Cédric Bakambu

Cédric Bakambu (born 11 April 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan and the DR Congo national team.[2]

Cédric Bakambu
Bakambu in 2016
Personal information
Full name Cédric Bakambu[1]
Date of birth (1991-04-11) 11 April 1991
Place of birth Vitry-sur-Seine, France
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Beijing Guoan
Number 17
Youth career
2000–2006 Ivry
2006–2010 Sochaux
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2014 Sochaux 94 (18)
2010–2014 Sochaux II 28 (15)
2014–2015 Bursaspor 27 (13)
2015–2018 Villarreal 75 (32)
2018– Beijing Guoan 58 (43)
National team‡
2009 France U18 5 (1)
2009–2010 France U19 16 (4)
2010–2011 France U20 17 (3)
2015– DR Congo 31 (13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 December 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2020

He made his professional debut for Sochaux in 2010, and played 107 official games for them over five seasons, scoring 21 goals. He then moved to Bursaspor for €1.8 million, finishing as top scorer as his team came runners-up in the Turkish Cup, before signing for Villarreal a year later.

Born in France, he represented them internationally at youth level up to the under-20s, scoring eight goals in 38 games and winning the 2010 UEFA European Championship for the under-19s. In 2015, he made his senior debut for the DR Congo national team.

Club career

Sochaux

Born in Vitry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne, Bakambu began his career at local US Ivry at the age of 10 before transferring to FC Sochaux-Montbéliard four years later.[3]

On 1 May 2010, Bakambu played in the 2010 Coupe Gambardella Final and scored a goal for his team at the Stade de France. Sochaux, however, lost the match 4–3 on penalties.[4] He had previously scored a double in the team's 4–3 aggregate semi-final victory over FC Metz.[3]

Bakambu made his professional debut on 7 August 2010 in Sochaux's opening match of the Ligue 1 season against Arles-Avignon, appearing as an 83rd-minute substitute for Modibo Maïga in a 2–1 win at the Stade Auguste Bonal.[5] The following month, he signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with the club until June 2013.[6]

On 17 September 2011, Bakambu scored his first professional goal, the first equaliser in a 2–2 draw at Lille OSC, eleven minutes after replacing Carlāo.[7] A year and nine days later, as a 66th-minute replacement for King Osanga, he scored twice in a 3–2 extra-time home win over Evian Thonon Gaillard F.C. in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue.[8]

Bakambu scored seven goals in 31 appearances over the 2013–14 Ligue 1 season, in which Sochaux were relegated; this included two on 21 December in a 2–1 home win over Stade Rennais.[9] Across the campaign, he was placed on the right wing by manager Hervé Renard until he would become sufficiently mentally mature for a centre-forward role.[10] On 23 March, he was sent off for handball in a 2–1 loss at AS Saint-Étienne.[11]

Bursaspor

On 1 September 2014, Bakambu left France for the first time, moving on a four-year transfer to Turkey's Bursaspor for a fee of €1.8 million and an annual salary of €800,000.[12] He made his debut in the Süper Lig twelve days later, replacing Ozan İpek in the 55th minute of a 2–1 win at Gençlerbirliği S.K.. His first goals for the "Green Crocodiles" came on 19 October, in either half of a 2–2 draw against Eskişehirspor at the Bursa Atatürk Stadium, and six days later he scored a first professional hat-trick in a 5–0 win at Balıkesirspor.[13] He finished his only league season in Bursa with 13 goals in 27 games.

In the season's domestic cup, Bakambu was the top scorer with eight goals in 12 games as his team reached the final before a 3–2 home loss to Galatasaray. This tally included trebles in a 5–0 win at Mersin İdmanyurdu on 27 January and a 3–0 victory over Fatih Karagümrük S.K. nine days later, both in the group stage.[14] As Galatasaray won the double, Bursaspor faced them in the 2015 Turkish Super Cup on 8 August, with Bakambu playing the whole of the 1–0 loss.

Villarreal
Bakambu in action for Villarreal in December 2015.

On 19 August 2015, Spanish side Villarreal CF announced the signing of Bakambu on a five-year contract.[15] He made his La Liga debut four days later, replacing Léo Baptistão in the 61st minute of a 1–1 draw at Real Betis in the first game of the season; on the 28th he came on for the same player and scored two goals in the closing minutes of the fixture against RCD Espanyol at Estadio El Madrigal, to secure a 3–1 victory for the "Yellow Submarine".[16]

Bakambu played his first game in European competition on 17 September, again as a substitute in a 2–1 loss at SK Rapid Wien in the group stage of the season's UEFA Europa League. On 22 October, he scored his first goals in the tournament, a first-half double in a 4–0 home win over FC Dinamo Minsk;[17] he added another two the following 10 March against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the last 16 (2–0 win, same aggregate).[18] In the quarter-finals, he scored twice in each leg of a 6–3 aggregate win over Sparta Prague.[19] He was one of four strikers named in the competition's Squad of the Season,[20] and his 9 goals put him only one behind the top scorer, Athletic Bilbao's Aritz Aduriz.[21]

On 1 October 2017, Bakambu scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 home win over SD Eibar.[22] He then scored two goals in a 2–1 win at Girona FC and another in a 4–0 win over UD Las Palmas to be named La Liga Player of the Month, the first African to win the award.[23]

In early January 2018, Villarreal manager Javier Calleja said that Bakambu was going through a transfer to Beijing Sinobo Guoan of the Chinese Super League.[24] On 17 January 2018, Bakambu rescinded his contract with Villarreal.[25] Two weeks later, however, Beijing Guoan still had not announced the signing of Bakambu who had already played and scored for the club. It was reported that Beijing Guoan were trying to avoid paying a 100 percent tax placed on incoming transfers worth over 45 million yuan (US$7 million) by the Chinese Football Association.[26] The transfer went through in time for the start of the Chinese season with the full fees being paid.[27]

Beijing Sinobo Guoan

On 28 February 2018, the final day of the Chinese transfer window, Bakambu's protracted transfer from Villarreal to Beijing Sinobo Guoan was finally confirmed with the club paid his €40million release clause, but Beijing did not announce the Congolese forward's signing amid confusion over whether they had to pay a 100 per cent levy on the transfer.[28]

He scored his first goal in China in his second game, in a 2–1 win over Jiangsu Suning.[29] He won the Chinese FA Cup in his first season.[30]

International career

Bakambu was a French youth international and has represented the country at both under-18 and under-19 level. He was a part of the team that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship on home soil. On 18 July, he scored twice in a 4–1 opening win over the Netherlands in Caen, and the 2–1 winner against Croatia in the semi-finals nine days later, also at the Stade Michel d'Ornano.[31] He was also part of the team that came fourth at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, opening a 2–0 win over Mali in the last group game in Cali.[32]

In March 2015, he opted to represent DR Congo at senior level.[33] On arrival in Kinshasa he was greeted by fans with banners of him, later reflecting "I hadn't even played a match yet they made banners for me. It's really something else. It was through football that I discovered my country."[34]

He was first called up in June ahead of a friendly against Cameroon on the 9th,[35] and started that match, a 1–1 draw at the Stade Charles Tondreau in Mons, Belgium.[36]

On 26 March the following year, Bakambu scored his first international goal, opening a 2–1 win over Angola at the Stade des Martyrs with a penalty, in qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[37] He added two more on 5 June, in a 6–1 win away to Madagascar.[38] He was chosen in Florent Ibengé's squad for the final tournament in Gabon,[39] and started in the opening group match, a 1–0 win over Morocco at the Stade d'Oyem. He then did not play again until a seven-minute run in the quarter-finals where the Congolese lost 2–1 to Ghana.[40]

On 24 March 2019, Bakambu returned to action for DR Congo after missing previous qualifiers vs. rivals Congo to injury. He started and scored the winner in a 1–0 victory against Liberia.[41] This secured The Leopards' qualification to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, at the expense of their opponents.

Personal life

Born in France to parents from the DR Congo, Bakambu said "I grew up with both cultures and I am very proud of that. I think it's something that enriches you."[34]

Bakambu and international teammate Dieumerci Mbokani were at Brussels Airport when it was struck by terror attacks in March 2016; both escaped unharmed.[34]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 31 December 2020[42]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sochaux 2010–11 Ligue 1 902000——110
2011–12 2131010——233
2012–13 3383122——3811
2013–14 3172020——357
Total 94188152000010721
Sochaux II 2010–11 Championnat National 2 227————227
2011–12 Championnat National 2 54————54
2013–14 Championnat National 14————14
Total 2815000000002815
Bursaspor 2014–15 Süper Lig 2713128———3921
2015–16 Süper Lig 0000——1[lower-alpha 1]010
Total 27131280000104021
Villarreal 2015–16 La Liga 341231—13[lower-alpha 2]9—5022
2016–17 La Liga 261111—7[lower-alpha 2]0—3412
2017–18 La Liga 15912—5[lower-alpha 2]3—2114
Total 7532540025120010548
Beijing Guoan 2018 Chinese Super League 231954———2823
2019 Chinese Super League 161033—6[lower-alpha 3]31[lower-alpha 4]02616
2020 Chinese Super League 191400—1[lower-alpha 3]0—2014
Total 5843870073107453
Career total 282121332052321520354158
  1. Appearance in Turkish Super Cup
  2. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
  4. Appearance in Chinese FA Super Cup

International
As of 17 November 2020[43]
DR Congo
YearAppsGoals
201540
201653
201774
201820
2019116
202020
Total3113

International goals
Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first.[43]
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.26 March 2016Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo Angola1–02–12017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.5 June 2016Rabemananjara Stadium, Mahajanga, Madagascar Madagascar1–06–1
3.5–0
4.10 June 2017Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo Congo1–03–12019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
5.2–1
6.1 September 2017Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia Tunisia1–11–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.7 October 2017Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia Libya1–02–1
8.24 March 2019Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo Liberia1–01–02019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
9.30 June 201930 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Zimbabwe2–04–02019 Africa Cup of Nations
10.3–0
11.7 July 2019Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt Madagascar1–12–22019 Africa Cup of Nations
12.10 October 2019Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida, Algeria Algeria1–11–1Friendly
13.18 November 2019Independence Stadium, Bakau, Gambia Gambia1–02–22021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

Club

Beijing Guoan

International

France U19

Individual

References
  1. "Cedric Bakambu" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  2. "DR Congo's Bakambu joins Beijing Guoan in African transfer 'record'".
  3. "Rencontre avec... Cédric Bakambu : "mon objectif, la Ligue 1"" [Meeting with... Cédric Bakambu: "my objective, Ligue 1"]. Top Mercato (in French). 13 July 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  4. "Sochaux v. Metz Match Report". French Football Federation (in French). 1 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  5. "Sochaux v. Arles-Avignon Match Report". French Football Federation (in French). 7 August 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  6. "Trois signatures professionnelles". FC Sochaux-Montbéliard (in French). 2 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
  7. "Lille accroché par Sochaux" [Lille held by Sochaux] (in French). RTL. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. "Sochaux-Evian Thonon : 3-2" (in French). Eurosport. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  9. "BAKAMBU CLINCHES PRECIOUS WIN FOR SOCHAUX". 21 December 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  10. "RISING STAR: CÉDRIC BAKAMBU". Ligue 1. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  11. Maussion, Florian (24 March 2014). "L'ASSE bat Sochaux et flirte de nouveau avec le podium" (in French). Eurosport. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  12. "Bakambu Bursaspor'a transfer oldu" [Bakambu transferred to Bursaspor] (in Turkish). Eurosport. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  13. "Balıkesirspor 0 - 5 Bursaspor" (in Turkish). Hurriyet. 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  14. "Bursaspor Karagümrük'ü Bakambu'yla Geçti" (in Turkish). Haberler. Eurosport. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  15. "El Villarreal CF ficha a Cédric Bakambu" [Villareal CF signs Cédric Bakambu]. villarealcf.es (in Spanish). Villareal CF. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  16. "Cedric Bakambu scores twice to lift Villarreal over Espanyol". Sports Illustrated. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  17. "Bakambu at double as Villarreal beat Dinamo". UEFA. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  18. "Villarreal 2 Bayer Leverkusen 0: Bakambu at the double". FourFourTwo. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  19. Lancaster, Rob (14 April 2016). "Sparta Prague 2-4 Villarreal (agg 3-6): Bakambu shines again as Yellow Submarine sail through". Goal.com. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  20. "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season". UEFA. 20 May 2016.
  21. "Statistics". UEFA. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  22. "Bakambu's hat-trick powers Villarreal to victory". Goal.com. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  23. Okeleji, Oluwashina (27 November 2017). "Cedric Bakambu scores after becoming the first African to win Spanish award". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  24. "DR Congo's Bakambu close to China move". BBC Sport. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  25. "Comunicado oficial - Cédric Bakambu deja de ser jugador del Villarreal CF" (in Spanish). Villarreal CF. 17 January 2018. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  26. "Chinese Football Association risks 'losing control' if Cedric Bakambu transfer tax controversy is swept under the rug". South China Morning Post. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  27. "Bakambu wraps up Beijing Guoan move". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  28. https://www.espn.com/soccer/soccer-transfers/story/3402213/cedric-bakambu-wraps-up-protracted-beijing-sinobo-guoan-transfer
  29. "CSL: Bakambu earns win for Beijing Guoan". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  30. "Cedric Bakambu: DR Congo striker says Chinese Cup win caps 'amazing season'". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  31. "Hosts France celebrate Caen success". UEFA. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  32. "U20: Cameroon through as Mali out". BBC Sport. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  33. Cédric Bakambu. "L'heure est Venue de Répondre Présent à ma Première Sélection chez Mes Léopards de la RDC" [The time has come to answer "Present" to my first call for my Leopards of the DRC] (in French). Twitter.
  34. "What makes Villarreal's Cédric Bakambu special". UEFA. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  35. "RDC : CÉDRIC BAKAMBU REJOINT LES LÉOPARDS" [DRC: CÉDRIC BAKAMBU JOINS LES LÉOPARDS] (in French). Africa Top Sports. 7 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  36. Kaffa, David (9 June 2015). "Eliminatoires CAN 2017: RDC et Cameroun se neutralisent en amical" [2017 ACN qualifiers: DRC and Cameroon cancel each other out in friendly] (in French). RFI. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  37. "CAN 2017 : La RD Congo se relance contre l'Angola" [2017 ACN: DR Congo get back on track again against Angola] (in French). Afrik-Foot. 26 March 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  38. "CAN 2017 : l'équipe de RD Congo est presqu'au Gabon" [ACN 2017: the DR Congo team is nearly in Gabon] (in French). RFI. 5 June 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
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  40. "DR Congo 1–2 Ghana". BBC Sport. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  41. "Congo DR vs. Liberia - 24 March 2019". soccerway.com. Soccerway. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  42. "Congo DR - C. Bakambu". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  43. "Cédric Bakambu". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  44. "足协杯-比埃拉建功张稀哲斩杀 国安客场2-2夺冠". sports.sina.com.cn. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
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