Jody Lukoki (15 November 1992 – 9 May 2022) was a Congolese-Dutch professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a winger for various clubs and the DR Congo national team. Lukoki progressed through the famed

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

youth academy, making his professional debut in 2011 against rivals

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...

. After failing to make his definitive breakthrough he was sent on loan to

Cambuur SC Cambuur, also known as Cambuur Leeuwarden, or simply Cambuur, () is a Dutch Association football, football club from the city of Leeuwarden formed on 19 June 1964. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league sy ...

, before joining

PEC Zwolle PEC Zwolle is a Dutch football club based in Zwolle, Netherlands. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2021–22 season. They have played in the Eredivisie for a total ...

on a permanent deal in 2014. He moved abroad after one season, signing with Bulgarian club Ludogorets Razgrad where he enjoyed considerable success. Afterwards, short spells followed with

Yeni Malatyaspor Yeni Malatyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Malatya, Turkey. The club plays in the TFF First League, which is the second tier of football in the country. History Founded in 1986 as Malatya Belediyespor. Its prim ...

and

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Ge ...

. He was a Netherlands youth international and gained caps at U19, U20 and U21 level. He received his first call-up for DR Congo in 2015, and represented the country on three occasions. On 9 May 2022, Lukoki died at the age of 29 of a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

at a hospital in

Almere Almere () is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km to the east of Amsterdam (as the crow flies) across the IJmeer. Bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, the municipality of Almere comprise ...

, after an argument with his family had turned violent. Months earlier, he had been convicted of domestic violence leading to his contract with Twente being terminated.

Club career

Early life and career

Lukoki was born in

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

but immigrated to the Netherlands with his parents and his twin brother, NAC Breda player Madjer Lukoki at a young age due to the First Congo War. Growing up in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, he joined the local club

VVA/Spartaan VVA/Spartaan is a Dutch amateur football club from the Amsterdam borough of Amsterdam-West in the neighborhood Bos en Lommer, founded in 1901. The club hold both a Saturday and a Sunday team, with both competing in the Derde Klasse. History The ...

at the age of ten.

Ajax

After playing for VVA/Spartaan and Young Boys Haarlem, Lukoki joined the youth ranks of

. He made his debut for the first team in the 2–0 home win against rivals

on 19 January 2011, replacing Lorenzo Ebecilio in the 80th minute. He immediately got the home fans on his side by giving

Tim de Cler Tim de Cler (born 8 November 1978) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a left-back for Ajax, AZ, Feyenoord and AEK Larnaca. Early life De Cler is born and raised in Leiden, South Holland. In Leiden, he grew up in a neighbo ...

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

when the ball was already out of play. He would go on to make his second appearance in the 3–2 away loss against rivals ADO Den Haag on 20 March 2011. The 2011–12 season started with Lukoki scoring his first career

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

goal in his season debut against

Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; Ripuarian: ), also known as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisi ...

SC Cambuur (loan)

Having contributed to three national titles in his first three seasons with

, Lukoki would remain third-choice winger under

Frank de Boer Franciscus de Boer (; born 15 May 1970) is a Dutch football manager who was most recently the head coach of the Netherlands national team. A former defender, De Boer spent most of his professional playing career with Ajax, winning five Eredi ...

and was granted permission to explore other options. On 2 August 2013, he was loaned out to newly promoted

SC Cambuur SC Cambuur, also known as Cambuur Leeuwarden, or simply Cambuur, () is a Dutch football club from the city of Leeuwarden formed on 19 June 1964. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2020–21 Ee ...

for the season.

PEC Zwolle

On 7 August 2014, it was announced that Lukoki would transfer to

on a three-year contract for a reported €1.5 million, joining the team that had recently defeated Ajax in the KNVB Cup final as well as the

Johan Cruijff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

. On 21 August 2014, Lukoki scored PEC Zwolle's first-ever goal in a continental competition, when they faced

Sparta Prague ) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds/The Maroons).'' Letenští'' , ground = Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena , capacity = 19,416 , clubname = Sparta Prague , image = Sparta Praha logo.png , image_size = 160px , fu ...

in the

2014–15 UEFA Europa League The 2014–15 UEFA Europa League was the 44th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the sixth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The 2015 UEFA Europa League Final was ...

play-off round. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Lukoki scoring in the 77th minute in the club's European debut.

Ludogorets

On 26 June 2015, Lukoki signed with the Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad. The Congolese scored three goals in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round matches against

Mladost Podgorica OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tr ...

. He scored his first goal in the league on 26 November 2016 in match against Botev Plovdiv. During his time at Ludogorets Razgrad he was nicknamed "Синът на вятъра" (English: "The Son of the Wind"). On 28 September 2017, Lukoki netted the winning goal in the 2–1 victory over

1899 Hoffenheim Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg. Originally founded in 189 ...

in a

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

group stage match. On 1 April 2020, Ludogorets Razgrad announced that they had mutually agreed to terminate Lukoki's contract, allowing him to return to the Netherlands.

Later career

In July 2020, Lukoki signed a two-year contract with Turkish club

. He made his competitive debut on 18 September in a 1–1 league draw against Göztepe. His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 26 April 2021, after making 12 total appearances for the club. After leaving Malatyaspor as a free agent, Lukoki returned to the Netherlands, joining Eredivisie club

on a two-year contract in June 2021. A few days after signing, he suffered a serious knee injury during practice, which sidelined him for a season. Twente released Lukoki on 17 February 2022, shortly after he was convicted of domestic violence.

International career

Lukoki held dual citizenship and was eligible to represent either

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

or DR Congo at senior level. He represented Netherlands at various youth levels, reaching third place with the U-19 team at the Festival International 'Espoirs' 2012 in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, France. On 19 March 2015, Lukoki received his first call for the DR Congo team for the match against Iraq and earned his first cap in that game.

Personal life

Domestic violence conviction

In January 2022, Lukoki was convicted of domestic violence, receiving a two-week suspended sentence with a probationary period of three years. He was also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.

Death

On 9 May 2022, Lukoki died at the age of 29 of a

at a hospital in

, after being beaten by his family in an argument.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Ajax *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, 2011–12,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Ludogorets Razgrad *

Bulgarian First League The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...

: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 *

Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup ( bg, Суперкупа на България) is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match an ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

References

External links

Voetbal International profile
*
Netherlands stats
at OnsOranje * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lukoki, Jody 1992 births 2022 deaths Twin sportspeople Dutch twins Association football wingers Democratic Republic of the Congo footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo international footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to the Netherlands Dutch footballers Netherlands under-21 international footballers Netherlands youth international footballers Footballers from Amsterdam AFC Ajax players SC Cambuur players PEC Zwolle players PFC Ludogorets Razgrad players Yeni Malatyaspor footballers FC Twente players Eredivisie players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Süper Lig players Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria Expatriate footballers in Turkey