Joey Phuthi (born 2 January 2005) is a Zimbabwean professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for club Eastbourne Borough.

Club career

Sheffield Wednesday

Phuthi moved from his native Zimbabwe to England at the age of 12. He began playing football with Wincobank Juniors, before moving to the academy of

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

at 13 and worked his way up their youth categories. He was promoted to their U21s on 14 July 2021 on a scholarship deal, and in the summer of 2023 he joined the senior team for preseason. On 29 August 2023 he signed his first professional contract with Sheffield Wednesday. He made his senior and professional debut with Sheffield Wednesday as a substitute in a 2–0

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

loss to

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...

on 26 December 2023. The option was taken up on his contract to extend his deal at Sheffield Wednesday for another year in May 2024. He was released from his contract following the end of the 2024–25 season. Following his release at Sheffield Wednesday, former teammate

Josh Windass Joshua Dean Windass (born 9 January 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and forward for club Sheffield Wednesday. After playing youth football for Huddersfield Town, Windass began his senior career ...

would rant about Phuthi on a podcast after a reaction Phuthi gave Windass in training, comparing himself to

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

as he doesn't run more than 10k a game.

Eastbourne Borough

On 20 June 2025, Eastbourne Borough announced the signing of Phuthi, from 1 July 2025 once his Sheffield Wednesday contract has expired.

International career

On 12 March 2024, Phuthi was called up to the full

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

squad to play in the Malawi Four Nations Tournament. He made his international debut for Zimbabwe against

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

on 26 March 2024.

Playing style

Phuthi is a versatile pacey player who can play as

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

, or as a winger.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phuthi, Joey 2005 births Living people Footballers from Harare Zimbabwean men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Eastbourne Borough F.C. players English Football League players Zimbabwean expatriate men's footballers Zimbabwean expatriates in England Expatriate men's footballers in England