Terence Kongolo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Terence Kongolo

Kongolo training with Feyenoord in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1994-02-14) 14 February 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth	Fribourg, Switzerland
Height	1.88 m
Playing position	Centre-back, left-back
Club information
Current club	NAC Breda
Number	23
Youth career
2002–2012	Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2012–2017	Feyenoord	106	(1)
2017–2018	Monaco	15	(1)
2018	→ Huddersfield Town (loan)	13	(0)
2018–2020	Huddersfield Town	43	(1)
2020	→ Fulham (loan)	1	(0)
2020–2024	Fulham	1	(0)
2022–2023	→ Le Havre (loan)	14	(0)
2023–2024	→ Rapid Wien (loan)	12	(0)
2024–	NAC Breda	9	(0)
National team
2009	Netherlands U15	2	(0)
2009–2010	Netherlands U16	4	(1)
2010–2011	Netherlands U17	16	(2)
2011–2012	Netherlands U18	2	(0)
2012–2013	Netherlands U19	10	(0)
2013	Netherlands U20	1	(0)
2013–2015	Netherlands U21	6	(1)
2014–2018	Netherlands	4	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Netherlands FIFA World Cup Third 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner 2011
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 January 2025. † Appearances (Goals).

Terence Kongolo (born 14 February 1994) is a professional footballer from the Netherlands. He plays as a defender for NAC Breda.

Terence grew up in the famous Feyenoord youth system. He made his first team debut in the Eredivisie (the top Dutch league) during the 2011–12 season. He played for Feyenoord until 2017, then moved to Monaco.

Later, he joined Huddersfield Town in England, first on loan, then permanently. After Huddersfield was relegated from the Premier League in 2019, Kongolo moved to Fulham. He joined Fulham on loan in January 2020 and then permanently in October 2020.

Terence was born in Switzerland to parents from Congo. He grew up in the Netherlands and has played for the Dutch national team. He was part of the Netherlands squad that finished third at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Early Life and Background

Terence Kongolo was born in Fribourg, Switzerland. His parents, Editha and Erik, are from Congo. When he was four years old, his family moved to the Netherlands. Even though he grew up in the Netherlands, he still has Swiss citizenship. Terence is the oldest of three brothers. His younger brothers are Rodney (born in 1998) and Fidel.

Club Football Journey

Starting at Feyenoord

Terence Kongolo joined Feyenoord when he was just 8 years old. He worked his way up through the youth teams. In June 2010, he signed his first professional contract. A year later, he joined the first team for the 2011–12 season.

He made his first team debut on 14 April 2012. This was in a 3–0 win against Excelsior. It was his only game that season. After the season, he signed a new contract to stay until June 2015.

In the 2012–13 season, Kongolo started his first league game on 24 August 2012. This was against Heracles Almelo, and Feyenoord won 2–1. He scored his first goal for Feyenoord in a cup game against NEC on 26 September 2012. He scored again in another cup game on 1 November 2012. He played five games for the first team that season.

For the 2013–14 season, Kongolo started playing more for the first team as a centre-back. He made 18 appearances in all competitions.

Before the 2014–15 season, other clubs were interested in him. But Kongolo signed a new three-year contract with Feyenoord in July 2014. He became a regular player, often partnering with Sven van Beek in defense. He played 45 games that season.

In the 2015–16 season, Kongolo changed his shirt number to 4. He became a key player at left-back. He helped Feyenoord win the KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup). He played 35 games in all competitions that season.

For the 2016–17 season, Kongolo continued to be a regular player. He scored his first league goal for Feyenoord on 25 September 2016. This was in a 5–0 win against Roda. He also helped Feyenoord win the league title for the first time since 1999. He played 32 games and scored once that season.

Moving to Monaco

After his time at Feyenoord, Kongolo signed a five-year contract with Ligue 1 champions Monaco. This was a big move for him. He was given the number 4 shirt. He made his debut for Monaco on 13 October 2017. This was in a 3–2 loss to Lyon.

He didn't play many games for Monaco. He played only two more league games in December. He also played one game in the UEFA Champions League and a few cup games.

Playing for Huddersfield Town

Kongolo playing for Huddersfield Town in May 2018

On 2 January 2018, Kongolo moved to England. He joined Premier League club Huddersfield Town on loan. He made his debut on 13 January.

Huddersfield signed Kongolo permanently on 8 June 2018. This was a club record fee for them. He made his debut as a permanent player in a 3–0 loss to Chelsea. He scored his first goal for the club on 4 December. This was in a 2–1 loss to Bournemouth.

His second season with Huddersfield was tough. The team was relegated from the Premier League in 2019. Kongolo stayed with the club for the first half of the next season. On 16 January 2020, he joined Fulham on loan. Fulham had also been relegated from the Premier League.

Kongolo made his Fulham debut in an FA Cup game on 26 January 2020. He then made his league debut on 8 February 2020. This was in a win against Blackburn Rovers. This was his only league game for Fulham that season. He got a foot injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.

Time at Fulham

After his loan, Kongolo returned to Fulham permanently on 16 October 2020. Fulham had been promoted back to the Premier League. He made his return from injury on 9 January 2021. This was in an FA Cup win against Queens Park Rangers.

Joining NAC Breda

On 2 September 2024, Kongolo returned to the Netherlands. He joined Eredivisie side NAC Breda on a two-year contract.

International Career

Youth Teams

Terence Kongolo could have played for the Netherlands, Switzerland, or DR Congo. He chose to play for the Netherlands. He played for the Netherlands U15 and U16 teams.

In September 2010, he was called up to the Netherlands U17 team. He scored on his debut on 15 September 2010. This was in a 5–2 win against Germany U17.

Kongolo was part of the Netherlands U17 team that won the European Championship in 2011. He scored against Germany U17 again in the final, which the Netherlands won 5–2. He was also named to the Team of the Tournament.

He later played for the Netherlands U18 and U19 teams. He made his Netherlands U19 debut on 10 September 2012. He played ten games for the U19 team.

In August 2013, Kongolo was called up to the Netherlands U21 team. He made his U21 debut on 14 August 2013. He scored his first U21 goal on 14 October 2014.

Senior National Team

Kongolo's good performances for Feyenoord led to him being chosen for the senior team. He was part of the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

He made his senior national team debut on 17 May 2014. This was in a 1–1 draw against Ecuador.

He was included in the 23-man squad for the World Cup. He played one game in the tournament. This was in their final group game against Chile, which the Dutch won 2–0. The Netherlands finished third in the World Cup, and he received a bronze medal.

Playing Style

When Kongolo signed for Huddersfield Town in 2018, manager David Wagner was very happy. He said that Terence is "athletic and mobile." He also mentioned that Kongolo plays "on the front foot" when defending and using the ball. This means he is active and forward-thinking in his play.

Personal Life

Outside of football, Terence Kongolo enjoys basketball. He is a big fan of the NBA.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours and Achievements

Feyenoord

• Eredivisie: 2016–17 (League Champions)
• KNVB Cup: 2015–16 (Cup Winners)

Netherlands

• FIFA World Cup third place: 2014 (Bronze Medal)

See also

In Spanish: Terence_Kongolo para niños