Jorthy Mokio (born 29 February 2008) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax. Born in Belgium and having represented his birth country at both youth and senior international levels, he plays for the DR Congo national team.
Club career
Gent 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. Widely regarded as a top defensive prospect, he attracted interest from major European clubs. On his 16th birthday, 29 February 2024, he became eligible to play for the senior team. 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. He made four appearances for the first team towards the end of the season.
Ajax 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. He initially started with the reserve team, Jong Ajax, making his Eerste Divisie debut on 12 August 2024 against Jong PSV. 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. 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.
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. 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). On 9 April 2026, Mokio signed a new five-year contract with Ajax, valid until June 2031.
International career Born in Belgium, Mokio is of Congolese descent. He has represented Belgium at U15, U16 and U17 levels.
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. 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.
On 8 May 2026, Mokio announced his decision to switch international allegiance from Belgium to DR Congo. In accordance with FIFA regulations, he will be unable to play an official match for DR Congo until 2028, as he has already played a senior international match with Belgium.
Mokio was one of the players who were called up with the DR Congo national team by head coach Sébastien Desabre for the two friendlies against Uganda (2 and 5 October).
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsGent2023–24Belgian Pro League400000—40Jong Gent2023–24Belgian Division 310———10Jong Ajax2024–25Eerste Divisie172———1722025–26Eerste Divisie20———20Total192———192Ajax2024–25Eredivisie1110071—1822025–26Eredivisie2622270213752026–27Eredivisie710060—131Total4442220121688Career total68622201219210
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBelgium202510DR Congo202610 Total20
References
External links