Kevin Yakob

Kevin Enkido Yakob (Arabic: كيفين إنكيدو يعقوب‎; born 10 October 2000), known as Kevin Yakob, is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Sweden Under-19 national team and BK Häcken in the Allsvenskan.

Kevin Yakob
Personal information
Full name Kevin Enkido Yakob
Date of birth (2000-10-10) 10 October 2000
Place of birth Gothenburg, Sweden
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 BK Häcken
Number 18
Youth career
-2010 Assyriska BK
2010-2012 IFK Göteborg
2012-2015 Angered MBIK
2016-2018 BK Häcken
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018- BK Häcken 1 (1)
National team
2018 Sweden U-18 5 (1)
2018- Sweden U-19 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 24 June 2020

Early Life

Kevin was born in Gothenburg, Sweden to Iraqi Assyrian parents.[2]

Club career

Youth career

Kevin spent his early years playing for local side Assyriska BK, a club formed by Assyrian immigrants like his parents, staying there until 2010. At the age of 9 he joined Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg’s academy, staying there for two years. In 2012, Yakob left Göteborg and joined Angered MBIK, where he would spend the next three years.

In 2015, Kevin travelled to England to trial with Sunderland, where he was given a tour of the club’s academy and facilities and met with first team players, including Jermain Defoe. He trained with the club’s academy teams and watched a Premier League match at the Stadium of Light.[3] A move to north England never materialised however.

In 2016, at the age of 15, Yakob joined BK Häcken’s academy.

BK Häcken

During the 2018 pre-season, Yakob was included in BK Häcken’s first team squad in the preparations, playing 4 friendly matches.[4]

In May 2018, Kevin signed his first professional contract with BK Häcken, signing a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2022.

Yakob made his debut for the Häcken first team on 27 October 2018, two weeks after his 18th birthday, coming on in the 83rd minute against Dalkurd FF, scoring less than a minute after coming on.[5] The game ended as a 5-0 win for Häcken.

International career

Youth

Yakob was first called up by the Swedish F.A. in May 2018, as part of the Under-18 squad that would be competing in a friendly tournament on the island of Gotland. He came on against Hungary to make his debut for the Sweden U-18s and scored his first international goal on his second appearance against Turkey.[6] He made three further appearances for the Under-18s in September and October 2018.

Yakob was called up to the Sweden Under-19 squad for the Under-19 European Championship qualifiers in October 2018, starting all three matches against Scotland, Wales and San Marino, facing Premier League players like Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour, Liverpool’s Neco Williams and Manchester United’s Dylan Levitt.[7]

Eligibility for Iraq

Yakob is eligible to represent Iraq through his heritage and has been scouted by the Iraqi FA as well as Iraqi media for several years.[8][9]

Personal life

Kevin’s family are Iraqi Assyrians and they moved to Sweden before he was born. He signed a sponsorship deal with Nike in September 2017.[10]

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References
  1. "Kevin Yakob" (in Swedish). Forza Football. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  2. "مواهب تصل للفريق الأول واخرى تشترك مع المنتخب السويدي" (in Arabic). IQ-Pro. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  3. "Sunderland A.F.C". Kevin Yakob. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. "Landslagsdebut och A-kontrakt för Kevin Yakob" (in Swedish). Svensk Fotboll. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. "Kevin Yakob gör 5-0 till Häcken i sin debut" (in Swedish). Footballskanalen. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  6. "Landslagsdebut och A-kontrakt för Kevin Yakob" (in Swedish). Svensk Fotboll. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. "UEFA Under-19 Championship". UEFA. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. "مواهب تصل للفريق الأول واخرى تشترك مع المنتخب السويدي" (in Arabic). IQ-Pro. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. "العراقي الاصل كيفن يعقوب يحقق العلامة الكاملة مع منتخب السويد للشباب" (in Arabic). IraqiProfessionalSportsGate. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. "Väldigt glad över att ha skrivit på mitt första kontrakt med Nike" (in Swedish). Kevin Yakob. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
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