Axel Tuanzebe facts for kids
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Tuanzebe playing for Manchester United in 2021
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Axel Tuanzebe | ||
| Date of birth | 14 November 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Bunia, DR Congo | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Ipswich Town | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2015 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2023 | Manchester United | 19 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Aston Villa (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Aston Villa (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Aston Villa (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Napoli (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Stoke City (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2023– | Ipswich Town | 28 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | England U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | England U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 2017 | England U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | DR Congo | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:09, 23 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:38, 9 September 2024 (UTC) |
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Axel Tuanzebe (born on November 14, 1997) is a professional footballer from Congo. He plays as a defender for the club Ipswich Town and for the DR Congo national team.
Axel grew up in the Manchester United youth system. He won important awards like the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year. He also won the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year. He first played in a real game for Manchester United in January 2017. This was an FA Cup match against Wigan Athletic.
He has also played for Aston Villa three times on loan. He helped them get promoted to the Premier League in 2019. After that, he played for Napoli in 2022 and Stoke City in 2023. Manchester United then released him in 2023.
Axel was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He moved to England when he was very young. He played for England's youth teams, including the under-19, under-20, and under-21 teams. In 2024, he chose to play for the senior DR Congo national team.
Contents
Axel Tuanzebe's Football Journey
Starting at Manchester United
Early Days in the Academy
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Axel Tuanzebe joined the Manchester United academy when he was just eight years old. He was the captain of the youth team that won the Milk Cup in 2014. In May 2015, Axel won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award. This award is given to the best young player.
His coach, Paul McGuinness, said Axel was probably the first new student to captain the under-18 team since Gary Neville. On October 31, 2015, when he was 17, Axel was a substitute for a Premier League game. This was his first time being part of the main team on a match day.
First Team Appearances (2016–2017)
On January 29, 2017, Axel played his first game for Manchester United. He came on as a substitute in the 68th minute. This was during a 4–0 FA Cup win against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford. A few days later, he signed a new contract with Manchester United until 2020.
On May 7, 2017, Axel started his first senior match. It was a 2–0 loss against Arsenal in the Premier League. In May 2017, he also won the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award.
More Games and European Debut (2017–2018)
Axel's first start of the 2017–18 season was against Swansea City. This was in the EFL Cup on October 24, 2017. He played a big part in the second goal of their 2–0 win. On December 5, 2017, he played his first European game. This was a 2–1 win over CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.
Loan Spells at Aston Villa
On January 25, 2018, Axel joined Championship team Aston Villa. This was a loan for the rest of the season. He only played five games because of injuries and other strong players.
In August 2018, he joined Aston Villa on loan again for the 2018–19 season. On May 27, 2019, he played the whole game as Villa won promotion. They moved up to the Premier League by beating Derby County in the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final.
Back at Manchester United (2019–2021)
In July 2019, Axel signed a new contract with Manchester United until June 2022. At 21 years old, he became the youngest player to captain United since Norman Whiteside in 1985. This happened during an EFL Cup win against Rochdale in September 2019.
He started as a main defender for Manchester United in 2019. However, he got a hip injury in October. He returned in December but then got a hamstring injury. This kept him out for the rest of the season.
On October 20, 2020, Axel started his first game in 10 months. This was his UEFA Champions League debut. Manchester United won 2–1 against Paris Saint-Germain. People praised his performance, especially how he defended against Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. He played in all the remaining Europa League games, including the final. He made 19 appearances in total that season.
More Loans and Moving On
After playing some friendly games for Manchester United, Axel signed a new contract. On August 8, 2021, he agreed to rejoin Aston Villa on loan. This was his third time on loan with the club. On January 8, 2022, he left Aston Villa and went on loan to Serie A team Napoli.
In the 2022–23 season, Axel got another injury. He joined Stoke City on loan in January. But injuries limited him to only five games.
Joining Ipswich Town
On September 8, 2023, Axel signed with EFL Championship team Ipswich Town. He signed an initial 12-month contract. On June 3, 2024, Ipswich extended his contract for another year. In October 2024, he had an unusual injury. He cut his thumb while washing dishes and needed surgery.
Playing for His Country
Axel Tuanzebe can play for either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has played for England's youth teams. These include the under-19, under-20, and under-21 levels.
He started his international career in June 2016. He played his first game for England's under-19 team against Mexico. He was part of the England under-20 team that won all three games in the Four Nations tournament in October 2016.
On November 10, 2017, Axel played his first game for England's under-21 team against Ukraine.
In December 2023, Axel was considered for the DR Congo national team. This was for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Axel made his official debut for the DR Congo national team on June 6, 2024. This was a World Cup qualifier against Senegal. He played the entire match, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
How Axel Plays Football
Axel Tuanzebe usually plays as a centre-back. But he can also play as a right-back. Sometimes, he has played as a holding midfielder. His playing style has been compared to other famous players.
When he first played for Manchester United in a friendly game, his manager José Mourinho was impressed. Mourinho said, "10 minutes is enough! The potential is there, you see it immediately." This shows how talented Axel is.
About Axel's Life
Axel Tuanzebe was born in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He moved to England with his family when he was four years old. He went to St Cuthbert's RC High School in Rochdale. He was the captain of his Year 7 football team. They reached the final of the English National Schools Cup in 2009. This final was played at Stamford Bridge.
In the same year, the Mayor of Rochdale gave him the Sports Boy of the Year award. He also competed for his school in cross-country running and triple-jump. Axel has an older brother, Dimitri Tuanzebe, who also played football.
Career Highlights
Axel Tuanzebe has achieved several notable things in his football career:
- Manchester United
* Won the UEFA Europa League in 2016–17. * Was a runner-up in the Europa League in 2020–21.
- Aston Villa
* Won the EFL Championship play-offs in 2019, helping the team get promoted.
- Ipswich Town
* Was a runner-up in the EFL Championship in 2023–24.
- Individual Awards
* Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year in 2014–15. * Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year in 2016–17.
Images for kids
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Axel Tuanzebe playing for Manchester United in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Axel Tuanzebe para niños
