Joel Kabongo

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

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).

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