Erwing Jo Botaka-Ioboma

Football did not come easy for Erwing Jo Botaka-Ioboma. As a boy he wanted a place at Spartak Moscow and was turned away before he even got a trial, so his path began instead in the academies of Lokomotiv and Torpedo's youth school. A move to Torpedo itself later fell through after pressure from the "Zapad-5 Ultras" fan group, an episode widely described in the press as racially motivated, though the club pointed to financial reasons.

He built his career through the lower divisions, starting at Solaris before a spell with Lokomotiv's reserve side, a half-season in Georgia with Samgurali, and a stint at Veles Moscow. He returned to Veles, where he established himself as a regular starter and scored three goals in the 2020/21 season.

In September 2023 he joined Arsenal Tula, again as a free agent, and quickly became a fixture in the side. That campaign ended painfully: two own goals in the play-off ties against Pari Nizhny Novgorod contributed to Arsenal's relegation from the Russian Premier League. He made 15 First League appearances the following season before leaving for Leningradets in the summer of 2026.

Botaka-Ioboma played twice for Russia's under-20 side in 2020 but has not been called up to the senior national team. In February 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo's football federation showed interest in signing him, but he turned down the approach to focus on his club career. He has not won any individual or team honours.