Joseph Mbong
Maltese footballer
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Joseph Essien Mbong (born 15 July 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a wing-back for Maltese side Ħamrun Spartans. Born in Nigeria, he plays for the Maltese national team.
Full name
Joseph Essien Mbong
Date of birth
15 July 1997
Place of birth
Lagos, Nigeria
Height
1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
|
Mbong playing for Malta in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Essien Mbong | ||
| Date of birth | 15 July 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Wing-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ħamrun Spartans | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2014 | Hibernians | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2020 | Hibernians | 112 | (6) |
| 2017 | → Inter Zaprešić (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2020– | Ħamrun Spartans | 128 | (19) |
| 2022–2023 | → Ironi Kiryat Shmona (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | Malta U17 | 4 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Malta U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Malta U21 | 14 | (1) |
| 2018– | Malta | 71 | (3) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:32, 2 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:55, 17 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Personal life
Mbong is of Nigerian descent. His father Essien Mbong was also a footballer and spent most of his career with Hibernians. He is the older brother of fellow Maltese international Paul Mbong and Siggiewi forward Emmanuel Mbong.[1][2]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 21 December 2025[3]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hibernians | 2014–15 | Maltese Premier League | 16 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | Maltese Premier League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Maltese Premier League | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Maltese Premier League | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | Maltese Premier League | 26 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 4 | |||
| 2019–20 | Maltese Premier League | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 117 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 140 | 8 | ||
| Inter Zaprešić (loan) | 2016–17 | Croatian First League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ħamrun Spartans | 2020–21 | Maltese Premier League | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 7 | ||
| 2021–22 | Maltese Premier League | 27 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | Maltese Premier League | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Maltese Premier League | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6[e] | 4 | 1[d] | 0 | 33 | 4 | |
| 2024–25 | Maltese Premier League | 32 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4[f] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 40 | 8 | |
| 2025–26 | Maltese Premier League | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13[g] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 5 | |
| Total | 128 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 23 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 165 | 28 | ||
| Ironi Kiryat Shmona (loan) | 2022–23 | Israeli Premier League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[h] | 1 | 19 | 1 | |
| Career total | 260 | 25 | 23 | 4 | 34 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 324 | 36 | ||
- Includes Maltese FA Trophy
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Maltese Super Cup
- Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Conference League
- Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 17 November 2025[4]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | 2018 | 8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 71 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list Malta's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mbong goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 March 2021 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [5] | |
| 2 | 1 September 2021 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [6] | |
| 3 | 6 September 2023 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [7] |
Honours
Ħamrun Spartans
- Maltese Premier League: 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
- Maltese Super Cup: 2023, 2024