Jules Ahoka: Sunderland’s unlikely hero makes rapid rise after Chelsea win

Jules Ahoka was named player of the match after helping Sunderland beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, completing one of the most rapid rises in recent football.

The 20-year-old midfielder was brought on in only the fourth minute after Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka went off injured. Ahoka responded with an outstanding display of energy and discipline during the 10th round of the English championship.

His performance earned him the man-of-the-match award and underlined the remarkable progress made by a player who was still playing on sand just two years ago.

Ahoka joined Sunderland from Royal Antwerp at the end of August in a deal worth 10 million euros. That fee is more than 44 times the estimated 225,000 euros paid by Antwerp for him a year earlier, when he moved from his boyhood club AC Normands Sport in the second division of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The 1.90m midfielder had first attracted wider attention during the qualifying campaign for the Africa Cup of Nations Under-20, which saw the Democratic Republic of the Congo qualify for the tournament after a 12-year wait.

Royal Antwerp beat competition from about 10 other interested clubs to sign him, having been impressed by his powerful performances in midfield. The Belgian club then resisted strong interest from Chelsea, who initially wanted to sign Ahoka and loan him to Strasbourg, another club within the BlueCo group.

Chelsea had taken notice of his displays for the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the Maurice Revello Tournament, where he wore the captain’s armband. However, Ahoka needed only two appearances for Royal Antwerp’s first team to persuade Sunderland to make a move for him.

He was welcomed at Sunderland by fellow Congolese player Noah Sadiki and is represented by the same agent as Oscar Kabwit.

Ahoka is an established Democratic Republic of the Congo Under-23 international, with six caps and two goals. He was not included by Sebastien Desabre for the senior team’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, apparently considered not yet ready for that level.

His latest performance against Chelsea could change that assessment. If he continues to make progress at the same rate, Ahoka could receive his first senior call-up when the next squad is announced.