Dieumerci Mbokani
Congolese footballer (born 1985)
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Dieudonné "Dieumerci" Mbokani Bezua (born 22 November 1985) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a striker. He was captain and is the all time top goalscorer of the DR Congo national football team.
|
Mbokani with Dynamo Kyiv in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dieudonné Mbokani Bezua[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004 | Bel'Or | 23 | (16) |
| 2005–2007 | TP Mazembe | 72 | (67) |
| 2006–2007 | → Anderlecht (loan) | 9 | (4) |
| 2007–2010 | Standard Liège | 87 | (39) |
| 2010–2011 | Monaco | 10 | (1) |
| 2011 | → VfL Wolfsburg (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Anderlecht | 53 | (33) |
| 2013–2018 | Dynamo Kyiv | 54 | (25) |
| 2015–2016 | → Norwich City (loan) | 29 | (7) |
| 2016–2017 | → Hull City (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2018–2021 | Antwerp | 91 | (43) |
| 2021–2022 | Kuwait SC | 3 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Beveren | 23 | (14) |
| 2023–2024 | Noah | 10 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2022 | DR Congo | 49 | (22) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He has previously played for TP Mazembe, Anderlecht, VfL Wolfsburg, Monaco, Standard Liège, Norwich City, Hull City, Dynamo Kyiv, Al-Kuwait and Beveren.
Club career
Mbokani began his career at local side Bel'or and was a league topscorer in the 2004 season with 16 goals.[2][3] Then he moved to TP Mazembe.[3]
In the 2006–07 season, he made nine appearances for Anderlecht[3] and scored four goals, including a hat-trick against Beveren on 7 May 2007. In 2007, he joined Standard de Liège and scored 35 goals in 81 league appearances.
On 30 July 2010, Mbokani signed a deal with French side AS Monaco, after spurning reported interest from Liverpool, for a fee in the region of €7 million.[4][5]
After failing to impress in Ligue 1, on 9 August 2011, he signed a contract with Anderlecht for a reported fee of €3 million, stating that he looked forward to playing together again with his friend Milan Jovanović.[6] The start of his spell at Anderlecht was dramatic, first injuring himself during one of his first training sessions, meaning he would be sidelined for at least two months.[7] On 21 June 2013, Mbokani officially signed a contract with the Ukrainian club FC Dynamo Kyiv.[3] On 14 July 2013, he scored his first goal in the very first game of the Ukrainian Premier League against Volyn Lutsk[citation needed] during the first half, which ended 1–1.
On 31 August 2015, Mbokani was loaned out to English club Norwich City.[8]
On 31 August 2016, Mbokani was loaned out to English club Hull City.[9] Mbokani made his debut on 17 September 2016 when he came off the bench, after 77-minutes, as a replacement for Abel Hernández in a 4–1 loss at home to Arsenal.[10]
On 20 June 2017, Mbokani was close to completing a transfer to Greek powerhouse Olympiacos but the deal did not ultimately go ahead as the player failed his medical.[11]
In August 2018 he signed a one-year contract with Belgian club Royal Antwerp.[12] He extended his contract with the club in June 2019.[13]
On 14 August 2023, Armenian Premier League Noah announced the signing of Mbokani.[14]
International career
Mbokani represented the DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and 2015, helping them to third place at the latter tournament.
Mbokani was caught up in the 2016 Brussels bombings, alongside his international teammate Cédric Bakambu. Though both escaped unscathed, Mbokani was reportedly left "shaken".[15][16] In the aftermath of this, after being sanctioned for missing a game as a result, he retired from international football with 31 caps.[17][18] However, he returned to DR Congo's squad for the 2017 Cup of Nations in Gabon,[19] and he was recalled to the national team in March 2019, although he withdrew due to injury.[20]
Personal life
Mbokani was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then called Zaire. The name "Dieumerci" means "Thank God" in French.
In August 2011, his five-month-old son, David Mbokani, died of a cardiac arrest in his sleep.[21]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 29 November 2023
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Anderlecht (loan) | 2006–07 | Belgian First Division | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 4 | |||
| Standard Liège | 2007–08 | Belgian First Division | 32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 15 | |||
| 2008–09 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 0 | — | 10[c] | 3 | — | 41 | 20 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Belgian Pro League | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 3 | 1[d] | 0 | 38 | 10 | ||
| Total | 87 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 111 | 45 | ||
| Monaco | 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg (loan) | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Anderlecht | 2011–12 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[e] | 1 | — | 31 | 15 | ||
| 2012–13 | 27 | 19 | 2 | 1 | — | 8[f] | 6 | 1[d] | 1 | 38 | 27 | |||
| Total | 53 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 69 | 42 | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2013–14 | Ukrainian Premier League | 25 | 13 | 2 | 1 | — | 6[e] | 2 | — | 33 | 16 | ||
| 2014–15 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 13 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[h] | 3 | 1[g] | 0 | 31 | 12 | |||
| Total | 54 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 77 | 31 | ||
| Norwich City (loan) | 2015–16 | Premier League | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 7 | ||
| Hull City (loan) | 2016–17 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Antwerp | 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 32 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 33 | 14 | |||
| 2019–20 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 5 | — | 4[e] | 1 | — | 37 | 24 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 32 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[e] | 0 | — | 35 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 92 | 45 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 52 | ||
| Kuwait | 2021–22 | Kuwait Premier League | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 6 | 6 | ||
| Beveren | 2022–23 | Challenger Pro League | 23 | 14 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | 24 | 16 | |||
| Noah | 2023–24 | Armenian Premier League | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 389 | 173 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 58 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 473 | 206 | ||
- Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
- Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Ukrainian Super Cup
- Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
International
- Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mbokani goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 November 2005 | Stade Sébastien Charléty, Paris, France |  Libya | 1–2 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 12 May 2006 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico |  Mexico | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 26 March 2008 | Stade Maurice Bacquet, Gonfreville-l'Orcher, France |  Algeria | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 13 June 2008 | El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium, Djibouti City, Djibouti |  Djibouti | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 4–0 | |||||
| 6 | 22 June 2008 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti | 5–0 | 5–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 10 June 2012 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |  Togo | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 17 June 2012 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |  Seychelles | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 9 | 9 September 2012 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |  Equatorial Guinea | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 10 | 4–0 | |||||
| 11 | 20 January 2013 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa |  Ghana | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 12 | 28 January 2013 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa |  Mali | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2013 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 13 | 31 January 2015 | Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea |  Congo | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 14 | 4–2 | |||||
| 15 | 4 February 2015 | Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea |  Ivory Coast | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 16 | 18 October 2015 | Stade de la Cité de l'Oie, Visé, Belgium |  Nigeria | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 8 October 2016 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |  Libya | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 18 | 3–0 | |||||
| 19 | 2 September 2021 | Stade TP Mazembe, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo |  Tanzania | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 20 | 6 September 2021 | Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin |  Benin | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 21 | 7 October 2021 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo |  Madagascar | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 14 November 2021 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Benin | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Anderlecht[24]
Standard Liège[26]
Dynamo Kiev
Royal Antwerp
Kuwait SC
DR Congo
- Africa Cup of Nations bronze: 2015[29]
Individual
- Belgian Golden Shoe: 2012[30]
- Ebony Shoe: 2012, 2020[31][32]
- Africa Cup of Nations top scorer: 2015[33]
- Belgian First Division A Top Scorer: 2019–20[34]
- DH The Best Standard Liège Team Ever: 2020[35]
