| 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 | 5 | (0) |
| 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 16:28, 9 March 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]
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]
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]
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]
| 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 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 [a] | 1 | — | 12 | 1 | |
| Career total | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | ||