Ayub Masika

Ayub Timbe Masika (Kenyan English: [aˈjub ˈtimbe maˈsika] ^ⓘ; born 10 September 1992) is a Kenyan professional footballer who plays as a winger or a forward, most recently for Sabail and the Kenya national team.

Ayub Masika

Personal information
Full name	Ayub Timbe Masika
Date of birth	(1992-09-10) 10 September 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth	Nairobi, Kenya
Height	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s)	Winger, forward
Youth career
2004	Ligi Ndogo
2005–2006	JMJ Academy
2006–2008	Anderlecht
2008–2010	Germinal Beerschot
2010–2011	Genk
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2016	Genk	30	(0)
2014–2016	→ Lierse (loan)	42	(8)
2016–2017	Lierse	20	(6)
2017–2020	Beijing Renhe	49	(17)
2018	→ Heilongjiang Lava Spring (loan)	6	(2)
2020	→ Reading (loan)	2	(0)
2021	Vissel Kobe	8	(0)
2021–2022	Buriram United	13	(2)
2023	Nanjing City	20	(1)
2024	Sabail	14	(0)
International career‡
2012–	Kenya	32	(5[2])
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12:17, 18 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12:17, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Masika was born on 10 September 1992 in Pumwani, an estate in Nairobi, Kenya.^[1]

He moved through several academies in Kenya, including that of Ligi Ndogo, before moving to the Anderlecht Academy from the JMJ Youth Academy in 2006 at the age of 13, where he stayed for two years before moving to the Beerschot A.C. (then Germinal Beerschot) academy in 2008.^[3]

Genk

In May 2010, Masika signed a two-year deal with Genk from Germinal Beerschot. He played for the club's reserve team until he signed a new 4-year contract with the club in June 2011.^[3] He made his debut for the club when he came on in the 82nd minute for Nadson in a 1–1 draw against Zulte Waregem on 15 January 2012.^[4][5] He got his first assist for the club on his second appearance during their 5–0 win over Oud-Heverlee Leuven on 29 January 2012 when he delivered the ball to Christian Benteke for the fifth goal of the match.^[6] He scored his first goal for Genk in their 2–0 UEFA Europa League play-off round win against Swiss opponents FC Luzern, in the 88th minute, on 30 August 2012 at the Cristal Arena.^[7]

Lierse

On 1 September 2014, Masika was loaned Lierse from Genk for two seasons, with an option to buy at the end of the loan.^[8] He made his debut for the side in a 2–2 draw in the league against Anderlecht on 13 September, coming on in the 68th minute for Wanderson.^[9] He scored his first goal for the club on 24 September, opening the score in a 4–0 Belgian Cup win over Sint-Truiden.^[10]

In July 2016, Lierse signed Timbe on a permanent three-year deal.^[11]

Beijing Renhe

Masika joined China League One side Beijing Renhe in February 2017. He scored eight goals in his first season to help win promotion to the Chinese Super League. The following season, he was loaned back to the second tier to play for Heilongjiang Lava Spring, though he also scored seven goals in 14 games in the top flight for Beijing Renhe. On 31 January 2020 – transfer deadline day in England – Masika joined EFL Championship side Reading on loan until the end of the season.^[12]

Vissel Kobe

On 1 March 2021, Masika joined J1 League side Vissel Kobe.^[13] On 12 August, he mutually terminated his contract with Vissel Kobe.^[14]

Buriram United

On 2 December 2021, Masika joined Thai League 1 side Buriram United.^[15]

Nanjing City

On 4 April 2023, Masika joined China League One side Nanjing City.^[16]

Sabail

On 21 January 2024, Azerbaijan Premier League club Sabail announced the signing of Masika on a contract until the end of the season.^[17][18] Masika announced his depart from Sabail on 14 July 2024.^[19]

International career

Masika was meant to play in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary round match against Togo on 29 February 2012, but could not fly back to Kenya as he had club commitments with Genk that day.^[20][21] However, he made his international debut for Kenya against South Africa on 16 October 2012, coming on as a substitute for Thika United forward Francis Kahata in the 61st minute. Kenya lost the match 2–1.^[22]

Masika was called up to the Kenya national team once again for a friendly against Libya to be played on 6 February 2013, but refused to play, claiming that the Football Kenya Federation owed him money from his last appearance for the team against Tanzania.^[23] He made his return to the side on 18 May 2014, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Comoros.^[24] Masika scored his first goal for the national team 12 days later in the second leg, scoring a free kick to secure a 2–1 aggregate win for the Harambee Stars and a second round match-up against Lesotho.^[25]

Career statistics

Club

As of 28 October 2023^{[1][citation needed]}

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League[a]			National cup[b]		League cup		Continental[c]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Genk	2011–12	Pro League	6	0	0	0	–		0	0	6	0
	2012–13		11	0	1	0	–		4	1	16	1
	2013–14		12	0	4	0	–		3	0	19	0
	2014–15		1	0	0	0	–		0	0	1	0
	Total		30	0	5	0	0	0	7	1	42	1
Lierse (loan)	2014–15	Pro League	20	1	1	1	–		–		21	2
	2015–16	Belgian Second Division	22	7	1	0	–		–		23	7
	Total		42	8	2	1	0	0	0	0	44	9
Lierse	2016–17	Belgian Second Division	20	6	1	1	–		–		21	7
Beijing Renhe	2017	China League One	23	8	0	0	–		–		23	8
	2018	Chinese Super League	14	7	0	0	–		–		14	7
	2019		12	2	0	0	–		–		12	2
	Total		49	17	0	0	0	0	0	0	49	17
Heilongjiang Lava Spring (loan)	2018	China League One	6	2	1	0	–		–		7	2
Reading (loan)	2019–20	EFL Championship	5	0	1	0	–		–		6	0
Vissel Kobe	2021	J1 League	8	0	2	0	5	2	–		15	2
Buriram United	2021–22	Thai League 1	13	2	4	1	4	1	0	0	21	4
	2022–23		0	0	1	1	0	0	–		1	1
	Total		13	2	5	2	4	1	0	0	22	5
Nanjing City	2023	China League One	20	1	1	1	–		–		21	2
Career total			193	36	18	4	9	3	7	1	227	44

1. Includes Belgian Pro League, the Championship play-offs, the Europa League play-offs and the Belgian Second Division play-offs.
2. Includes Belgian Cup, and the Belgian Supercup.
3. Includes UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

International

As of 8 September 2019^[update][1]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Kenya	2012	2	0
	2013	0	0
	2014	3	1
	2015	5	1
	2016	5	2
	2017	1	0
	2018	1	0
	2019	7	0
Total		24	4

Scores and results list Kenya's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Masika goal.

List of international goals scored by Ayub Masika^[26]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	30 May 2015	Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh, Mitsamiouli, Comoros	Comoros	1–0	1–1	2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2	7 October 2015	Stade Anjalay, Belle Vue Maurel, Mauritius	Mauritius	2–0	5–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	4 June 2016	Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, Kenya	Congo	1–1	1–2	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4	4 September 2016	Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia	Zambia	1–1	1–1	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
5	23 March 2024	Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi	Malawi	3–0	4–0	2024 Four Nations Football Tournament

Honours

Genk

• Belgian Cup: 2012–13

Buriram United

• Thai League 1: 2021–22
• Thai FA Cup: 2021–22
• Thai League Cup: 2021–22