Théo Bongonda
Congolese footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Théo Bongonda Mbul'Ofeko Batombo (born 20 November 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Russian club Spartak Moscow. Born in Belgium, he plays for the DR Congo national team.
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Bongonda with DR Congo in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Théo Bongonda Mbul'Ofeko Batombo | ||
| Date of birth | 20 November 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Charleroi, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Spartak Moscow | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2013 | JMG Academy | ||
| 2013 | Zulte-Waregem | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Zulte-Waregem | 33 | (4) |
| 2015–2018 | Celta | 61 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | → Trabzonspor (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Zulte-Waregem (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | Zulte-Waregem | 28 | (8) |
| 2019–2022 | Genk | 91 | (33) |
| 2022–2023 | Cádiz | 31 | (4) |
| 2023– | Spartak Moscow | 56 | (14) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013–2014 | Belgium U19 | 5 | (2) |
| 2014–2016 | Belgium U21 | 8 | (2) |
| 2022– | DR Congo | 38 | (7) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Zulte Waregem
Born in Charleroi, Bongonda began his career in JMG Academy in 2008, aged 13. In January 2013, he joined Belgian Pro League team SV Zulte Waregem, initially assigned to the youth setup.[1]
Bongonda made his professional debut on 25 September 2013, starting in a 2–1 away win against KFC VW Hamme, for the season's Belgian Cup.[2] His league debut came on 15 December, coming on as a second half substitute in a 3–0 home win against Lierse SK.[3]
Bongonda scored his first professional goal on 15 January 2014, netting his side's first in a 2–3 away loss against Cercle Brugge KSV.[4] On 20 April 2014, he scored his first league goal, netting the first in a 3–2 away loss against KSC Lokeren.[5]
Celta Vigo
On 9 January 2015, Bongonda signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with La Liga side Celta de Vigo.[6] He made his debut in the competition on the 26th, coming on as a late substitute for Nemanja Radoja in a 2–1 away loss against Getafe CF.[7]
Trabzonspor
On 15 June 2017, Bongonda joined Trabzonspor on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy.[8] He however ended up being on the bench more than on the pitch.
Zulte Waregem
During the winter transfer window of the 2017–18 season, Bongonda rejoined Zulte-Waregem on loan. On 4 July 2018, he joined Essevee permanently on a four-year contract, until 30 June 2022.[9]
Genk
Bongonda joined fellow Belgian First Division A club Genk in summer 2019 for a club-record fee.[10]
Bongonda scored the game winner for Genk against Standard Liège in the Belgian Cup Final on 25 April 2021.[11]
On 23 July 2021, Bongonda scored Genk's first goal in the 2021–22 Belgian First Division A season, securing a 1–1 draw against the same opponents.[12]
Cádiz
On 26 August 2022, Bongonda Edris returned to Spain after signing a four-year contract with Cádiz in the top tier.[13]
Spartak Moscow
In July 2023, Bongonda agreed to move to Russian club Spartak. The contract is calculated until 2026. It is alleged that Spartak paid Cadiz 10 million euros.[14]
International career
Bongonda was born in Belgium to a Congolese father and Belgian mother.[15] He is a youth international for Belgium. In January 2022, Fifa accepted his eligibility join the DR Congo national team.[16] He debuted for the DR Congo national team in a 1–0 friendly loss to Bahrain on 1 February 2022.[17]
On 27 December 2023, he was selected from the list of 24 Congolese players selected by Sébastien Desabre to compete in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[18]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zulte Waregem | 2013–14 | Belgian Pro League | 19 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | |
| Total | 33 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 43 | 5 | |||
| Celta Vigo | 2014–15 | La Liga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | La Liga | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 30 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6[a] | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | ||
| Total | 61 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 77 | 5 | |||
| Trabzonspor (loan) | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | |
| Zulte Waregem (loan) | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 11 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 5 | |
| Zulte Waregem | 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 39 | 14 |
| Genk | 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | — | 29 | 5 | |
| 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 35 | 16 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 18 | |||
| 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 1 | 35 | 13 | |
| Total | 91 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 103 | 36 | ||
| Cádiz | 2022–23 | La Liga | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| Spartak Moscow | 2023–24 | Russian Premier League | 25 | 7 | 10 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 8 | ||
| 2024–25 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 7 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 8 | |||
| 2025–26 | Russian Premier League | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Total | 56 | 14 | 19 | 2 | — | — | 75 | 16 | ||||
| Career total | 314 | 71 | 47 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 388 | 86 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2026 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 7 | |
Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first.[21]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 June 2023 | Stade de la Réunification, Douala, Cameroon |  Uganda | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 9 September 2023 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo |  Sudan | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3. | 15 November 2023 |  Mauritania | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4. | 9 September 2024 | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |  Ethiopia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5. | 21 March 2025 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo |  South Sudan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 14 October 2025 | Sudan | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 7. | 23 December 2025 | Al Medina Stadium, Rabat, Morocco |  Benin | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations |
Honours
Genk
