коджо; born 21 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Uzbekistan Super League club Dinamo Samarqand. Born in Ghana, he plays for the Kyrgyzstan national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joel Kojo | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-08-21) 21 August 1998 (age 25) | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Dinamo Samarqand | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| KK Adonteng Stars | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Alay | 59 | (41) |
| 2021–2023 | Dordoi Bishkek | 35 | (14) |
| 2023– | Dinamo Samarqand | 22 | (13) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Kyrgyzstan | 15 | (7) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024 | |||
Alay
Kojo finished the 2018 season as the club's and the league's top scorer with 26 goals.[2]
Dordoi Bishkek
On 11 January 2022, Dordoi Bishkek announced the signing of Kojo on a one-year contract.[3]
Kojo finished the 2022 season as the club's top scorer, scoring 10 goals in the league and once in the Kyrgyzstan Super Cup.[4] On 24 January 2023, Dordoi Bishkek announced the departure of Kojo following the expiration of his contract the previous November.[5]
Dinamo Samarqand
On 27 February 2023, Dinamo Samarqand announced the signing of Kojo on a one-year contract.[6]
On 29 March 2023, Kojo scored a hat-trick for Dinamo Samarqand in their 3–0 victory over Navbahor Namangan-2.[7]
On 18 May 2023, Kojo was called up to the Kyrgyzstan national team for the first time as part of their 2023 CAFA Nations Cup squad.[8] On 16 June 2023, Kojo made his debut for Kyrgyzstan, coming on as a 58th minute substitute for Atay Jumashev in a 5–1 defeat to Iran.[9][10]
On 25 January 2024, Kojo scored the only goal for Kyrgyzstan in their 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaign in a 1–1 tie against Oman, a goal that directly killed off hopes of both his adopted country and Oman from advancing at the expense of Indonesia in which he was being hailed as a hero in Indonesia.
On 26 March 2024, Kojo scored his first international hat-trick during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Chinese Taipei in a 5–1 home win.
Born in Ghana, Kojo is a Ghanaian Muslim. He was naturalized by Kyrgyzstan and joined the Kyrgyzstan national team after competing in that country for a long time.[11]
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Alay | 2018 | Kyrgyz Premier League | 21 | 15 | — | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | — | 27 | 16 | ||||
| 2019 | 24 | 19 | — | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | 26 | 19 | ||||||
| 2020 | 14 | 7 | — | — | — | 14 | 7 | |||||||
| Total | 59 | 41 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 67 | 42 | ||||||
| Dordoi Bishkek | 2021 | Kyrgyz Premier League | 13 | 4 | — | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | — | 15 | 5 | ||||
| 2022 | 22 | 10 | — | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | — | 24 | 10 | ||||||
| Total | 35 | 14 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 39 | 15 | ||||||
| Dinamo Samarqand | 2023 | Uzbekistan Pro League | 17 | 11 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | 23 | 15 | |||
| 2024 | Uzbekistan Super League | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 13 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | 28 | 17 | |||||
| Career total | 116 | 68 | 6 | 4 | — | 12 | 2 | — | 134 | 74 | ||||
- Includes Kyrgyzstan Cup, Uzbekistan Cup
- Appearances and goals in the AFC Cup
International
Statistics accurate as of match played 26 March 2024[10]
| Kyrgyzstan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 |
| Total | 15 | 7 |
International goals
- Scores and results list Kyrgyzstan's goal tally first.[10]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 September 2023 | The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |  Kuwait | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 3–1 | |||||
| 3. | 9 January 2024 | Al Egla Training Facility, Doha, Qatar |  Vietnam | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4. | 25 January 2024 | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Oman | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 5. | 26 March 2024 | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan |  Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2nd round |
| 6. | 2–0 | |||||
| 7. | 3–0 |
Alay
- Kyrgyzstan Cup: 2020
- Kyrgyzstan Super Cup: 2018
Dordoi Bishkek
- Kyrgyz Premier League: 2021
- Kyrgyzstan Super Cup: 2021, 2022
Individual
- Kyrgyz Premier League top-goalscorer: 2018
- "Joel Kojo". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- "Жоел Кожо из Ганы — лучший бомбардир чемпионата Кыргызстана по футболу (список)". sport.akipress.org (in Russian). Sport Akipress. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Кожо Жоэл стал игроком "Дордоя"". fc-dordoi.kg (in Russian). FC Dordoi Bishkek. 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Кожо Жоэль - лучший бомбардир "Дордоя" в этом сезоне". fc-dordoi.kg (in Russian). FC Dordoi Bishkek. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Форвард из Ганы Кожо Жоэль покинул "Дордой"". fc-dordoi.kg (in Russian). FC Dordoi Bishkek. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "В"ДинамоВ" жамоаси Про лига янги мавсуми олдидан ўз сафига янги ўйинчиларни Т›ўшиб олишда давом этмоТ›да". fcdinamo.uz (in Uzbek). FC Dinamo Samarqand. 27 February 2023. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Navbahor Farm 0-3 Dinamo". pfl.uz. Uzbekistan Professional Football League. 29 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "СПИСОК ИГРОКОВ, ВЫЗВАННЫХ В СБОРНУЮ КЫРГЫЗСТАНА" (in Russian). Кыргызский футбольный союз. 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Joel Kojo debuts for Kyrgyzstan in heavy defeat to Iran after ditching Ghana". ghanaweb.com. Ghana Web. 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Joel Kojo". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- "Akun Instagram Kojo Joel Striker Muslim Kyrgyzstan Diserbu Netizen Indonesia Pasca Samakan Kedudukan". Tribun Priangan (in Indonesian). 26 January 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- Joel Kojo at Soccerway
- PFL.uz Profile