Kévin Denkey

Ahoueke Steeve Kévin Denkey (born 30 November 2000) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a forward for MLS club FC Cincinnati and the Togo national team.

Club career

Early career

Denkey was born in Togo, moving to France at the age of 12 in search of a better education. Denkey briefly stayed with his uncle in Paris before moving to Lyon to live with his aunt.

While in Lyon, he joined Cascol Football under coach Franck Arlabos, playing for the under-14 side at the age of 12. Despite being scouted by Olympique Lyonnais, Denkey moved on his own to the south of France to join the Nîmes youth academy in 2014, still before his 14th birthday.

Due to being left alone at weekends due to his classmates from boarding school returning home for the weekend, Denkey considered returning home to Togo, but persevered. He made his professional debut for Nîmes in a 0–0 Ligue 2 draw with Le Havre on 13 January 2017.

Denkey joined Béziers on a six-month loan in January 2019.

Cercle Brugge

On 10 January 2021, Denkey joined Cercle Brugge on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee. He signed an initial three and a half year deal.

Playing a support role to Ayase Ueda his first two-and-a-half seasons in Bruges, Denkey scored 23 goals in all competitions during that spell. When Ueda left for Feyenoord in the summer of 2023, Denkey was given the main striker's role by coach Miron Muslic thanks in main to scoring in back-to-back end-of-season games against Gent and Standard Liege in the Belgian Pro League's European play-offs in May 2023.

As the main front man, Denkey scored 11 goals in his first 12 league games of the 2023–24 season for Cercle, including a hat-trick in a 3–2 league win over OH Leuven on 7 October 2023. He finished the 2023–24 season as the Belgian Pro League's top scorer with 27 goals, winning the Golden Bull trophy. In all, Denkey scored 28 goals in all competitions, the highest tally in a single season for the club since Josip Weber in 1993-94.

He also won the Ebony Shoe, awarded to the best footballer of African descent in Belgium's top division. His goals helped the club finish in fourth position in the league, their highest finish since 2008, securing qualification to a UEFA competition for the first time since the 2010–11 season.

Denkey prospered in Europe straight away, scoring a hat-trick against FC St. Gallen in the Conference League on 3 October 2024. He also provided two assists in the match as Cerlce Brugge won 6–2.

Denkey missed Cercle's 5–0 home loss to Anderlecht on 10 November 2024, with the club revealing he was absent due to transfer talks. With Denkey then away on international duty, it was reported on 19 November 2024 that Denkey would join Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati for a new MLS record of $16.2 million, also an incoming club record for Cercle Brugge.

FC Cincinnati

On 21 November 2024, Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati announced they had signed Denkey for an MLS record transfer fee of $16.2 million. On 1 January 2025, Denkey officially joined the club as a Designated Player on a three-year deal, with an option for an additional year until 2029. His first goal for the club came in his first appearance in a competitive match, playing away in a 4–1 victory over Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras club F.C. Motagua in the first round of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

International career

While playing for the Nimes second team, Denkey was invited to the Togo U20s for the 2018 Toulon Tournament, scoring two goals in three games.

Denkey scored twice in a 2–1 win over South Korea and was approached by Togo senior national team coach Claude Leroy after the game. Leroy committed to follow Denkey's career and to promote Denkey to the Togo first team, with Denkey turning down an approach from the France Under-19 national team as a result.

Three months later and while still 18 years old, Denkey made his debut for the Togo senior national team in a 0–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification draw with Benin on 9 September 2018. After the match, Denkey was reunited with his family, having not seen them for over five years due to not being in Togo.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Togo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Denkey goal''.

Honours

Individual
* Belgian Pro League top scorer: 2023–24
*Ebony Shoe: 2024

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Denkey, Kevin
2000 births
Living people
Footballers from Lomé
Togolese men's footballers
Togo men's international footballers
Togo men's youth international footballers
Men's association football forwards
Nîmes Olympique players
AS Béziers (2007) players
Cercle Brugge K.S.V. players
FC Cincinnati players
Ligue 1 players
Ligue 2 players
Championnat National 2 players
Championnat National 3 players
Belgian Pro League players
Togolese expatriate men's footballers
Togolese expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate men's footballers in France
Togolese expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
21st-century Togolese sportsmen
Designated Players (MLS)
Major League Soccer players