Gjoko Zajkov
Gjoko Zajkov (Macedonian: Ѓоко Зајков; born 10 February 1995) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Slavia Sofia on loan from Ukrainian club Vorskla Poltava.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Gjoko Zajkov Ѓоко Зајков | ||
| Date of birth | 10 February 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Skopje, Macedonia | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre Back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team |
Slavia Sofia (on loan from Vorskla Poltava) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2012 | Rabotnički | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2014 | Rabotnički | 51 | (3) |
| 2014–2016 | Rennes B | 15 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Charleroi (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2016–2021 | Charleroi | 30 | (0) |
| 2021 | Levski Sofia | 16 | (1) |
| 2022– | Vorskla Poltava | 0 | (0) |
| 2022– | → Slavia Sofia (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2012 | Macedonia U-19 | 14 | (1) |
| 2014–2017 | Macedonia U-21 | 24 | (1) |
| 2016– | North Macedonia | 19 | (1) |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 March 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 October 2021 | |||
Early career
Zajkov began his football career with FK Rabotnički.
Club career
Born in Skopje into a family originally from Udovo, Gjoko Zajkov was playing in Macedonia for the youth team of Rabotnichki, until the summer in 2012 when he made his first appearance for the senior team of the club, competing in the Macedonian First League. He was voted best defender that year, at the age of 17.
On 23 June 2014 he left Macedonia for the French club Stade Rennais F.C., with whom he signed a three-year contract.[1] After his first season in France, where he spent the majority of the time playing for the youth team of Rennais only, in the summer of 2015 he was loaned for one year to Charleroi in Belgium.
After being released from Charleroi, Zajkov signed a one-year deal with Levski Sofia in August 2021.[2] In March 2022 he joined Slavia Sofia until the end of the season.[3]
International career
He has been a member of Macedonian U-19 and U-21 national teams.
He made his senior debut for Macedonia in a June 2016 friendly match against Iran and has, as of May 2020, earned a total of 12 caps, scoring no goals.[4][5]
He represented the nation at UEFA Euro 2020, their first major tournament.
International goals
- As of match played 11 October 2020. North Macedonia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Zajkov goal.[6]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2020 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 13 |  Estonia | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League |
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 5 August 2017 [7]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rabotnički | 2011–12 | Makedonska 1. Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 20 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 27 | 1 | ||
| FK Rabotnički | 51 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 3 | ||
| Rennes | 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ~ | ~ | 1 | 0 |
| Rennes II | 2014–15 | CFA2 | 15 | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 15 | 0 |
| Charleroi | 2015–16 | Belgian Pro League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 8 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | Belgian First Division A | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sporting Charleroi | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 74 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 3 | ||
Honours
References
- "Stade Rennais Football Club - Site Officiel -". staderennais.com. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- "Левски подписа с Гьоко Зайков". levski.bg. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- "Славия обяви Гьоко Зайков" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- Mamrud, Roberto (16 July 2009). "Macedonia - Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- Gjoko Zajkov at Soccerway
- Gjoko Zajkov at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
External links
- Gjoko Zajkov at National-Football-Teams.com
- Profile at Macedonian Football (in English)
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