| Joel Kojo | |
| Fullname: | Joel Kojo |
| Birth Date: | 21 August 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Accra, Ghana |
| Height: | [1] |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | Dinamo Samarqand |
| Clubnumber: | 10 |
| Years1: | 2017–2021 |
| Clubs1: | Alay |
| Caps1: | 59 |
| Goals1: | 41 |
| Years2: | 2021–2023 |
| Clubs2: | Dordoi Bishkek |
| Caps2: | 35 |
| Goals2: | 14 |
| Years3: | 2023– |
| Clubs3: | Dinamo Samarqand |
| Caps3: | 29 |
| Goals3: | 15 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam1: | Kyrgyzstan |
| Nationalcaps1: | 15 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 7 |
| Club-Update: | 5 April 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 26 March 2024 |
| Youthclubs1: | KK Adonteng Stars |
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.
Kojo finished the 2018 season as the club's and the league's top scorer with 26 goals.[2]
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]
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 Dzhumashev in a 5–1 defeat to Iran.[9]
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.[10]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | 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 | 1 | — | 27 | 16 | |||||
| 2019 | 24 | 19 | — | 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 | 1 | — | 15 | 5 | |||||
| 2022 | 22 | 10 | — | 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 | |||||
Statistics accurate as of match played 26 March 2024
| Kyrgyzstan national team | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals | |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | |
| Total | 15 | 7 | |
Scores and results list Kyrgyzstan's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 September 2023 | The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Friendly | |||
| 2. | ||||||
| 3. | 9 January 2024 | Al Egla Training Facility, Doha, Qatar | Friendly | |||
| 4. | 25 January 2024 | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar | 2023 AFC Asian Cup | |||
| 5. | 26 March 2024 | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2nd round | |||
| 6. | ||||||
| 7. |
Alay
Dordoi Bishkek
Individual