Ismail Joshua Jakobs Biography
(born 17 August 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back or left winger for Süper Lig club Galatasaray, on loan from Ligue 1 club Monaco. Born in Germany, he plays for the Senegal national team.
Club career
1. FC Köln
After starting his career at BC Bliesheim, Jakobs joined the youth academy of 1. FC Köln in 2012. In 2017, having progressed through all of the club’s youth sides, he was introduced into Köln’s U21 team competing in the fourth-tier Regionalliga West.
Ahead of the 2019–20 season Jakobs was promoted to the club’s first team by then manager Achim Beierlorzer. On 8 November 2019, he made his debut appearance in a match against TSG Hoffenheim. On 18 December 2019, Jakobs scored his first goal as a professional in a 2–4 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. In March 2020, the club announced that Jakobs’ contract had been extended until 2022. In October of the same year, he signed a further extension keeping him at Köln until July 2024.
AS Monaco
On 12 July 2021, Jakobs was transferred to Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, where he signed a contract until 2026. He made his debut for the club in a 2–0 win over Sparta Prague in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League on 3 August.
On 7 October 2023, he scored his first goal for Monaco against Stade de Reims during a 3-1 win in Champagne.
Loan to Galatasaray
On 2 September 2024, Jakobs joined Turkish Süper Lig club Galatasaray on loan from Monaco, until the end of the 2024–25 season.
International career
On 21 August 2020, Jakobs was nominated for Germany’s under-21 national team by manager Stefan Kuntz. He was a member of the squad that won the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Jakobs made his debut for the Senegal senior national team in 2022, appearing against Bolivia on 24 September. He played in all four of Senegal’s matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup as the nation reached the round of 16 for the first time since its debut in 2002.
In December 2023, he was named in Senegal’s squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast.
Personal life
Born in Germany, Jakobs is Senegalese by his father.
