Kofi Balmer (born 19 September 2000) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays for Crystal Palace.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Crystal Palace | ||
| Number | 43 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ballymena United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2021 | Ballymena United | 80 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | Larne FC | 35 | (3) |
| 2022– | Crystal Palace | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2018 | Northern Ireland U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Northern Ireland U21 | 20 | (0) |
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 September 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 September 2022 | |||
Kofi Balmer made his professional debut for Ballymena United in April 2017, aged only 16, during the late stages of the NIFL Premiership.[2][3][4]
With the club from Ballymena he started a total of 74 Premiership games, also being named Ulster Young Footballer of the Year in 2019.[3] By 2021, he had become a key member of the team, delivering decisive performances on a regular basis.[5][6]
After playing semi-professional football at Ballymena for 5 seasons, he joined Premiership rivals Larne FC to become a full-time professional.[3] During the 2021–22 season he played a total of 45 games with 7 goals for the club,[4] including the Europa Conference League qualifying matches, where Larne made it to the 3rd round only being knocked out by Portuguese Primeira Liga side Paços de Ferreira, despite a 1–0 home win.[7][8]
His team also managed to win the County Antrim Shield, beating league champions Linfield in the final,[7] Balmer playing taking part in this 1-0 victory on 11 January 2022, despite having to face his father's death the previous week.[9]
Kofi Balmer was transferred to Premier League side Crystal Palace on 11 August 2022, first joining the under-21 squad playing the Premier League 2.[2][4]
Kofi Balmer is a youth international for Northern Ireland, having played with the under-19s and under-21s, captaining both sides.[3]
He was first called to the Northern Ireland senior team by Ian Baraclough in September 2022.[10][11]
Playing mainly as a centre-back, Kofi Balmer is also able to play on both sides, as a full-back or a wing-back.[8]
Larne FC
Individual
Crystal Palace F.C. – current squad | |
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