Jorthy Mokio
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 February 2008 | ||
| Place of birth | Ghent, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ajax | ||
| Number | 31 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2017–2020 | KFC Merelbeke | ||
| 2021–2024 | Gent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024 | Gent | 4 | (0) |
| 2024– | Jong Ajax | 17 | (2) |
| 2024– | Ajax | 7 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023 | Belgium U15 | 5 | (2) |
| 2023 | Belgium U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023– | Belgium U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2024– | Belgium U21 | 1 | (1) |
| 2025– | Belgium | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:16, 20 April 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:09, 21 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Jorthy Mokio (born 29 February 2008) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Belgium national team.[2] He is regarded as one of the most talented defenders of his generation.[3][4][5][6][7]
Club career
[edit]K.A.A. Gent
[edit]Mokio joined the Gent youth academy from KFC Merelbeke in 2021. On 4 October 2023, he debuted in the UEFA Youth League in a match against Basel, becoming the youngest Gent player ever to participate in the competition.[1] Widely regarded as a top defensive prospect, he attracted interest from major European clubs.[8][9] On his 16th birthday, 29 February 2024, he became eligible to play for the senior team.[10] He made his senior debut for Gent in the Belgian Pro League on 29 March 2024, starting in a 5–1 win against Standard Liège.[11] He made four appearances for the first team towards the end of the season.[11]
AFC Ajax
[edit]On 24 June 2024, having turned down offers from other clubs including reportedly Barcelona, Mokio joined Dutch club Ajax on a free transfer, signing a contract until June 2027.[12][13] He initially started with the reserve team, Jong Ajax, making his Eerste Divisie debut on 12 August 2024 against Jong PSV.[1] He quickly established himself as a regular for Jong Ajax, scoring twice in 17 appearances during the first half of the season, sometimes playing as a defensive midfielder.[11][13] Mokio made his competitive debut for the Ajax first team on 29 August 2024, coming on as a substitute against Jagiellonia Białystok in the UEFA Europa League play-off round. In doing so, at 16 years and 182 days, he became the youngest non-Dutch player ever to debut for Ajax.[14]
His integration into the first team under manager Francesco Farioli accelerated in the new year. He made his Eredivisie debut starting at left-back against Fortuna Sittard on 9 February 2025; at 16 years and 346 days, he became the second-youngest player to start a league match for Ajax, only three days older than Clarence Seedorf.[13] Four days later, on 13 February, Mokio made his first European start against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League knockout round play-offs and scored his first senior goal with a volley in Ajax's 2–0 victory. This goal made him the youngest ever scorer in a UEFA Europa League knockout stage match (16 years, 350 days).[15][16][17]
International career
[edit]Born in Belgium, Mokio is of Congolese descent.[18] He has represented Belgium at U15, U16 and U17 levels.[19]
In September 2024, Mokio made his debut for the Belgium U21 team in a 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan, scoring in a 3-1 victory.[20] On 20 March 2025, Mokio made his senior debut for the Belgium national team, coming on as a substitute in a UEFA Nations League play-off match against Ukraine. Aged 17 years and 19 days, he became one of the youngest players ever to represent Belgium at senior level.[21]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 20 April 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gent | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| Jong Gent | 2023–24 | Belgian Division 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Jong Ajax | 2024–25 | Eerste Divisie | 17 | 2 | — | — | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| Ajax | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7[a] | 1 | — | 14 | 2 | |
| Career total | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 4 | ||
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Jorthy Mokio". AFC Ajax. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ "Gent's centre-back talent pipeline: The youthful trio poised for future first team success – scout report". Totalfootballanalysis. 12 February 2024.
- ^ "Verpokert! RB lässt Deal mit Top-Talent platzen". Sky Deutschland (in German). 24 January 2024.
- ^ "AA Gent wil ver gaan voor toptalent Jorthy Mokio (15): "De sommen die we aangeboden hebben? Gigantisch"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Hein Vanhaezebrouck krijgt vandaag extra speler van 16 jaar oud die hij eigenlijk al lang bij de A-kern wou". Voetbalkrant (in Dutch). 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Wie is Jorthy Mokio, het piepjonge talent op de scoutinglijst van PSV en Ajax?". Voetbalnieuws.nl (in Dutch). 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Jorthy Mokio". Footballtalentscout. 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Verpokert! RB lässt Deal mit Top-Talent platzen". Sky Deutschland (in German). 24 January 2024.
- ^ "AA Gent wil ver gaan voor toptalent Jorthy Mokio (15): "De sommen die we aangeboden hebben? Gigantisch"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Hein Vanhaezebrouck krijgt vandaag extra speler van 16 jaar oud die hij eigenlijk al lang bij de A-kern wou". Voetbalkrant (in Dutch). 29 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Jorthy Mokio at Soccerway
- ^ "Ajax signs Jorthy Mokio". Ajax. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "Jorthy Mokio inspires Ajax: He rejected Barcelona and now debuts at the age of 16, making history". Telegrafi. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Debutant Mokio: 'I think my mum will cry'". AFC Ajax. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Union SG vs Ajax". UEFA.com. 13 February 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Ajax wins first leg against Union Saint-Gilloise". AFC Ajax. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Europa League records and stats: clubs, players, matches, goals". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Half Europa hing al aan de lijn: toptalent AA Gent wordt vandaag 16 jaar én kan record van Romelu Lukaku breken". www.nieuwsblad.be. 29 February 2024.
- ^ "Jorthy Mokio". RBFA (in French). Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Kazakhstan U21 - Belgium U21". SofaScore (in Dutch). 10 September 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Chagrijn bij België blijft, ondanks nieuwe bondscoach en debuut Mokio". VI.nl (in Dutch). 20 March 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
External links
[edit]- Jorthy Mokio at Soccerway
- Jorthy Mokio at the Royal Belgian Football Association
- 2008 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Ghent
- Belgian men's footballers
- Belgium men's international footballers
- Belgium men's youth international footballers
- Belgian sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
- Men's association football defenders
- Men's association football midfielders
- K.A.A. Gent players
- AFC Ajax players
- Jong Ajax players
- Belgian Pro League players
- Eerste Divisie players
- Belgian National Division 1 players
- Belgian expatriate men's footballers
- Belgian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
- 21st-century Belgian sportsmen