Ritchie Kitoko
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ritchie Kitoko | ||
| Date of birth | 11 June 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Udinese Calcio | ||
| Number | TBA | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Standard Liège | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | Albacete B | ||
| 2008–2009 | Albacete | 34 | (2) |
| 2009– | Udinese | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Granada (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Tenerife (loan) | 39 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | → Girona (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → Jaén (loan) | 34 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | → Asteras Tripoli (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2006 | Belgium U18 | 12 | (0) |
| 2007 | Belgium U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2009 | Belgium U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009 | Belgium U21 | 5 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 March 2016. | |||
Ritchie Kitoko (born 11 June 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for Udinese Calcio as a defensive midfielder.
Club career
Born in Kinshasa, Zaire, Kitoko moved to Belgium in his teens, entering Standard Liège's youth system in 2004. Two years later he signed his first professional contract, with Albacete Balompié in Spain, spending almost two full seasons with the B-team in the fourth division.
On 20 August 2009, Kitoko joined Udinese Calcio in Serie A.[1][2] However, on 2 January of the following year, he returned to Spain and signed for Granada CF on loan until the end of the campaign in the third level,[3] as the Andalusians had recently signed a partnership agreement with the Italians; he contributed with 13 games (12 starts) as his team returned to the second tier after an absence of more than 20 years.
On 31 January 2011, deemed surplus to requirements at Granada, Kitoko moved to another club in the same country and division, CD Tenerife, still owned by Udinese. He appeared regularly as a starter during his short spell, but the Canary Islands side eventually suffered relegation, a second consecutive.
International career
After choosing to play for Belgium internationally, Kitoko represented the nation in various youth levels. In May 2009 he earned his first call-up to the senior team, for the Kirin Cup, but did not appear in the tournament.[4]
References
- ↑ "Traspaso de Ritchie Kitoko" [Richie Kitoko transfer] (in Spanish). Albacete Balompié. 15 August 2009.
- ↑ "Il centrocampista Ritchie Kitoko è dell'Udinese" [Midfielder Richie Kitoko is an Udinese player] (in Italian). Udinese Calcio. 20 August 2009. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ↑ Ritchie Kitoko llega en calidad de cedido al Granada CF hasta el próximo 30 de Junio (Richie Kitoko arrives to Granada on loan until 30 June); Granada's official website, 2 January 2010 (Spanish)
- ↑ Kirin Cup: De Laet , Kitoko et Nainggolan aussi (Kirin Cup: De Laet, also Kitoko and Nainggolan); DH, 27 May 2009 (French)
External links
- Ritchie Kitoko profile at BDFutbol
- Belgian national team data
- Ritchie Kitoko profile at Soccerway
- Stats at Footballdatabase
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