Ngal'ayel Mukau
Footballer (born 2005)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ngal'ayel Mukau (born 3 November 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lille. Born in Belgium, he plays for the DR Congo national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 November 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Mechelen, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lille | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Mechelen | |||
| 2018–2019 | Zulte Waregem | ||
| 2019–2023 | Mechelen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Mechelen | 35 | (0) |
| 2024– | Lille | 52 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Belgium U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | DR Congo U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | DR Congo | 17 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:03, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12:23, 28 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Mechelen
Mukau is a youth product of Mechelen and Zulte Waregem. On 20 July 2022, he signed his first professional contract with Mechelen for 2+1 seasons.[1] He made his senior and professional debut with Mechelen in a 2–0 Belgian First Division A loss to Zulte Waregem on 8 January 2023.[2]
Lille
On 11 July 2024, Mukau signed for French Ligue 1 club Lille, on a four-year contract.[3] The financial details of the transfer include an initial and base fee of €4 million and a maximum of €1 million add-ons depending on sporting conditions.[4] On 27 November, he scored his first professional goals with a brace in a 2–1 win at Bologna in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase.[5]
International career
Born in Belgium, Mukau is of DR Congolese descent. Mukau holds both Congolese and French nationalities from his parents. He is a former youth international for Belgium, having played for the Belgium U18s. However, he was called up to a training camp for the DR Congo U21s in September 2023,[6] and debuted with them in a pair of friendlies against the Tunisia U20s in October 2023.[7]
On 16 November 2024, he made his debut for the DR Congo national team, coming on as a substitute in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification against Guinea.[8]
On May 19, 2026, he was included in the 26-man squad selected by head coach Sébastien Desabre to represent the DR Congo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[9]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mechelen | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||
| Lille | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[b] | 2 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11[c] | 1 | — | 42 | 2 | ||
| Total | 52 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 3 | — | 77 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 87 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 116 | 4 | ||
- Appearance in Belgian Supercup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 27 June 2026[10]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 0 | |
