Merveille Papela
German footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matondo-Merveille Papela (born 18 January 2001) is a German footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for 2. Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98.[1]
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Papela playing for Mainz 05 in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matondo-Merveille Papela | ||
| Date of birth | 18 January 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Mainz, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Darmstadt 98 | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2011 | TSV Schott Mainz | ||
| 2011–2020 | Mainz 05 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2022 | Mainz 05 II | 50 | (6) |
| 2019–2024 | Mainz 05 | 17 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → SV Sandhausen (loan) | 19 | (2) |
| 2024– | Darmstadt 98 | 59 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2016 | Germany U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Germany U16 | 8 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Germany U17 | 12 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Germany U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2020 | Germany U20 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 May 2026 | |||
Club career
Papela made his professional debut for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on 3 January 2021, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute for Phillipp Mwene against Bayern Munich. The away match finished as a 5–2 loss.[2]
On 24 August 2022, Papela joined SV Sandhausen on a season-long loan.[3]
On 20 May 2024, Mainz 05 announced that Papela will leave the club after this season.[4]
On 26 June 2024, Papela signed with Darmstadt 98.[5]
International career
Born in Germany, Papela is of Congolese descent.[6] He has appeared for the Germany under-15 to under-18 and under-20 national teams. He was included in the Germany U17 team for the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in England. He made three appearances in the tournament, in which Germany were eliminated in the group stage.[1]
