Denis Odoi

Oud-Heverlee Leuven

Born in Leuven, Belgium, Odoi began playing football when he was five years old, leading to join K. Stade Leuven and played there for five years. When Odoi was ten years old, he moved to join Anderlecht. However, Odoi said: "When I was almost eleven, Anderlecht came to get me. That was great, but the transfers from Kessel-Lo, where I live, to Anderlecht and back were not without obstacles, I remember. Traveling went a lot smoother when Genk incorporated me a few years later." During his time at Genk, he met Steven Defour and became good friends with him. After a year spent at Genk, Odoi joined Oud-Heverlee Leuven when he was eighteen years old and joined the club, citing "a lot more chance to play there". Odoi progressed through the ranks at Oud-Heverlee Leuven and played for a reserve team for two years. Following this, he was promoted to the first team and made his Oud-Heverlee Leuven debut on 28 April 2007 against Royal Antwerp, starting a match and played 80 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 win. Odoi went on to make four appearances for the club. At the start of the 2007–08 season, Odoi appeared in the first two matches before being substituted at half time during a 2–1 loss against Tubize on 30 August 2007and didn't play for two months. It wasn't until on 14 October 2007 when he returned to the starting line–up, in a 4–0 win against K.V. Kortrijk. Odoi's return was short–lived when he played 71 minutes before being substituted, in…

Belgium

Odoi is eligible to play for Belgium (through his mother) and Ghana (through his father). Odoi made his only Belgium U20 appearance, playing 45 minutes, in a 1–1 draw against Slovakia U20 on 25 March 2008. A year later, he was called up to the Belgium U21 for the first time but did not play. It wasn't until on 12 August 2010 when Odoi made his Belgium U21 debut, starting the whole game in the left–back position, in a 1–0 win against France U21. He went on to make three appearances for the U21 side. Odoi was called up to the Belgium's senior team for the first time in February 2011 but did not play for the rest of the year. He made his senior Belgian debut on 25 May 2012, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against Montenegro.

Ghana

Two years later, Odoi stated his intention to play for Ghana, saying: "Even if that was a practice match. I can still come out for Ghana. Playing for that country seems like the ideal way to discover my roots." He later become critical of Marc Wilmots for overlooking him for the Belgium squad. But in October 2018, Odoi changed his mind by stating that he wanted to earn a place in the Belgium national squad. He switched to represent Ghana in 2022, and debuted in a 0–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification tie with Nigeria on 25 March 2022. In November 2022, Odoi was named in the Black Stars of Ghana squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Club

As of match played 17 August 2023

Outside of football, Odoi studied to become a physical education teacher and was studying that in college while working his way of becoming a professional footballer. In doing so, Odoi said in an interview with The Guardian that he received good grades at school. Odoi is close friends with Napoli and Belgium striker Dries Mertens, having known each other since they were both five. However, at one point, Odoi revealed in the interview with The Guardian that he once tackled Mertens so seriously that he got "suspended from training for the rest of the week" and did not tell his parents, though it gave him "more time to do my homework." Growing up, Odoi watched Premier League and Serie A when he was a youngster and served to be an inspiration for him to play football. In June 2017, Odoi married Katleen Thijs. Two years later, he became a father.