Kamohelo Mokotjo

Kamohelo Mokotjo (born 11 March 1991) is a South African professional footballer who plays for FC Cincinnati as a defensive midfielder. After beginning his career in his native South Africa, he came to prominence in the Netherlands with FC Twente and later played in England for Brentford. He is a current South Africa international.

Kamohelo Mokotjo
Mokotjo while with Feyenoord in 2012.
Personal information
Full name Kamohelo Mokotjo[1]
Date of birth (1991-03-11) 11 March 1991
Place of birth Kutloanong Location, Odendaalsrus,
South Africa
Height 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 FC Cincinnati
Number 15
Youth career
2002–2008 SuperSport United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 SuperSport United 1 (0)
2009–2013 Feyenoord 35 (0)
2009–2010 → Excelsior (loan) 25 (1)
2013–2014 PEC Zwolle 27 (2)
2014–2017 Twente 97 (3)
2017–2020 Brentford 94 (5)
2020– FC Cincinnati 9 (0)
National team‡
South Africa U12
South Africa U20
2011 South Africa U23
2012– South Africa 22 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13:30, 9 November 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:46, 17 November 2019 (UTC)

Club career

SuperSport United

A defensive midfielder, Mokotjo began his career in his native South Africa with the Supersport United academy.[3] He was promoted into the first team squad at age 16 and made one senior appearance for the club,[3] as a substitute for Shane Poggenpoel in a 1–0 defeat to Santos on 20 December 2008.[4] He was an unused substitute on three other occasions during the 2008–09 season and departed the club in August 2009.[5][6]

Feyenoord

After a successful three month trial,[3] Mokotjo transferred to Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord on 28 August 2009.[6][7] After spending the remainder of the 2009–10 season away on loan,[6] he made his debut for the club with a start in a KNVB Cup third round shootout defeat to Roda JC Kerkrade on 22 September 2010.[8] In an injury-affected 2010–11 season,[9] he made 15 appearances.[2]

Mokotjo was utilised mostly as a substitute and as a utility player by manager Ronald Koeman during the first half of the 2011–12 season,[7][10] which prompted the suggestion that he would leave the club in search of first team football.[11] Mokotjo remained at De Kuip and set up a goal in a key 4–2 De Klassieker victory over Ajax on 29 January 2012,[12] which prompted the club to award him a new two-year contract.[7] Despite suffering from another niggling injury,[13] Mokotjo finished the 2011–12 season with 22 appearances and had helped Feyenoord to a second-place finish in the Eredivisie.[2][14]

Mokotjo was largely frozen out of the first team squad during the 2012–13 season,[15] due to injuries and concerns over his rate of development.[16][17] Despite rumours that he would go out on loan or leave the club permanently during the January transfer window,[18][19] Mokotjo remained with the club throughout the season, but made just one appearance, as a 90th-minute substitute in a 3–2 victory over ADO Den Haag on 16 December 2012.[20] Mokotjo departed Feyenoord in May 2013,[21] having made 38 appearances in three seasons as a first team player with the club.[2]

Excelsior (loan)

After his arrival at Feyenoord in August 2009, Mokotjo was immediately loaned to Eerste Divisie club Excelsior for the remainder of the 2009–10 season.[6] He made 30 appearances and scored one goal in a successful season,[2] which ended with Excelsior winning promotion to the Eredivisie through the promotion/relegation playoffs.[22] Mokotjo was named as the club's Young Player of the Year.[3]

PEC Zwolle

On 10 May 2013, Mokotjo transferred to Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle.[21] Despite some injury troubles,[23][24] he had a successful first season at the MAC³PARK Stadion, making 33 appearances, scoring two goals and winning the first silverware of his career, the KNVB Cup,[2][25] which qualified the club for the Europa League.[26] For his performances during the season, he won the club's Supporters' Player of the Year award and was nominated as one of the Eredivisie's Most Valuable Players.[27][28] Mokotjo's first appearance of the 2014–15 season turned out to be his last for the club, a 1–0 victory over Ajax in the 2014 Johan Cruyff Shield,[2] in which he set up Stef Nijland to score the Bluefingers' goal.[29] He left the club on 8 August 2014,[30] having made 34 appearances and scored two goals in just over one season at the MAC³PARK Stadion.[2]

Twente

On 8 August 2014, Mokotjo joined Eredivisie club FC Twente on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee (reported to be €1.5 million),[31] which was rumoured to be a club record.[30] He had a solid first season at De Grolsch Veste, making 40 appearances and scoring one goal as Twente finished in mid-table.[2] Mokotjo was again a mainstay in the team during the 2015–16 season and only missed matches for personal reasons.[32][33]

Following the departure of Felipe Gutiérrez,[34] Mokotjo was named as captain for the 2016–17 season and acquired the nickname "The General" for his leadership of the young squad.[35] He made 33 appearances and scored one goal during a season in which the Tukkers would have qualified for the Eredivisie European competition playoffs,[36] had the club not been in the middle of a ban from playing in European competitions.[37] He left the club in July 2017,[38] having made 105 appearances and scored three goals during three seasons at De Grolsch Veste.[2]

Brentford

On 7 July 2017, Mokotjo moved to England to join Championship club Brentford on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[38] reported to be €1 million.[39] The transfer completed a two-year scouting process,[38] with previous transfer bids having failed due to work permit issues.[40] Despite an admission that he had found it difficult to adjust to English football,[41] Mokotjo held down a starting spot throughout the early months of the campaign and by mid-December was ready "to take it to the next level".[42][43] He scored his first goal for the club with the opener in a 2–0 victory over Sunderland on 17 February 2018 and finished the 2017–18 season with 41 appearances.[44]

Mokotjo alternated between a starting and a substitute role during the early months of the 2018–19 season under head coach Dean Smith, but after recovering from a calf injury in December 2018,[45] he broke into the starting lineup under Smith's replacement Thomas Frank.[46][47] When fit, Mokotjo was a regular starter and finished the season with 37 appearances and four goals.[2]

During the first half of the 2019–20 season, Mokotjo alternated between starting and substitute roles,[2] before being sidelined with a knee ligament injury in January 2020.[48] After returning to fitness, Mokotjo signed a short-term contract extension to ensure his availability for the final matches of the COVID-19-affected 2019–20 season.[49] He finished the season with 26 appearances and one goal, but did not feature during the Bees' unsuccessful playoff campaign and was released when his short-term contract expired.[50][51][52] During three seasons at Griffin Park, Mokotjo made 102 appearances and scored six goals.[53]

FC Cincinnati

On 20 August 2020, Mokotjo moved to the United States to join Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati on a free transfer.[54] Work permit and quarantine issues delayed Mokotjo's debut until 4 October 2020 and he made 9 appearances during what remained of the 2020 season.[55][2]

International career

Mokotjo captained South Africa's U12 national team to victory at the 2003 Danone Nations Cup in France and was named as the Player of the Tournament.[56][3] He was a member of the South Africa U20 squad that competed at the 2009 U20 World Cup and he made one appearance at the tournament,[57] playing the opening 66 minutes of the team's 2–1 defeat to Ghana in the round of 16.[58] Mokotjo played for the U23 team during its unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[57]

Mokotjo made his senior debut for South Africa with an injury-time substitute appearance in a 2–0 friendly win over Mozambique on 11 September 2012.[59] He made five further appearances over the following three years before announcing his retirement from international football in April 2016,[59] citing "that current circumstances are not conducive to for me to break into the Bafana line-up".[60] Mokotjo returned to the team in 2017, with a start in a 3–1 friendly win over Guinea-Bissau on 25 March 2017.[59] He was named in South Africa's 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad and played in each match of the team's run to the quarter-finals.[61]

Personal life

In 2010, Mokotjo revealed that in order to become a professional footballer, he had to move out of his family home at age 11.[3] He received Dutch citizenship in December 2016 and subsequently lost his South African citizenship,[40] but regained it in March 2017.[62]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 8 November 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
SuperSport United 2008–09[2] South African Premier Division 1000———10
Feyenoord 2010–11[2] Eredivisie 14010—00—150
2011–12[2] 20020———220
2012–13[20] 1000—00—10
Total 35030—00—380
Excelsior (loan) 2009–10[2] Eerste Divisie 25110——4[lower-alpha 1]0301
PEC Zwolle 2013–14[2] Eredivisie 27260———332
2014–15[2] 00———1[lower-alpha 2]010
Total 27260——10342
Twente 2014–15[2] Eredivisie 33150—2[lower-alpha 3]0—401
2015–16[2] 31110———321
2016–17[36] 33100———331
Total 97360—20—1053
Brentford 2017–18[44] Championship 3511030——391
2018–19[2] 3431021——374
2019–20[50] 25 1 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 26 1
Total 9453051—0 01026
FC Cincinnati 2020[2] Major League Soccer 9 0 — — — — 9 0
Career total 2881119051205031912
  1. Appearances in Eerste Divisie promotion play-offs
  2. Appearance in Johan Cruyff Shield
  3. Appearances in Europa League

International
As of match played 17 November 2019[59]
South Africa national team
YearAppsGoals
201210
201310
201400
201540
201600
201740
201840
201990
Total220

Honours

Excelsior

PEC Zwolle

Individual

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/07/2017 and 31/07/2017". The Football Association. p. 24. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  2. Kamohelo Mokotjo at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  3. Reddy, Melissa (1 December 2014). "Inside the mind of Mokotjo". Kick Off. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. "Santos surprise log leaders SuperSport". Supersport Official Website. 20 December 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  5. "Mokotjo Kamohelo Player Profile". ESPN FC. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  6. "Feyenoord trekt Kamohelo Mokotjo aan" (in Dutch). Feyenoord. 28 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  7. "South Africa's Mokotjo on the rise in Holland". BBC Sport. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  8. "Mokotjo debuteert in bekerduel met Roda JC" (in Dutch). Feyenoord. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  9. "Mokotjo en Leerdam lijken tijdig fit voor derby" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  10. "Mokotjo Kamohelo Player Profile". ESPN FC. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
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  12. "Ajax verliest in kolkende Kuip (4–2)". AD.nl. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  13. "Kortom – Fries debuut Nordfeldt, vrouw in bestuur UEFA". Voetbal International. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  14. "Feyenoord Home Page for the 2011–2012 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
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  16. "Mokotjo: 'Guyon kan verrassing van dit seizoen worden'" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
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  18. "Feyenoord zet Fernandez en Mokotjo in de etalage" (in Dutch). AD.nl. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
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  34. "Niet Mokotjo, maar Thesker nieuwe captain van FC Twente". www.voetbalcentraal.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 July 2017.
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  55. "Match Preview: Minnesota United FC". Retrieved 22 November 2020.
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  62. "Media statement: Minister Gigaba grants resumption of citizenship to Kamohelo Mokotjo". Retrieved 8 July 2017.
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