Joel Zakarias Kabongo (Danish pronunciation: [kʰæˈpʌŋko]; born 5 April 1998) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joel Zakarias Kabongo | ||
| Date of birth | 5 April 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Albertslund, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2008 | Albertslund IF | ||
| 2008–2017 | Brøndby | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Brøndby | 15 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Fremad Amager (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Randers | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 27 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Denmark U16 | 1 | (0) |
| 2016 | Denmark U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Denmark U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Denmark U21 | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career edit
Early career edit
Kabongo started playing for hometown club Albertslund IF before signing a youth contract with Brøndby IF. During his time in the youth teams, Kabongo was a part of the under-17 team that won the championship and the domestic cup.[1] On 31 August 2017, Kabongo moved to second division club Fremad Amager on loan until 1 January 2018.[2] He made his first-team debut for Fremad on 3 September, coming on as a substitute for Heini Vatnsdal in the 82nd minute of a 1–0 win home win against Esbjerg fB.[3]
Brøndby edit
After returning to Brøndby from his loan spell, Kabongo saw playing time in the team's pre-season friendlies, being in the starting lineup in a match against Shakhtar Donetsk.[4] Kabongo made his official debut for Brøndby in the first match of the 2018–19 Danish Superliga season, starting in a 2–0 away win over Randers FC and playing the entire match.[5]
On 16 August 2018, Kabongo made his UEFA Europa League debut, starting in a 2–1 home win over Spartak Subotica. His debut was short-lived, however, as he was sent off in the 15th minute for a professional foul on Dejan Đenić.[6] On 26 August 2018, in a 2–1 win over Vendsyssel FF, Kabongo was sent off again, this time for a 92nd minute foul on Sander Fischer, resulting in a penalty and Kabongo being shown a second yellow card.[7] On 22 April 2019, in a match against FC Midtjylland, Kabongo suffered a cruciate ligament tear and was substituted in the first half.[8] The initial prognosis suggested that he would miss 12 months.[9]
On 5 March 2020, Kabongo, alongside several other Brøndby personnel, was placed in home quarantine after having met with former Brøndby-player Thomas Kahlenberg, who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. Kahlenberg had been infected at a birthday party in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.[10] Kabongo made his comeback in football on 21 May 2020 in a friendly against Lyngby.[11][12]
Randers edit
On 27 July 2021 it was confirmed, that Kabongo had left Brøndby to join fellow league club Randers FC on a three-year deal.[13] He made his debut for the club on 8 August, coming on as a substitute for Frederik Lauenborg in the 88th minute in a 1–0 win.[14] On 28 August, he was injured again and was initially sidelined for the match against Silkeborg on the same day.[15] On 1 October, Kabongo announced via his Instagram account that he had suffered a more serious knee injury which had required surgery.[16]
On 1 August 2022, Randers FC announced that Kabongo had retired, aged 24, after failing to recover from a long-term knee injury originally sustained in a league match for Brøndby against Midtjylland in April 2019.[17][18]
Personal life edit
Kabongo and his girlfriend, Melanie Litgov, have one daughter, Veneda (born 30 April 2020 at Rigshospitalet).[19]
Career statistics edit
| Club | Season | League | Danish Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby | 2017–18 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Superliga | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| Fremad Amager (loan) | 2017–18 | 1st Division | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| Randers | 2021–22 | Superliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022–23 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
Honours edit
Brøndby IF
References edit
- ^ Ingemann Nielsen, Peter (12 April 2016). "Focus On: Joel Kabongo, the Centre-Back with the Big Ambitions" (in Danish). Tipsbladet. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Joel Kabongo Loaned Out to Fremad Amager" (in Danish). brondby.com. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Kabongo' Lightning-Fast Debut in Fremad Amager's win over Esbjerg" (in Danish). 3Point.dk. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "Startopstilling til træningskampen mod Shakhtar Donetsk" (in Danish). Brøndby IF. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "Kabongo: Fantastisk at få debut" (in Danish). Brøndby IF. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "Brøndbys 10 mand spiller sig videre i Europa" (in Danish). DR. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
- ^ Svenningsen, Mette. "Vendsyssel kæmpede forgæves mod Brøndby". TV2 Nord. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ "Skræk-skade i Brøndby: Stjerne ude resten af 2019". Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ Jensen, Kenneth. "Brøndby-forsvarer er blevet opereret: Forventes ude i omkring et år". Tipsbladet. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ Jensen, Michael Sten (5 March 2020). "Tidligere landsholdsspiller isoleret med coronavirus". dr.dk. DR. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Margren, Sara (22 May 2020). "Kabongo fik BIF-comeback: Rigtig fed følelse". bold.dk. bold.dk. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Møller Karlsen, Nanna (21 May 2020). "Kabongo efter comeback: Det var en rigtig fed følelse – har jeg ventet på i 12 måneder". 3point.dk. 3point. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Randers FC forstærker sig med midterforsvareren Joel Kabongo fra de danske mestre, Brøndby IF, randersfc.dk, 27 July 2021
- ^ "Randers vs. SønderjyskE - 8 August 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ Dalgård, Jonas (28 August 2021). "Kabongo og Brock-Madsen ude for Randers". bold.dk (in Danish).
- ^ @joelkabongo24 (1 October 2021). "Operation overstået ✔️ Nu venter der desværre en pause fra fodbolden.. Der skal arbejdes hårdt og er ikke i tvivl om det nok skal gå min vej igen 💪🏽 Ses snart på banen! ⚽️". Retrieved 5 October 2021 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Joel Kabongo indstiller karrieren". Randers FC (in Danish). 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "24-årig Superligaspiller tvunget til at indstille karrieren – TV 2". TV2 Sport (in Danish). 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Møller Karlsen, Nanna (30 April 2020). "Joel Kabongo er blevet far". 3point.dk. 3point. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Soccer-Brondby beat Nordsjaelland to clinch Danish league title". Reuters. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
External links edit
- Joel Kabongo national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
- Joel Kabongo at Soccerway