Jorthy Mokio

Jorthy Mokio (born 29 February 2008) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Eredivisie club Ajax.

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. 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. He initially started with the reserve team, Jong Ajax, making his Eerste Divisie debut on 12 August 2024 against Jong PSV.

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. 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 for DR Congo until 2028, as he has already played a senior international match with Belgium.

Career statistics

Club

International