Joel Johnson Alajarín (born 20 September 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for USL League One club Charlotte Independence. Born in Spain, he represents the Liberia national team.
_(cropped).jpg) Johnson with Charlotte Independence in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joel Johnson Alajarín[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1992[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Torrent, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlotte Independence | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2001 | Torrent | ||
| 2001–2009 | Valencia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2012 | Valencia B | 69 | (1) |
| 2010 | Valencia | 1 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Real Madrid C | 50 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Jaén | 16 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Buñol | 9 | (0) |
| 2016–2021 | Charlotte Independence | 146 | (3) |
| 2022 | Hartford Athletic | 34 | (4) |
| 2023– | Charlotte Independence | 35 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | Liberia | 10 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:36, 11 December 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:37, 11 December 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career edit
Born in Torrent, Valencia, to a Liberian father and a Spanish mother, Johnson was a product of Valencia CF's youth system.[2] He made his senior debut at only 17, appearing with the reserves in the Segunda División B and suffering relegation in 2010.[3]
On 8 March 2010, as both right-backs in the first team, Bruno and Miguel, were unavailable, Johnson made his only La Liga appearance, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 home draw against Racing de Santander.[4][5] Released on 30 June 2012, he went on to compete solely in the lower leagues, first with Real Madrid C and then with Real Jaén, both in the third tier.[6][7][8]
After a season with CD Buñol in the Tercera División, Johnson signed with USL Championship side Charlotte Independence on 6 April 2016.[9] Six years later, he joined Hartford Athletic of the same country and league.[10]
International career edit
Johnson received his first call for the Liberia national team on 31 August 2016,[11] being an unused substitute in the 4–1 away loss to Tunisia for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying phase the following week.[12] He only won his first cap on 9 September 2018, starting and playing 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw against DR Congo for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.[13]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Joel Johnson at WorldFootball.net
- ^ Joel Johnson, a un paso de debutar (Joel Johnson, close to making debut); Las Provincias, 7 March 2010 (in Spanish)
- ^ La victoria del Espanyol B certifica el descenso del Mestalla a Tercera (Espanyol B win confirms Mestalla's relegation to Tercera); Levante-EMV, 26 April 2010 (in Spanish)
- ^ Los Che frustrated by Santander again Archived 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine; ESPN Soccernet, 8 March 2010
- ^ Joel: "Impresiona jugar en Mestalla" (Joel: "It's impressive to play in Mestalla"); Las Provincias, 9 March 2010 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Real Madrid C se refuerza con Joel Johnson (Real Madrid C bolster with Joel Johnson); Defensa Central, 19 July 2012 (in Spanish)
- ^ Joel Johnson, último fichaje del Real Jaén (Joel Johnson, last signing of Real Jaén); Ideal, 1 September 2014 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Buñol da con la tecla (Buñol hit the spot); Golsmedia, 16 November 2015 (in Spanish)
- ^ Independence sign Spanish defender Johnson; United Soccer League, 7 April 2016
- ^ Hartford Athletic signs veteran USL Championship defender Joel Johnson; Hartford Athletic, 18 March 2022
- ^ Joel Johnson receives call up from Liberian national team Archived 15 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine; Charlotte Independence, 31 August 2016
- ^ Tunisia beats Liberia 4–1 in Tunis – Togo thumps Djibouti 5–0 to qualify Archived 15 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine; Front Page Africa, 4 September 2016
- ^ Thomas Kojo ‘impressed’ with Johnson’s debut performance Archived 25 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine; Liberian Observer, 12 September 2018
External links edit
- Joel Johnson at BDFutbol
- Joel Johnson at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Joel Johnson at LaPreferente.com (in Spanish)
- Joel Johnson at National-Football-Teams.com
- Joel Johnson at Soccerway