Britt Assombalonga facts for kids
Assombalonga with Nottingham Forest in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Britt Curtis Assombalonga | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Watford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2013 | Watford | 4 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | → Wealdstone (loan) | 11 | (6) |
| 2012 | → Braintree Town (loan) | 5 | (5) |
| 2012–2013 | → Southend United (loan) | 43 | (15) |
| 2013–2014 | Peterborough United | 43 | (23) |
| 2014–2017 | Nottingham Forest | 65 | (30) |
| 2017–2021 | Middlesbrough | 152 | (45) |
| 2021–2023 | Adana Demirspor | 49 | (12) |
| 2023 | Watford | 11 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | Antalyaspor | 22 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Amedspor | 18 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | DR Congo | 8 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 February 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 January 2020 (UTC) |
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Britt Curtis Assombalonga, born on December 6, 1992, is a talented football player from Congo. He plays as a forward, which means he's usually trying to score goals! Britt has played for several well-known teams in England, including Watford, Southend United, Peterborough United, Nottingham Forest, and Middlesbrough. He also represents his home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in international matches.
Contents
Britt's Early Life and Family
Britt Assombalonga was born in Kinshasa, which is in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). When he was just eight months old, his family moved to London, England. He grew up in an area called Swiss Cottage in London.
Britt comes from a family of footballers! His dad, Fedor Assombalonga, was also a professional football player for the Zaire national team. Britt's brother, Christian, also plays football in England's non-League system.
Britt's Club Football Journey
Starting at Watford
Britt started his football career at Watford when he was 17 years old in 2010. He joined their youth team and quickly showed his skills. In his first full season, he was the second-highest goal scorer for the youth team. They even reached the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
Britt also played regularly for Watford's reserve team. Because he played so well, he earned a one-year professional contract with the club. He was even a substitute for the main team's last two games that season.
Loan Spells and Gaining Experience
To get more playing time, Britt went on loan to other clubs. In November 2011, he joined Wealdstone. He scored his first goal for them in December. Britt played very well for Wealdstone, scoring 11 goals in 16 games before returning to Watford in February 2012.
Soon after, he was loaned to Braintree Town. In his very first game for Braintree, he scored a goal! He continued to score, getting four more goals in four games, which led to Watford calling him back to their senior squad.
On March 17, 2012, Britt made his first official game appearance for Watford's main team. This was a special moment, as he became the 50th player to come through Watford's youth academy and play for the first team.
At the start of the 2012-13 season, Britt joined Southend United on loan. He quickly became a key player, scoring five goals in his first four matches. He ended up being Southend's top scorer that season with 15 goals. He even played in the 2013 Football League Trophy Final, though Southend lost that game.
Moving to Peterborough United
On July 31, 2013, Britt joined Peterborough United. They paid a record amount of money for him, showing how much they wanted him! He was given the number nine shirt, usually worn by a main goal scorer. The club's chairman was very excited about Britt joining.
Britt scored in his very first game for Peterborough, helping them win 1-0. He also scored a penalty goal in a big 3-1 win over Chesterfield at Wembley Stadium in the 2014 Football League Trophy Final.
Time at Nottingham Forest
On August 6, 2014, Britt signed a five-year contract with Nottingham Forest. This was another record-breaking transfer fee, making him Forest's most expensive player ever at the time!
He quickly started scoring goals for Forest, getting two goals in his second game. He also scored in his first "East Midlands Derby" game against Derby County, which is a big rivalry match. Britt even scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Forest in a 5-3 win against Fulham.
In February 2015, Britt got a serious knee injury that stopped him from playing for a long time. He worked hard to recover and finally returned to play in April 2016. In May, he scored his first goal since his injury, which was a winning goal against MK Dons.
In the 2016-17 season, Britt continued to score important goals. He signed a new five-year contract with Forest in September 2016. He scored two goals against Ipswich Town, with his first goal coming after only 17 seconds! His teammates and former players praised him as one of the best goal scorers outside of the Premier League. Britt ended that season as Forest's top scorer, helping them stay in the Championship league.
Playing for Middlesbrough
On July 17, 2017, Britt joined Middlesbrough for another club-record fee. He scored his first two goals for Middlesbrough in August 2017. He played for Middlesbrough until his contract ended in April 2021.
Adana Demirspor and Return to Watford
After leaving Middlesbrough, Britt moved to Turkey and signed a three-year deal with Süper Lig team Adana Demirspor on July 3, 2021. He played there until January 2023.
On January 29, 2023, Britt returned to Watford on a six-month contract. He scored his first goal back at the club in March 2023.
Later Career
After his second spell at Watford, Britt joined Antalyaspor in Turkey for the 2023-24 season. As of 2024, he is playing for Amedspor.
Britt's International Career
Britt could have chosen to play for either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2014, he was considered for the DR Congo squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, but he didn't join the final team.
In November 2016, he accepted a call-up to play for DR Congo, but he wasn't cleared to play in time. In December, he decided not to play in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations because he wanted to focus on getting back to full fitness for Nottingham Forest after his injury.
Britt finally made his first official game appearance for DR Congo in a friendly match against Tanzania on March 27, 2018. He scored his first international goal for DR Congo on June 30, 2019, in a match against Zimbabwe.
Career Statistics
Here's a look at Britt Assombalonga's playing record for different clubs and seasons:
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Watford | 2011–12 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Wealdstone (loan) | 2011–12 | IL Premier Division | 11 | 6 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 16 | 11 | ||
| Braintree Town (loan) | 2011–12 | Conference Premier | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | 5 | |||
| Southend United (loan) | 2012–13 | League Two | 43 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 49 | 16 |
| Peterborough United | 2013–14 | League One | 43 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 58 | 33 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2014–15 | Championship | 29 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 15 | |
| 2015–16 | Championship | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 32 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 14 | ||
| Total | 65 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 69 | 30 | |||
| Middlesbrough | 2017–18 | Championship | 44 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 15 |
| 2018–19 | Championship | 42 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 16 | |
| 2019–20 | Championship | 35 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 11 | |
| 2020–21 | Championship | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 5 | |
| Total | 152 | 45 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 161 | 47 | ||
| Adana Demirspor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 37 | 10 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 40 | 12 | ||
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | – | – | 13 | 6 | |||
| Total | 48 | 12 | 5 | 6 | – | – | 53 | 18 | ||||
| Watford | 2022–23 | Championship | 11 | 2 | – | – | – | 11 | 2 | |||
| Antalyaspor | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 383 | 138 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 10 | 427 | 162 | ||
International Goals
Here is the international goal Britt Assombalonga has scored for DR Congo:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 30 June 2019 | 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt |  Zimbabwe |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
Awards and Achievements
Britt Assombalonga has won some awards and helped his teams achieve success:
Southend United
- He was part of the team that was runner-up in the Football League Trophy in 2012–13.
Peterborough United
- He won the Football League Trophy with Peterborough United in 2013–14.
Individual Award
- Britt was chosen for the PFA Team of the Year for League One in 2013–14. This means he was one of the best players in his league that season!
See also
In Spanish: Britt Assombalonga para niños
