Ki-Jana Hoever

At 22 years old, Ki-Jana Hoever has this physical status:

Ki-Jana Delano Hoever (born 18 January 2002) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for Liverpool.

Early years

Hoever was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and is of Surinamese descent. After former NFL running back Ki-Jana Carter, his father, a former American football player, named him.

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Youth career

At AZ Alkmaar, the young guns were first introduced before heading to Ajax in 2014. During the 2017--18 season, Hoever played 13 times and scored two goals in the Under-17 Economy. Hoever, who has been described as equally at ease playing in center-half and right-back, joined Liverpool in August 2018 from Ajax, but he was forced to wait until September 2018 for international clearance. Liverpool only had to pay a small amount because he had not signed a professional deal, and Ajax were widely disappointed to lose him. Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea were all reported keen on the offer. In a 4–1 victory over Newcastle on September 15, Hoever made his first Liverpool appearance in a 4–1 victory. Following that, he was given a replacement appearance in the Reds' UEFA Youth League match against Paris Saint-Germain, which resulted in a 5–2 victory on 18 September 2018. In a 5–0 victory over Napoli that guaranteed Liverpool's U18s status in the knockout stages of the competition, he spent the full 90 minutes at centre-half.

Hoever made his U23s debut as a wide right midfielder against league champion Everton at Goodison Park, which Liverpool defeated. U23 boss Neil Critchley, who said, "I thought his calmness and confidence, as well as his decision-making, and his intelligence without the ball was outstanding." "I was really impressed with him," Hoever continued to play further for the U23s, winning praise for his effort in a 4–1 victory over the reigning Premier League 2 champions Arsenal.

Professional career

Hoever joined the Liverpool first team in December 2018, with manager Jürgen Klopp calling him "confident" and "a joy to watch." Before the FA Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium on January 7, 2019, Hoever was given the squad number 51. He started the game on the bench but in the first minutes, Dejan Lovren was replaced at centre-back. Hoever's appearance made him the youngest ever Liverpool player in the FA Cup and the third youngest in any competition.

On July 31, 2019, he agreed to a long-term professional contract with the club.

In an EFL Cup match against Milton Keynes Dons on September 25, 2019, he scored his first professional goal. Hoever, the fourth-youngest player to have found the back of the net for Liverpool after 17 years, eight months, and ten days, followed Ben Woodburn, Michael Owen, and Jordan Rossiter.

Hoever completed a £9 million transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 19, 2020. In a 4–0 loss to West Ham United on Saturday, Hoever made his first appearance in the Premier League and his debut for Wolves as a second-half replacement. He made his debut Molineux appearance for Wolves in the Premier League's next match, a 1–0 triumph over Fulham and as a second-half replacement.

On December 29, 2020, Hoever made his full Premier League debut against Manchester United, a game in which Wolves barely escaped without losing in added time.

Hoever joined PSV on a season-long loan on June 23, 2022.

International career

Hoever, a Dutch immigrant, is of Surinamese descent. Hoever, a Netherlands U17 international, has scored three goals in his first five games. In 2019, he competed in the U17 European Championships in Ireland, which the Netherlands won. Hoever got off the ground when the Netherlands defeated Italy in the final with a scoreline of 4–2, with Hoever contributing to the Dutch's second goal when the Netherlands first attacked the post from a free-kick.

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