Théo Bongonda facts for kids
Bongonda with DR Congo in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Théo Bongonda Mbul'Ofeko Batombo | ||
| Date of birth | 20 November 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Charleroi, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Spartak Moscow | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2013 | JMG Academy | ||
| 2013 | Zulte-Waregem | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Zulte-Waregem | 33 | (4) |
| 2015–2018 | Celta | 61 | (4) |
| 2017–2018 | → Trabzonspor (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Zulte-Waregem (loan) | 11 | (5) |
| 2018–2019 | Zulte-Waregem | 28 | (8) |
| 2019–2022 | Genk | 91 | (33) |
| 2022–2023 | Cádiz | 31 | (4) |
| 2023– | Spartak Moscow | 52 | (14) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013–2014 | Belgium U19 | 5 | (2) |
| 2014–2016 | Belgium U21 | 8 | (2) |
| 2022– | DR Congo | 27 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 March 2025 |
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Théo Bongonda Mbul'Ofeko Batombo (born on November 20, 1995) is a football player. He plays as a winger for the Russian club Spartak Moscow. Théo was born in Belgium, but he plays for the DR Congo national team.
Contents
Théo's Football Journey
Starting Out at Zulte Waregem
Théo Bongonda was born in Charleroi, Belgium. He started playing football at the JMG Academy in 2008 when he was 13 years old. In January 2013, he joined Belgian Pro League team SV Zulte Waregem. He first played for their youth team.
Théo played his first professional game on September 25, 2013. He started in a game against KFC VW Hamme in the Belgian Cup. His first league game was on December 15, when he came into the game in the second half.
He scored his first professional goal on January 15, 2014, against Cercle Brugge KSV. On April 20, 2014, he scored his first league goal against KSC Lokeren.
Playing for Celta Vigo
On January 9, 2015, Théo signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with La Liga team Celta de Vigo in Spain. He played his first game in this league on January 26. He came into the game late as a substitute.
Loan to Trabzonspor
On June 15, 2017, Bongonda went to Trabzonspor in Turkey. He was on loan for one season, which means he was borrowed by the team. However, he spent more time on the bench than playing in games.
Back to Zulte Waregem
During the winter of the 2017–18 season, Théo went back to Zulte-Waregem on loan again. On July 4, 2018, he joined Essevee (Zulte-Waregem's nickname) for good. He signed a four-year contract.
Moving to Genk
In the summer of 2019, Bongonda joined another Belgian team, Genk. This move cost the club the most money they had ever paid for a player.
Théo scored the winning goal for Genk against Standard Liège in the Belgian Cup Final on April 25, 2021. This helped his team win the cup!
On July 23, 2021, Bongonda scored Genk's first goal in the 2021–22 Belgian First Division A season. This goal helped them get a 1–1 tie against the same team, Standard Liège.
Time at Cádiz
On August 26, 2022, Théo Bongonda returned to Spain. He signed a four-year contract with Cádiz, another top-tier team.
Joining Spartak Moscow
In July 2023, Bongonda agreed to move to the Russian club Spartak. His contract with them is set to last until 2026. Reports say that Spartak paid Cádiz 10 million euros for him.
Playing for His Country
Théo Bongonda was born in Belgium. His father is from Congo, and his mother is Belgian. He played for Belgium's youth national teams. In January 2022, FIFA said he could play for the DR Congo national team.
He played his first game for the DR Congo national team on February 1, 2022. It was a friendly game against Bahrain. On December 27, 2023, he was chosen to be part of the 24 Congolese players for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zulte Waregem | 2013–14 | Belgian First Division A | 19 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Belgian First Division A | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | |
| Total | 33 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 43 | 5 | |||
| Celta Vigo | 2014–15 | La Liga | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | La Liga | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 30 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
| Total | 61 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 5 | ||
| Trabzonspor (loan) | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 2 | |
| Zulte Waregem (loan) | 2017–18 | Belgian First Division A | 11 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 5 | |
| Zulte Waregem | 2018–19 | Belgian First Division A | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 39 | 14 |
| Genk | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 29 | 5 | |
| 2020–21 | Belgian First Division A | 35 | 16 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 18 | |||
| 2021–22 | Belgian First Division A | 34 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 13 | |
| Total | 91 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 103 | 36 | ||
| Cádiz | 2022–23 | La Liga | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| Spartak Moscow | 2023–24 | Russian Premier League | 25 | 7 | 10 | 1 | — | — | 35 | 8 | ||
| 2024–25 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 7 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 8 | |||
| Total | 52 | 14 | 17 | 2 | — | — | 69 | 16 | ||||
| Career total | 310 | 71 | 45 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 382 | 86 | ||
International Games
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 27 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 June 2023 | Stade de la Réunification, Douala, Cameroon |  Uganda |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 9 September 2023 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo |  Sudan |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3. | 15 November 2023 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo |  Mauritania |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 9 September 2024 | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |  Ethiopia |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5. | 21 March 2025 | Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo |  South Sudan |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Awards and Trophies
Genk
- Belgian Cup: 2020–21
See also
In Spanish: Théo Bongonda para niños
