Jonathan Yula Okita (born 5 October 1996) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Swiss club Zürich. Born in Germany, he plays for the DR Congo national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathan Yula Okita | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Cologne, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Zürich | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2012 | RCS Brainois | ||
| 2012–2013 | Tubize | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Tubize | 16 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Standard Liège | 2 | (0) |
| 2016 | → Roeselare (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | MVV | 36 | (18) |
| 2018–2022 | NEC | 124 | (32) |
| 2022– | Zürich | 65 | (18) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | DR Congo | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:49, 10 October 2021 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editOkita made his Belgian First Division A debut for Standard Liège on 17 April 2016 in a game against Royal Excel Mouscron.[1]
NEC
editOn 24 August 2018, Okita signed a four-year contract with Eerste Divisie club NEC Nijmegen.[2] Three days later, he made his debut for the club in the 2–1 away win over Jong FC Utrecht. On 8 September, he scored his first goal for the club in the 3–2 away win against Roda JC Kerkrade.[3] In his first season, he impressed with NEC, scoring 15 goals and providing 13 assists in 41 appearances.[4]
The following season, Okita struggled with his form, but still managed to score six goals and provide seven assists in 28 games.[4] He was set to leave the club in the summer of 2020, but partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic he stayed at the Nijmegen-based club.[5]
As new head coach Rogier Meijer took over the reins, Okita was again utilised in his attacking formation. On 23 May 2021, Okita won promotion to the Eredivisie with NEC by beating NAC Breda 2–1 in the final of the play-offs.[6] Okita, who had once again gone through a mediocre season with four goals and four assists in 33 games,[4] lived up in the play-offs. With four goals in three play-off games, including the matchwinner against NAC, he was a key player in the club's promotion.[7]
On 23 June 2022, Okita signed a three-year contract with Zürich in Switzerland.[8]
International career
editBorn in Germany, Okita is of Congolese descent.[9] He debuted with the DR Congo national team in a 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification loss to Madagascar on 10 October 2021.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 17 April 2016.
- ^ "N.E.C. bindt Jonathan Okita". nec-nijmegen.nl (in Dutch). 24 August 2018.
- ^ "Roda JC verliest met 2-3 van NEC Nijmegen". Roda JC Kerkrade (in Dutch). 8 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Jonathan Okita at WorldFootball.net
- ^ Broek, Danny van den (20 August 2020). "Flegmatieke vleugelspits bij NEC: Met Okita is het hollen of stilstaan". de Gelderlander (in Dutch).
- ^ "NEC verslaat NAC in slotfase en keert na vier jaar terug in de eredivisie". nos.nl (in Dutch). 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Trainer Meijer prijst matchwinner en 'enorme twijfelaar' Okita na promotie NEC". NU (in Dutch). 23 May 2021.
- ^ "Der Stadtclub verpflichtet Offensivspieler Jonathan Okita" (in German). Zürich. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Jonathan Okita wants a move away from the Netherlands". Kick442. 1 June 2020.
- ^ "FIFA". FIFA. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
External links
edit- Jonathan Okita at Soccerway