Samuel Essende
DR Congolese footballer (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Emmanuel Essende Mbongu (born 23 January 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swiss Super League club Young Boys. Born in France, he represents the DR Congo national team.
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Essende in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Emmanuel Essende Mbongu[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Montfermeil, France | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Young Boys | ||
| Number | 99 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2016 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | Paris Saint-Germain B | 35 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | → Eupen (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2019–2021 | Avranches | 35 | (7) |
| 2019–2021 | Avranches B | 3 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Pau | 32 | (7) |
| 2022–2024 | Caen | 28 | (4) |
| 2023 | Caen II | 2 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Vizela (loan) | 18 | (9) |
| 2024 | Vizela | 13 | (6) |
| 2024–2026 | FC Augsburg | 44 | (8) |
| 2026– | Young Boys | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | DR Congo | 9 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:30, 4 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:33, 14 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Essende joined the Paris Saint-Germain Academy at the age of 12, and spent his entire youth footballing career with them.[2] On 10 August 2018, he signed his first professional contract with PSG, keeping him with the club until 1 June 2021.[3]
On 22 August 2018, Essende signed on loan with Eupen in Belgium.[4] He made his professional debut with Eupen in a 1–0 Belgian First Division A win over Mouscron on 25 August 2018.[5]
In August 2019, Essende signed for Championnat National side Avranches.[6]
In 2021, Essende joined Ligue 2 side Pau. On 20 June 2022, Essende signed a contract with Caen until 2025.[7]
On 20 July 2023, Caen sent Essende on a season-long loan to Primeira Liga side Vizela.[8] After he scored 10 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions during the first half of the season, Vizela triggered a buy-clause and permanently signed Essende on contract until June 2026.[9]
On 28 June 2024, Essende signed a four-year deal with Augsburg in Germany.[10] Essende scored a goal and had a second goal disallowed on his Bundesliga debut, a 2–2 draw with Werder Bremen.[11]
On 16 February 2026, Essende joined Swiss Super League club Young Boys.[12]
International career
Essende made his debut for the DR Congo national team on 6 June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier against Senegal at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium. He played the full match as the game ended in a 1–1 draw.[13]
Personal life
Born in France, Essende holds both French and Congolese nationalities.[14] Growing up, Essende was nicknamed 'Wolf', and idolised Zlatan Ibrahimović.[15]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 4 March 2026[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Paris Saint Germain II | 2015–16 | CFA | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | CFA | 19 | 2 | — | — | 19 | 2 | |||
| 2017–18 | Championnat National 2 | 14 | 3 | — | — | 14 | 3 | |||
| Total | 35 | 5 | — | — | 35 | 5 | ||||
| Eupen (loan) | 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| US Avranches II | 2019–20 | Championnat National 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| US Avranches | 2019–20 | Championnat National | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | Championnat National | 27 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | 28 | 9 | ||
| Total | 45 | 11 | 1 | 1 | — | 46 | 12 | |||
| Pau FC | 2021–22 | Ligue 2 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | 33 | 8 | |
| Caen | 2022–23 | Ligue 2 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 30 | 5 | |
| Caen II | 2022–23 | Championnat National 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Vizela | 2023–24[c] | Primeira Liga | 25 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 14 |
| Augsburg | 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 30 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | 33 | 10 | |
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| Total | 44 | 8 | 6 | 4 | — | 49 | 12 | |||
| Young Boys | 2025–26 | Swiss Super League | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 232 | 49 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 249 | 57 | ||
- Includes Belgian Cup, Coupe de France, Taça de Portugal
- Includes Taça da Liga
- Part of this season was spent on loan
International
- As of match played 14 October 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2024 | 6 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Essende goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 June 2025 | Stade de la Source, Orléans, France |  Mali | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |