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
|
Burnley | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| 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) |
| 2023–2025 | Ipswich Town | 41 | (1) |
| 2025– | Burnley | 0 | (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 23:12, 25 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:38, 9 September 2024 (UTC) |
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Axel Tuanzebe was born on November 14, 1997. He is a professional footballer from Congo. He plays as a defender for Burnley and the DR Congo national team.
Axel grew up in the Manchester United youth system. He won two important awards there: the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year and the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year. He played his first professional game in January 2017 in an FA Cup match.
He spent time on loan at Aston Villa three times. He helped them get promoted to the Premier League in 2019. After loans to Napoli in 2022 and Stoke City in 2023, he left Manchester United. He then played for Ipswich Town for two seasons, helping them also get promoted to the Premier League. In June 2025, he joined Burnley.
Axel was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He moved to England when he was young. He played for England's national youth teams (Under-19, Under-20, and Under-21). In 2024, he chose to play for the senior DR Congo national team.
Contents
Club Football Journey
Starting at Manchester United
Early Days and Awards
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Axel Tuanzebe joined the Manchester United academy when he was 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 at the club. His coach, Paul McGuinness, said Axel was likely the first first-year student to captain the Under-18 team since famous player Gary Neville.
When he was 17, on October 31, 2015, Axel was named as a substitute for a Premier League game. This was his first time being part of the main team on a match day.
First Team Debut (2016–17 Season)
On January 29, 2017, Axel played his first game for Manchester United. He came on as a substitute in an FA Cup match against Wigan Athletic. Manchester United won the game 4–0 at their home stadium, Old Trafford. A few days later, he signed a new contract with the club until 2020.
On May 7, 2017, Axel started his first senior match. It was a Premier League game against Arsenal. In May 2017, he won another award, the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year.
Playing in Europe (2017–18 Season)
Axel started his first game of the 2017–18 season on October 24, 2017. It was an EFL Cup match against Swansea City. He played a key role in one of the goals, helping his team win 2–0. On December 5, 2017, he played his first game in a European competition. This was a UEFA Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, which Manchester United won 2–1.
Loan Spells at Aston Villa
On January 25, 2018, Axel joined Aston Villa on loan. They were a team in the Championship league. He had some injuries and only played five games before returning to Manchester United.
In August 2018, he went back to Aston Villa for another loan spell for the 2018–19 season. On May 27, 2019, he played the whole game as Aston Villa won promotion to the Premier League. They won the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final against Derby County.
Returning to Manchester United (2019–20 Season)
In July 2019, Axel signed a new contract with Manchester United. He became the youngest player to captain Manchester United since 1985. This happened during an EFL Cup win in September 2019. He started as a central defender for the first two months of the season. However, he got a hip injury in October and later a hamstring injury in December. These injuries kept him out for the rest of the season.
Back on the Field (2020–21 Season)
On October 20, 2020, Axel started his first game in 10 months. This was his UEFA Champions League debut against Paris Saint-Germain. Manchester United won 2–1. Axel was praised for his strong defense against famous players like Kylian Mbappé and Neymar. He played 19 games in total that season and was part of the team that reached the Europa League final.
More Loans (2021–22 and 2022–23 Seasons)
In August 2021, Axel signed another new contract with Manchester United. He then went on loan to Aston Villa for a third time. In January 2022, he was called back from Aston Villa and loaned to Serie A team Napoli in Italy.
Axel faced more injury problems in the 2022–23 season. In January 2023, he joined Stoke City on loan. But injuries limited him to only five games there.
Time at Ipswich Town
On September 8, 2023, Axel joined EFL Championship team Ipswich Town. He played his first game for them in November in an EFL Cup match. A few days later, he made his league debut.
On January 6, 2024, Axel scored his first goal for Ipswich. It was in an FA Cup game against Wimbledon. During the second half of the 2023–24 season, Axel became a regular player as Ipswich earned promotion back to the Premier League after 22 years.
In June 2024, Ipswich extended his contract for another year.
Joining Burnley
On June 26, 2025, Axel Tuanzebe joined Burnley. Burnley had just been promoted to the Premier League. He joined them on a free transfer, meaning no transfer fee was paid.
Playing for His Country
Axel can play for either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He played for England's youth teams at Under-19, Under-20, and Under-21 levels.
He first played for England Under-19s in June 2016. He was also part of the England Under-20 team that won all their games in a tournament in October 2016. In November 2017, Axel made his debut for England's Under-21 team.
In December 2023, Axel was considered for the DR Congo national team for the Africa Cup of Nations. He made his official debut for the DR Congo national team on June 6, 2024. It was a World Cup qualifier game against Senegal, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
How Axel Plays
Axel Tuanzebe usually plays as a centre-back. This is a central defender position. He can also play as a right-back (on the side of the field) or even as a holding midfielder (in the middle of the field).
His playing style has been compared to other strong defenders. When he first played for Manchester United in a friendly game in 2016, his manager José Mourinho quickly saw his talent. Mourinho said, "10 minutes is enough! The potential is there, you see it immediately."
About Axel's Life
Axel 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 school football team that reached a national final in 2009. In the same year, he was named Sports Boy of the Year by the Mayor of Rochdale. He also competed in cross-country running and triple-jump for his school. His older brother, Dimitri Tuanzebe, also played football.
Honours and Achievements
Manchester United
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17 winner; 2020–21 runner-up
Aston Villa
- EFL Championship play-offs: 2019 (promoted to Premier League)
Ipswich Town
- EFL Championship runner-up: 2023–24 (promoted to Premier League)
Individual Awards
- Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year: 2014–15
- Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year: 2016–17
See also
In Spanish: Axel Tuanzebe para niños
