Momodou Lamin Sonko (born 31 January 2005) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays for Belgian club Gent as a forward.

Momodou Sonko
Personal information
Full name Momodou Lamin Sonko
Date of birth (2005-01-31) 31 January 2005 (age 19)
Place of birth Gothenburg, Sweden
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Gent
Number 9
Youth career
0000–2019 Västra Frölunda IF
2020–2022 BK Häcken
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 BK Häcken 25 (7)
2024– Gent 14 (0)
International career
2021–2022 Sweden U17 6 (0)
2022–2023 Sweden U19 8 (2)
2024– Sweden U21 5 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:14, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Momodou Sonko played with Västra Frölunda in Gothenburg,[1] before moving to BK Häcken in 2020.[2] There he quickly appeared as one of the most promising youth players of the club.[3][4][5]

Sonko signed his first long-term professional contract with the Allsvenskan club in May 2022.[2][6] His professional debut for Häcken followed on the 30 August 2022, starting in a 2–1 Cup victory against Älmhult.[4][7]

He made his Allsvenskan debut on 2 October 2022, replacing Erik Friberg during a 1–1 away draw to Varbergs BoIS.[8][9]

At the end of the season he was fully promoted to the first team, after he helped them win their first ever national championship.[9][10]

He took the spotlight right at the start of the 2023 season, scoring a goal and delivering an assist, as he started a 5–0 win home Cup win to Jönköpings Södra.[5][11]

On 29 January 2024, two days before his 19th birthday, Momodou signed a contract at KAA Gent until 2028.[12] He broke the club's record transfer spending with a fee of around 8 million euro.[13]

International career

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Born in Sweden, Sonko is of Gambian descent.[14] He is a youth international for Sweden, having played with the under-17[2] and under-18[15] selections.

Career statistics

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As of match played 10 November 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
BK Häcken 2022 Allsvenskan 2 0 7 3 9 3
2023 Allsvenskan 23 7 1 1 12[b] 3 36 11
Total 25 7 8 4 12 3 45 14
Gent 2023–24 Belgian Pro League 7 0 0 0 2[c] 0 9 0
2024–25 Belgian Pro League 7 0 1 0 4[c] 0 12 0
Total 14 0 1 0 6 0 21 0
Career total 39 7 9 4 0 0 18 3 0 0 66 14
  1. ^ Includes Svenska Cupen
  2. ^ Eight appearances in UEFA Europa League and four appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Conference League

Honours

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BK Häcken

References

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  1. ^ Trollér, Philip (22 May 2017). "Från Frölunda till Liverpool: "Blev helt chockad"". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Liedbergius, Marcus (13 May 2022). "BK Häcken skriver kontrakt med stortalangen Momodou Sonko". FotbollDirekt. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. ^ Tivemo, Joel (16 June 2022). "Högmos hyllning till Häcken-talangen: "Ser väldigt bra ut"". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b Janlind, Fredrik (2 September 2022). "Momodou Sonko, 17 – Häckens nya supertalang: "Kan uppnå vad som helst"". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Laul, Robert (18 February 2023). "BK Häckens plan – sälja talangen för 50 miljoner". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  6. ^ "BK Häcken skriver flerårskontrakt med Momodou Sonko". BK Häcken (in Swedish). 13 May 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Älmhults IF - BK Häcken - Matchfakta". Svensk fotboll (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  8. ^ Wulcan, Markus (2 October 2022). "Ikonernas son: "Har fått frågan ett antal gånger"". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Medin, Viggo (17 November 2022). "Klart: BK Häcken flyttar upp landslagsmannen". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b Pinheiro Diamant, Jonatan; Wahlberg, Malin; Wagner, Michael (30 October 2022). "Häcken svenska mästare – krossade Blåvitt på Gamla Ullevi". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  11. ^ Hjortling, Rasmus (18 February 2023). "FotbollDirekt summerar denna cuplördag". FotbollDirekt. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Onze nieuwe nummer 9: Momodou Sonko! | KAA Gent Website". KAA Gent (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  13. ^ ""Mijn vermoorde broer zei dat ik nooit mocht stoppen met voetballen": wie is Gentse recordaankoop Sonko (18) die als kind stage liep bij Liverpool?". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Gambian Swedish-born Wonderkid's Exploits Spark Hunt For Representation – The Fatu Network". 25 October 2023.
  15. ^ Kjellberg, Hampus (15 February 2023). "Här är P18-landslagets trupp till Bosön - 46 spelare kallade". Fotbolls-EM (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Momodou Sonko". Retrieved 30 October 2023.
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