Joel Kojo
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 Kojo with Esteghlal in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 August 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Accra, Ghana | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Esteghlal | ||
| Number | 99 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| KK Adonteng Stars | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Alay | 59 | (52) |
| 2021–2023 | Dordoi Bishkek | 35 | (14) |
| 2023–2024 | Dinamo Samarqand | 41 | (19) |
| 2025– | Esteghlal | 11 | (2) |
| 2025 | → Neftchi Fergana (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2023– | Kyrgyzstan | 30 | (11) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 4 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 September 2025 | |||
Joel Kojo (Russian: Джоэл Коджо; born 21 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal. Born in Ghana, he plays for the Kyrgyzstan national team.
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, Uzbekistan Super League club 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]
Esteghlal
On 11 January 2025, Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal announced the signing of Kojo.[8] He scored his first goal for the club on 3 February during the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite match against Iraqi club Al Shorta in a 1–1 draw.
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.[9] 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.[10][11]
On 11 September 2023, Kojo scored his first international goals in a friendly against Kuwait.
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.
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.[12]
