Stéphane Mbia facts for kids
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Mbia playing for Sevilla in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stéphane Mbia Etoundi | ||
| Date of birth | 20 May 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Yaoundé, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Kadji Sports Academy | ||
| 2004 | Rennes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2009 | Rennes | 105 | (4) |
| 2009–2012 | Marseille | 69 | (5) |
| 2012–2014 | Queens Park Rangers | 29 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → Sevilla (loan) | 20 | (3) |
| 2014–2015 | Sevilla | 23 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | Trabzonspor | 17 | (2) |
| 2016–2018 | Hebei China Fortune | 39 | (9) |
| 2018–2019 | Toulouse | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | Wuhan Zall | 24 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Shanghai Shenhua | 12 | (0) |
| 2021 | Wuhan | 5 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Fuenlabrada | 10 | (0) |
| 2022 | Tuzlaspor | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | Châteauroux | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2005–2016 | Cameroon | 68 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2016 |
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Stéphane Mbia Etoundi (born May 20, 1986) is a professional footballer from Cameroon. He plays as a defensive midfielder or a defender.
He played 179 games and scored nine goals in Ligue 1 (France's top football league) over nine seasons. He played for teams like Rennes, Marseille, and Toulouse. He also spent two years playing for Sevilla in Spain, where he helped them win the Europa League twice.
Mbia also played for the Cameroon national team 68 times between 2005 and 2016, scoring five goals. He was part of the teams that played in the 2008 Olympics, two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and two FIFA World Cups.
Contents
Stéphane Mbia's Club Journey
Starting at Rennes
Stéphane Mbia was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He began his professional football career with Rennes in France during the 2005–06 season. He played in a few games that year.
In November 2006, he scored his first goal in Ligue 1 against Lyon, who were the French champions at the time.
Playing for Marseille
On July 14, 2009, Mbia moved to Marseille. He became a very important player for Marseille when they won the Ligue 1 title that season.
He started as a defensive midfielder but later became a central defender. He played alongside Souleymane Diawara and they formed a strong defense.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
On August 31, 2012, Mbia joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR), an English club in the Premier League.
In one of his early games for QPR, he was sent off (given a red card) for kicking an Arsenal player. This meant he couldn't play in the next three games. After QPR was moved down to a lower league, Mbia wanted to leave the club.
Success with Sevilla
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On August 26, 2013, Mbia was loaned to Sevilla, a Spanish club in La Liga. He quickly made an impact, helping his teammates score goals.
He scored his first goal in La Liga in a local derby game against Real Betis, helping Sevilla win 4–0. Mbia was a key player in Sevilla's journey to win the Europa League that season. He even scored a winning goal in the semi-final and converted a penalty in the final shootout.
Because of his great performance, Mbia was chosen for the Europa League "Team of the Year." He was also nominated for the league's best African player award.
On August 31, 2014, Mbia officially joined Sevilla permanently. He continued to score important goals, helping Sevilla defend their Europa League title. In May 2015, he played in the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final where Sevilla won again, which meant they qualified for the Champions League.
Later Career Clubs
After his successful time at Sevilla, Mbia moved to Trabzonspor in Turkey on July 2, 2015.
In January 2016, he joined Hebei China Fortune in the Chinese Super League. He left the club in March 2018.
In August 2018, Mbia returned to France to play for Toulouse in Ligue 1, but he left in January 2019.
He then went back to China, joining Wuhan Zall in February 2019. A year later, he moved to Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. In 2021, he rejoined Wuhan Zall, which was renamed Wuhan F.C.
On August 31, 2021, Mbia returned to Spain to play for Fuenlabrada in the Segunda División (Spain's second division). He left the club in January 2022. He also had a brief spell with Tuzlaspor in Turkey and Châteauroux in France.
Stéphane Mbia's International Career
Mbia played for Cameroon's youth teams before joining the senior national team in 2005.
He was part of the Cameroon squad that finished second in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. He scored two goals in a thrilling 3–2 win against Tunisia in the quarter-finals.
Mbia also represented Cameroon at the 2008 Olympics in China, playing in all four of his team's matches and scoring one goal. He was also selected for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
In 2014, Mbia was chosen for Cameroon's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. During the tournament, he became the captain of the national team.
Stéphane Mbia's Family Life
Stéphane Mbia has a younger brother named Franck Etoundi, who is also a professional footballer and has played for the Cameroonian national team.
Stéphane Mbia's Achievements
Team Honours
- Rennes
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2008
- Marseille
- Ligue 1: 2009–10
- Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup): 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup): 2011
- Sevilla
- UEFA Europa League: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Cameroon
- Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2008
Individual Awards
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2008
- CAF Team of the Year: 2014
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2013–14, 2014–15
See also
In Spanish: Stéphane M'Bia para niños
