Jonathan Kodjia

Club career Reims Kodjia made his professional debut in a 4–1 loss against Dijon. In the first four seasons at the club, Kodjia rarely played and was never able to score for the Reims first team, his most productive campaign being when he made 13 appearances after the club had dropped into France's third tier. Successful loan moves to Cherbourg, Caen and Amiens earned him a move to Angers.

Bristol City Kodjia joined Bristol City on a three-year deal for £2 million from Angers, with the option of a further year on 20 July 2015.

Aston Villa On 30 August 2016, 26-year-old Kodjia signed on a four-year contract with newly demoted Aston Villa. The initial fee of £11 million, potentially rising to £15 million, was a record fee for City. He scored his first league goal for Roberto Di Matteo's team in his second game against Brentford. Kodjia's next goal came in a 1–1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers from the spot after Jack Grealish was fouled in Steve Bruce's first game as Villa manager. He then scored the opener in a 2–1 win away at Reading just three days later. His late acrobatic goal against Fulham on 22 October won the game 1–0 for Villa, making it three goals in three games and back to back wins for the club.

Kodjia started November in top form bagging two goals against a struggling Blackburn Rovers on side on Bonfire night to help Villa come from 1–0 down to win the game 2–1. His seventh goal of the season then came later in the month with a fine header in a 3–1 win over Cardiff City at Villa Park. Kodjia scored six goals in Steve Bruce's first seven games in charge and his form helped propel Villa from the relegation zone up to 11th within Bruce's first month at the club. Kodjia's performances won him the PFA Championship player of the month for November. He broke his ankle in April 2017, which prematurely ended his season and would see him miss the beginning of the 2017–18 season. He finished the season with 19 goals in 36 games in his first season.

Kodjia injured his ankle again in the derby match against Birmingham City in October 2017 which was further aggravated on international duty, the injury required surgery which ruled him out until March 2018. He returned from injury to help Villa reach the 2018 EFL Championship play-off final, playing in the final as a substitute, as Villa lost 1–0 to Fulham in the final and thus missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

On 22 April 2019, Kodjia scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Millwall which helped the club set a new record of ten successive wins. On 28 April 2019, he was injured while playing against Leeds United. With Villa players wanting the ball put out of play so that Kodjia could receive treatment, Leeds continued playing and scored. Following the goal, there was a large confrontation between the opposing sides, which led the Leeds coach, Marcelo Bielsa, to allow Aston Villa to equalise unchallenged.

Al-Gharafa On 19 January 2020, Kodjia was presented to the media by Al-Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League, coached by former Premier League manager Slaviša Jokanović. On 23 January 2020, he made his debut in a 4–2 win over Al-Rayyan, in which he scored a hat-trick.

Umm Salal In July 2022, Kodjia signed for fellow Qatar Stars League club Umm Salal. He made his debut on 1 August 2022, in a 1–0 defeat to Al Ahli.

Annecy On 22 August 2023, Kodjia returned to France when he joined Ligue 2 club Annecy on a free transfer.

Versailles On 18 August 2024, Kodjia signed for semi-pro Championnat National club FC Versailles 78 on a free transfer.

Wolf Pack FC After departing Versailles, Kodjia joined seven-a-side team Wolf Pack FC in Gerard Piqué's Kings League France as well as representing Team France in the league's international format.

International career Kodjia was born in France to Ivorian parents. He was contacted first by the Benin Football Association as his surname has origins in that country, but was not eligible. He scored his first international goal against Gabon on 4 June 2016, volleying home to score the first goal of the game. Ivory Coast would go on to win 2–1.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kodjia goal. + List of international goals scored by Jonathan Kodjia

Individual Ligue 2 Player of the Year: 2015 Ligue 2 Team of the Season: 2014–15 EFL Championship PFA Player of the Month: November 2016