Joel Kojo

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.

Joel Kojo
Personal information
Full name Joel Kojo
Date of birth (1998-08-21) 21 August 1998
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 29 (15)
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

Club career

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]

International career

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 Dzhumashev 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.

Personal life

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]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 5 April 2024[12][10]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Alay 2018 Kyrgyz Premier League 2115—6[lower-alpha 2]1—2716
2019 2419—2[lower-alpha 2]0—2619
2020 147———147
Total 5941—81—6742
Dordoi Bishkek 2021 Kyrgyz Premier League 134—2[lower-alpha 2]1—155
2022 2210—2[lower-alpha 2]0—2410
Total 3514—41—3915
Dinamo Samarqand 2023 Uzbekistan Pro League 171164———2315
2024 Uzbekistan Super League 5200———52
Total 221364———2817
Career total 1166864—122—13474
  1. Includes Kyrgyzstan Cup, Uzbekistan Cup
  2. Appearances and goals in the AFC Cup


International

Statistics accurate as of match played 26 March 2024[10]

Kyrgyzstan national team
YearAppsGoals
202392
202465
Total157

International goals
Scores and results list Kyrgyzstan's goal tally first.[10]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.11 September 2023The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Kuwait
2–1
3–1
Friendly
2.
3–1
3.9 January 2024Al Egla Training Facility, Doha, Qatar Vietnam
1–0
2–1
Friendly
4.25 January 2024Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar Oman
1–1
1–1
2023 AFC Asian Cup
5.26 March 2024Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Chinese Taipei
1–0
5–1
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2nd round
6.
2–0
7.
3–0

Honours

Alay

Dordoi Bishkek

Individual

References
  1. "Joel Kojo". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  2. "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.
  3. "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.
  4. "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.
  5. "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.
  6. "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.
  7. "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.
  8. "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.
  9. "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.
  10. "Joel Kojo". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  11. "Akun Instagram Kojo Joel Striker Muslim Kyrgyzstan Diserbu Netizen Indonesia Pasca Samakan Kedudukan". Tribun Priangan (in Indonesian). 26 January 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  12. Joel Kojo at Soccerway
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