Ritchie Kitoko (born 11 June 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Greek Super League 2 club Olympiacos Volos.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ritchie Kitoko | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-06-11) 11 June 1988 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Olympiacos Volos | ||
| Number | 71 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Standard Liège | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Albacete B | ||
| 2008–2009 | Albacete | 34 | (2) |
| 2009–2016 | 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 Tripolis (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | UCAM Murcia | 55 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Racing Santander | 33 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Apollon Smyrnis | 9 | (0) |
| 2021– | Olympiacos Volos | 0 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2005–2006 | Belgium U18 | 12 | (0) |
| 2007 | Belgium U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2009 | Belgium U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009 | Belgium U21 | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2021 | |||
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.[4]
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.[5] He appeared regularly as a starter during his short spell, but the Canary Islands side eventually suffered relegation, a second consecutive.[6]
An unassuming two-year spell in the Superleague Greece with Asteras Tripolis F.C. notwithstanding, Kitoko continued competing in Spain's level two in the following years.[7][8][9]
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.[10]
Olympiacos Volos F.C. – current squad | |
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