Youssouf Mulumbu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Youssouf Mulumbu

Mulumbu playing for West Bromwich Albion in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Youssouf Mulumbu
Date of birth	(1987-01-25) 25 January 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
2004–2006	Paris Saint-Germain
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2009	Paris Saint-Germain B	50	(1)
2006–2009	Paris Saint-Germain	13	(0)
2007–2008	→ Amiens (loan)	23	(1)
2009	→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)	6	(0)
2009–2015	West Bromwich Albion	191	(15)
2015–2017	Norwich City	20	(0)
2017–2018	Kilmarnock	18	(1)
2018–2019	Celtic	1	(0)
2019	→ Kilmarnock (loan)	7	(1)
2020–2021	Kilmarnock	18	(0)
2021–2022	Saint-Éloi Lupopo	37	(16)
2023–2024	Orléans	0	(0)
2023–2024	Orléans B	2	(0)
International career
2007	France U20	1	(0)
2007	France U21	2	(0)
2008–2019	DR Congo	45	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Youssouf Mulumbu (born 25 January 1987) is a professional footballer from Congo. He plays as a midfielder for the French club Orléans.

Mulumbu started his football journey at the Paris Saint-Germain Academy as a young player. He began playing for the main Paris Saint-Germain team in 2006. He also played on loan for Amiens and West Bromwich Albion. He later signed a permanent deal with West Bromwich Albion. He played there for many years and was even named their Player of the Year in 2011.

In 2015, he joined Premier League club Norwich City. After that, he played for Scottish clubs Celtic and Kilmarnock between 2017 and 2021. He then returned to Congo to play for Saint-Éloi Lupopo. In 2023, he signed with the French team US Orléans.

Youssouf Mulumbu was born in Kinshasa, Zaire, but grew up in France. He played for France's youth teams before joining the DR Congo national team in 2008. He helped his team finish third in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Early Life and Background

Youssouf Mulumbu was born in Kinshasa, which was then called Zaire. His parents were born in Léopoldville, which was part of the Belgian Congo.

He moved to France with his family in the late 1980s. He grew up in a town near Paris called Épinay-sous-Sénart. He became a French citizen on 10 April 2001, because his parents became French citizens.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Paris Saint-Germain

Mulumbu joined the Paris Saint-Germain Academy when he was 13 years old. He made his first big league game debut in Ligue 1 on 22 October 2006. He was 19 years old when he played against Auxerre. He signed his first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain in November 2006.

During the 2007–08 season, he played for Amiens in Ligue 2 on a loan. He scored one goal in 29 games for them.

Time at West Bromwich Albion

In January 2009, Mulumbu went to train with Premier League team West Bromwich Albion. On 2 February 2009, he joined them on a loan deal. This meant he would play for them for a short time, with a chance to join permanently later.

His first time at West Brom was tough because of injuries. He finally played his first Premier League game in April. He signed a permanent contract with West Brom on 10 July 2009 for about £175,000.

He became a very important player for West Brom. Both the club and the fans chose him as their Player of the Year at the end of the season. He signed new contracts to stay with the club until 2015.

On 15 March 2014, Mulumbu scored a very important goal for West Brom. It was the winning goal in a 2–1 game against Swansea City. This win was the first for their new coach, Pepe Mel.

Moving to Norwich City

In June 2015, Mulumbu joined Norwich City for free. Norwich City had just been promoted to the Premier League.

Soon after joining, Mulumbu broke a bone in his foot during a friendly game. This meant he needed surgery and missed the start of the season. He finally played his first game for Norwich on 27 October in a League Cup match. He made his Premier League debut a few days later.

However, he did not play many games for Norwich. Other players were chosen more often in midfield. Norwich was relegated back to the Championship at the end of the season.

Mulumbu stayed with Norwich for the 2016–17 season, but still did not get to play much. His last game for Norwich was in February 2017. In May, it was announced that he would leave Norwich when his contract ended.

Playing in Scotland: Kilmarnock and Celtic

On 22 November 2017, Mulumbu signed with Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock. He joined his former manager, Steve Clarke, who had also managed him at West Bromwich. He scored his first goal for Kilmarnock in a 1–0 win against Celtic on 3 February 2018.

On 31 August 2018, Mulumbu signed a two-year deal with Celtic. He was then loaned back to Kilmarnock in January 2019. He played 12 more games for Kilmarnock during this loan. In June 2019, Mulumbu left Celtic after playing only three games for them.

Return to Kilmarnock and Congo

After not playing football for a year, Mulumbu trained with Kilmarnock in August 2020. On 28 August, he signed a six-month deal to return to the club. He extended his contract until the end of the 2020–21 season. He left Kilmarnock in May 2021 to move to France.

On 31 July 2021, Mulumbu signed a one-year contract with Saint-Éloi Lupopo. This marked his return to Congo. He played very well for the team and helped them finish third in the national championship. He left the club in August 2022 when his contract ended.

Current Club: Orléans

On 21 September 2023, Mulumbu signed a one-year contract with the French club Orléans. This team plays in the Championnat National. He got injured during practice soon after joining, which delayed his first game for the club.

International Career

Mulumbu used to play for the France under-20 and under-21 teams. He played his first game for the DR Congo national team against Algeria on 26 March 2008.

In 2009, Mulumbu decided to stop playing for his national team. He said there was a "lack of professionalism" in the team. He officially retired from international duties on 23 September 2011, due to "numerous problems" with the DR Congo Football Federation. However, in July 2012, he changed his mind and decided to play for the DR Congo national team again. He helped the team win third place in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Personal Life

Mulumbu is a Muslim.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mulumbu goal.

List of international goals scored by Youssouf Mulumbu

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	14 October 2012	Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea	Equatorial Guinea	1–2	1–2	2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

DR Congo

• Africa Cup of Nations bronze: 2015

See also

In Spanish: Youssuf Mulumbu para niños