# Joel Kabongo

Joel Zakarias Kabongo (Danish pronunciation:; born 5 April 1998) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

## Club career
### Early career

Kabongo started playing for hometown club Albertslund IF before signing a youth contract with Brøndby IF. During his time in the youth teams, Kabongo was a part of the under-17 team that won the championship and the domestic cup. On 31 August 2017, Kabongo moved to second division club Fremad Amager on loan until 1 January 2018. He made his first-team debut for Fremad on 3 September, coming on as a substitute for Heini Vatnsdal in the 82nd minute of a 1–0 win home win against Esbjerg fB.

### Brøndby

After returning to Brøndby from his loan spell, Kabongo saw playing time in the team's pre-season friendlies, being in the starting lineup in a match against Shakhtar Donetsk. Kabongo made his official debut for Brøndby in the first match of the 2018–19 Danish Superliga season, starting in a 2–0 away win over Randers FC and playing the entire match.
On 16 August 2018, Kabongo made his UEFA Europa League debut, starting in a 2–1 home win over Spartak Subotica. His debut was short-lived, however, as he was sent off in the 15th minute for a professional foul on Dejan Đenić. On 26 August 2018, in a 2–1 win over Vendsyssel FF, Kabongo was sent off again, this time for a 92nd minute foul on Sander Fischer, resulting in a penalty and Kabongo being shown a second yellow card. On 22 April 2019, in a match against FC Midtjylland, Kabongo suffered a cruciate ligament tear and was substituted in the first half. The initial prognosis suggested that he would miss 12 months.
On 5 March 2020, Kabongo, alongside several other Brøndby personnel, was placed in home quarantine after having met with former Brøndby-player Thomas Kahlenberg, who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark. Kahlenberg had been infected at a birthday party in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Kabongo made his comeback in football on 21 May 2020 in a friendly against Lyngby.

### Randers

On 27 July 2021 it was confirmed, that Kabongo had left Brøndby to join fellow league club Randers FC on a three-year deal. He made his debut for the club on 8 August, coming on as a substitute for Frederik Lauenborg in the 88th minute in a 1–0 win. On 28 August, he was injured again and was initially sidelined for the match against Silkeborg on the same day. On 1 October, Kabongo announced via his Instagram account that he had suffered a more serious knee injury which had required surgery.
On 1 August 2022, Randers FC announced that Kabongo had retired, aged 24, after failing to recover from a long-term knee injury originally sustained in a league match for Brøndby against Midtjylland in April 2019.

## Personal life

Kabongo and his girlfriend, Melanie Litgov, have one daughter, Veneda (born 30 April 2020 at Rigshospitalet).

## Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Danish Cup | Danish Cup | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Brøndby | 2017–18 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Brøndby | 2018–19 | Superliga | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Brøndby | 2019–20 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Brøndby | 2020–21 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Brøndby | Total | Total | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Fremad Amager (loan) | 2017–18 | 1st Division | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 |
| Randers | 2021–22 | Superliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Randers | 2022–23 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Randers | Total | Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
* ↑ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

## Honours

Brøndby IF
* Danish Superliga: 2020–21
* Danish Cup: 2017–18