J. Mokio

Mokio was born on 29 February 2008 in Ghent, and his path through the city's football began at KFC Merelbeke before he moved into KAA Gent's academy. He broke into Gent's first team as a teenager, making his senior debut in 2023 and, that October, becoming the club's youngest ever player in the UEFA Youth League. By June 2024 he was ready for a bigger step: Ajax signed him on a free transfer, beating out interest from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSV for the then 16-year-old.

The move paid off almost immediately. On 29 August 2024 he became the youngest non-Dutch player to debut for Ajax, appearing against Jagiellonia Białystok in the Europa League play-offs. The following February he went further still: against Union Saint-Gilloise, aged 16 years and 350 days, he struck a volley that made him the youngest goalscorer in a Europa League knockout-stage match and the youngest player to score for a Dutch club in continental competition. He spent that season splitting time with Jong Ajax, where he added two goals in 19 appearances, before establishing himself more firmly at first-team level and switching from squad number 31 to 24 for the following campaign.

Off the pitch, his international situation has taken its own turn. Born in Belgium to Congolese roots, he made his senior debut for Belgium in March 2025 before switching his allegiance to DR Congo in May 2026, though FIFA regulations mean he remains ineligible to represent his new national side until 2028. Ajax, for their part, moved to secure his long-term future in April 2026, extending his contract to 2031.