Henok Goitom

Henok Goitom (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈhěːnɔk]; born 22 September 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He is best remembered for representing AIK, but also played in Italy, Spain, and the United States during a career that spanned between 2003 and 2021. Born in Sweden to Eritrean parents, he won four caps and scored one goal for the Eritrea national team between 2015 and 2019.

Henok Goitom
Goitom playing for AIK in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth (1984-09-22) 22 September 1984
Place of birth Solna, Sweden
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre forward
Youth career
1998–2000 Essinge IK
2001–2002 Inter Orhoy
2002–2003 Vasalunds IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 Udinese 1 (1)
2005–2007 → Ciudad Murcia (loan) 75 (23)
2007–2009 Murcia 31 (2)
2008–2009 → Valladolid (loan) 29 (10)
2009–2012 Almería 78 (8)
2012–2015 AIK 93 (39)
2016 Getafe 2 (0)
2016 San Jose Earthquakes 8 (0)
2017–2021 AIK 142 (39)
National team
2003 Sweden U19 3 (1)
2005–2006 Sweden U21 13 (4)
2015–2019 Eritrea 4 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Goitom was born in Solna, Stockholm, and raised in the nearby Husby district. His parents were born in Eritrea.[1][2]

Club career

Udinese

Goitom moved to Italy in 2004 to join Udinese Calcio, rarely being an option during his short stay. However, in his sole Serie A appearance, on 19 February 2005, he only needed seven minutes as a late substitute to score the 90th minute 1–1 equaliser against Inter Milan.[3]

Subsequently, Goitom served a two-year loan in the Spanish Segunda División with Ciudad de Murcia. He netted 15 league goals during his second season.[4]

Murcia

Goitom was released by Udinese in 2007, and signed a four-year deal with neighbouring Real Murcia for a reported €3 million;[5] the president of UD Almería, Alfonso García, however, announced the club would take matters to court: as he appeared before the media during the presentation of Aitor López Rekarte, showed journalists papers which proved an agreement had already been reached between Almería and Udinese.[6] He only scored twice during the entire campaign, which saw the team relegated from La Liga as last.[7]

In July 2008, Goitom was loaned for one season to fellow league side Real Valladolid, which had an option to buy at the campaign's closure.[8] Established as first choice, he netted twice in a 3–2 away win over Recreativo de Huelva on 8 March 2009, but was also sent off during the match (as teammate Álvaro Rubio).[9] He finished as team top scorer, at ten.[10]

Almería

In late July 2009, Goitom was released by Murcia and joined fellow league side Almería, replacing Sevilla FC-bound Álvaro Negredo.[4] His season output consisted of one goal, in a 1–1 home draw against CD Tenerife.[11][12] Also, even though he was the only pure striker in the squad, he was never an undisputed starter,[13] but the Andalusians retained their top-division status in the end.

Goitom scored one of Almería's most important goals on 19 January 2011, a penalty kick in a 3–2 victory at Deportivo de La Coruña (4–2 on aggregate), with them reaching the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time ever; he added one more in the competition, against Real Sociedad.[14][15] However, he again only netted once in the league, in a 2–2 home draw with Atlético Madrid,[16] and the club returned to the second tier after four years.[17]

In mid-August 2012, Goitom terminated his contract.[18]

AIK

On 16 August 2012, Goitom signed with his hometown club AIK Fotboll in the Allsvenskan.[19] In November 2015, it was announced he would be released when his contract ended on 31 December.[20]

Getafe

On 22 March 2016, after being unemployed for almost three months, Goitom agreed to a short-term deal at Getafe CF.[21] He made his debut about a week later, coming on as a second half-substitute in a 2–0 away loss against Rayo Vallecano.[22]

Goitom only totalled 125 minutes of action during his spell, and his team suffered top-flight relegation.

San Jose Earthquakes

On 10 August 2016, Goitom joined San Jose Earthquakes on a free transfer.[23] He made his Major League Soccer debut nine days later, coming from the bench in a 1–2 defeat to Houston Dynamo at the Avaya Stadium.[24]

At the end of the season, where he only started in two of his appearances, it was announced that Goitom would not be retained.[25]

Return to AIK

On 3 March 2017, Goitom signed a two-year deal with former side AIK, thus returning to his birth country and its main division.[26] In February of the following year, he became team captain.[27] Goitom announced his retirement after the 2021 Allsvenskan season.[28]

International career

Sweden

Goitom was a regular starter for the Swedish under-21 team during 2006, and played for the nation during qualification for the 2006 and 2007 UEFA European Championships.[29][30][31] He was never called up to the full side, although he was considered for a place in the squad for a Euro 2016 qualifier against Russia.[32]

Eritrea

In September 2015, at age of 30, Goitom made an official request to FIFA for permission to play for Eritrea.[33] He won his first cap on 10 October, in a 0–2 home loss to Botswana for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[34][35] He scored in the return leg, in a final 5–1 aggregate defeat.[36]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 9 August 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Udinese 2003–04[37] Serie A 0000— 00
2004–05[37] Serie A 1110— 21
2005–06[37] Serie A 0000— 00
2006–07[37] Serie A 0000— 00
Total 1110—21
Ciudad Murcia (loan) 2005–06[37] Segunda División 37800— 378
2006–07[37] Segunda División 381500— 3815
Total 752300—7523
Murcia 2007–08[37] La Liga 31220— 332
Valladolid (loan) 2008–09[37] La Liga 291021— 3111
Almería 2009–10[37] La Liga 21100— 211
2010–11[37] La Liga 26152— 313
2011–12[37] Segunda División 31631— 347
Total 78883— 8611
AIK 2012[38] Allsvenskan 911021 122
2013[38] Allsvenskan 27831— 309
2014[38] Allsvenskan 28121141 3314
2015[38] Allsvenskan 29184366 3927
Total 933995128 11452
Getafe 2015–16[37] La Liga 2000— 20
San Jose Earthquakes 2016[39] Major League Soccer 8000— 80
AIK 2017[39][38] Allsvenskan 245215 1 317
2018[39][38] Allsvenskan 30 12 6 1 4 0 40 13
2019[39][38] Allsvenskan 30 11 5 1 8 3 43 15
2020[39][38] Allsvenskan 29 8 4 2 0 0 33 10
2021[38] Allsvenskan 29 3 0 0 — 29 3
Total 142 39 17 5 17 4 176 48
Career total 45912239142912 527148

International
As of match played 10 September 2019[40]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team YearAppsGoals
Eritrea 201521
2016 0 0
2017 0 0
2018 0 0
201920
Total41

International goals

Scores and results list Eritrea's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef
1.13 October 2015Francistown Stadium, Francistown, Botswana Botswana
1–0
1–3
2018 World Cup qualification[36]

Honours

AIK

References
  1. Hazra, Marzia (10 September 2009). "Henok Goitom: From suburban Stockholm to La Liga". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  2. Minshull, Phil (18 November 2010). "Almeria's Henok Goitom considers playing for Eritrea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  3. "Colpo di Veron, l'Inter si illude – Goitom beffa Mancini allo scadere" [Veron strike, Inter think it's over – Goitom mocks Mancini in the end]. La Repubblica (in Italian). 19 February 2005. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  4. "Goitom ya está en Almería" [Goitom is already in Almería]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). 16 July 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  5. "El Murcia ficha al delantero sueco Henok Goitom" [Murcia sign Swedish forward Henok Goitom]. Marca (in Spanish). 12 July 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  6. "El Almería denunciará el fichaje de Goitom por el Murcia" [Almería to denounce Murcia's signing of Goitom]. La Opinión de Murcia (in Spanish). 17 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  7. Matteoni, Pierre (22 June 2008). "Goitom om framtiden: Jag har mer erfarenhet" [Goitom on future: I have more experience] (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen Europa. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  8. "Goitom llega al Valladolid "para marcar goles y ayudar a mantener la permanencia"" [Goitom arrives in Valladolid to "score goals and help to stay up"] (in Spanish). Soitu. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  9. "Recreativo Huelva 2–3 Valladolid". ESPN Soccernet. 8 March 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  10. "Goitom, un gol desde el banquillo" [Goitom, a goal from the bench]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). 9 October 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  11. Pineda, Rafael (17 January 2010). "La igualada sólo alivia al Almería" [Draw only relieves Almería]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  12. "Eritrean Henok Goitom back in action in La Liga". Eri-International Sports. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  13. "El sueco no ha superado la 'maldición del 20'" [The Swede has not overcome the 'curse of the 20']. Ideal (in Spanish). 25 May 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  14. "El Almería ganó la eliminatoria ante una Real que lo intentó pero pagó sus errores" [Almería won tie against Real who tried but paid for their mistakes]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 11 November 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  15. Rincón, Jaime (19 January 2011). "El Almería se niega a despertar del sueño" [Almería refuse to awake from dream]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  16. "Almeria fight back for draw". ESPN Soccernet. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  17. Laynez, P. (22 August 2013). "Getafe, 8 de mayo de 2011, el pasado está superado" [Getafe, 8 May 2011, the past is water under the bridge]. Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  18. "Goitom deja de pertenecer al Almería" [Goitom no longer an Almería player] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 13 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  19. Hultqvist, Daniel (16 August 2012). "Goitom klar för AIK: "Är det rätta steget"" [Goitom ready for AIK: "It's the right move"]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  20. Mellerborg, Stefan (5 November 2015). "Henok Goitom lämnar AIK Fotboll" [Henok Goitom leaves AIK Fotboll] (in Swedish). AIK Fotboll. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  21. "Henok Goitom klar för La Liga-klubben Getafe" [Henok Goitom signs with La Liga club Getafe] (in Swedish). Kista Galaxy. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  22. Carlsson, Marie (1 April 2017). "Goitom debuterade när Getafe föll på bortaplan" [Goitom made debut as Getafe fell away from home]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  23. "Earthquakes sign striker Henok Goitom". The Mercury News. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  24. "Recap: Quakes fall 2–1 Dynamo at Avaya Stadium". San Jose Earthquakes. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  25. "News: Earthquakes announce roster moves ahead of 2017 season". San Jose Earthquakes. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  26. Mellerborg, Stefan (3 March 2017). "Henok Goitom gör comeback i AIK" [Henok Goitom makes a comeback at AIK] (in Swedish). AIK Fotboll. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  27. Durefelt, Filip (26 February 2018). "Henok Goitom ny lagkapten i AIK" [Henok Goitom new team captain of AIK]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  28. Sport, S. V. T. (4 December 2021). "Fotboll: Goitom avslutade med 100: "Ska berätta för mina barnbarn"". SVT Sport (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  29. "Goitom seals Sofia success". UEFA. 25 March 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  30. "U21 herr: Goitom tvåmålsskytt mot Bulgarien" [U21 master: Goitom two-goal shooter against Bulgaria] (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 25 March 2005. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  31. "Goitom fuels Swedes' dreams". UEFA. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  32. Bohman, Per (22 September 2015). "Henok Goitom: "Han ringde aldrig"" [Henok Goitom: "He never called"]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  33. Carlsson, Simon (15 September 2015). "Väljer bort Sverige – för spel med Eritrea" [Rejects Sweden – to play with Eritrea]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  34. "Eritrea needs to bounce back against Botswana in World Cup qualifier". Caperi. 10 October 2015. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  35. "Eritrea 0–2 Botswana". Eurosport. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  36. Kidane, Bereket (14 October 2015). "Botswana advances against Eritrea, Henok Goitom scores on a brilliant header". Tesfa News. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  37. "Goitom: Henok Goitom". BDFutbol. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  38. "Henok Goitom" (in Swedish). Svensk Fotboll. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  39. "H. Goitom". Soccerway. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  40. "H. Goitom – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
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