Nathanaël Mbuku Wa Mbuku (born 16 March 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for HNL club Dinamo Zagreb. Born in France, he represents the DR Congo national team.

Nathanaël Mbuku
Personal information
Full name Nathanaël Mbuku Wa Mbuku[1]
Date of birth (2002-03-16) 16 March 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Dinamo Zagreb
Number 21
Youth career
2008–2009 Villeneuvois
2009–2011 Alfortville
2011–2012 Maccabi Paris
2012–2014 US Ris-Orangis
2014–2016 Lusitanos Saint-Maur
2016–2017 Fleury
2017–2018 Reims
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2023 Reims B 10 (0)
2019–2023 Reims 80 (6)
2023–2024 FC Augsburg 3 (0)
2023–2024 FC Augsburg II 4 (2)
2024Saint-Étienne (loan) 18 (3)
2024– Dinamo Zagreb 8 (2)
International career
2017–2018 France U16 9 (2)
2018–2019 France U17 19 (5)
2019 France U18 11 (7)
2021 France U20 3 (0)
2021 France U21 2 (1)
2021 France Olympic 3 (1)
2024– DR Congo 3 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Third place 2019 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:17, 6 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024

Club career

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Reims

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On 23 November 2018, Mbuku signed his first professional contract with Stade de Reims for three years.[2] He made his professional debut with Reims in a 2–0 Ligue 1 win over Olympique de Marseille on 10 August 2019.[3]

He scored his first goal in Ligue 1 in a 4–0 win against Montpellier on 25 October 2020, from an "acrobatic kick".[4] His teammate Boulaye Dia also scored from a penalty after Mbuku was fouled. The win was Reims' first in the league in the 2020–21 season.[5]

Augsburg

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On 30 January 2023, Mbuku signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Augsburg in German Bundesliga.[6]

In January 2024, he joined Ligue 2 club Saint-Étienne on loan for the remainder of the season.[7]

Dinamo Zagreb

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On 3 September 2024, Mbuku signed a multi-year contract with Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.[8] Augsburg reserved an option to buy him back at the end of the 2024–25 season.[9]

Personal life

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Born in France, Mbuku holds French and Congolese nationalities.[10][11]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Reims B 2018–19 CFA 2 8 0 8 0
2019–20 CFA 2 1 0 1 0
2022–23 CFA 2 1 0 1 0
Total 10 0 10 0
Reims 2019–20 Ligue 1 11 0 0 0 2[a] 0 13 0
2020–21 Ligue 1 32 4 1 0 33 4
2021–22 Ligue 1 31 2 2 0 33 2
2022–23 Ligue 1 6 0 0 0 6 0
Total 80 6 3 0 83 6
FC Augsburg 2022–23 Bundesliga 2 0 0 0 2 0
2023–24 Bundesliga 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 3 0 0 0 3 0
FC Augsburg II 2022–23 Regionalliga Bayern 1 0 1 0
2023–24 Regionalliga Bayern 3 2 3 2
Total 4 2 4 2
Saint-Étienne (loan) 2023–24 Ligue 2 18 3 0 0 3[b] 1 21 4
Dinamo Zagreb 2024–25 Croatian Football League 8 2 1 0 1[c] 0 10 2
Career total 123 13 4 0 6 1 133 14
  1. ^ Appearances in the Coupe de la Ligue
  2. ^ One appearance and one goal in the Ligue 2 promotion play-offs, two appearances in the Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

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As of match played 19 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
DR Congo 2024 3 0
Total 3 0

Honours

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France U17

Individual

  • FIFA U-17 World Cup Silver Boot: 2019[13]

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 31 October 2019. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Nathanaël Mbuku a signé professionnel au Stade de Reims". 23 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Olympique Marseille vs. Reims - 10 August 2019 - Soccerway". www.soccerway.com.
  4. ^ Lampin, Julien; Audabram, Alexandre (25 October 2020). "Ligue 1 (J8) | Le Stade de Reims cartonne à Montpellier (4-0) et valide son premier succès en championnat". France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Reims stun Montpellier, Briand scores 100th goal". Ligue 1. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  6. ^ "FCA sign Nathanaël Mbuku from Stade de Reims". FC Augsburg. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Nathanaël Mbuku s'engage avec les Verts" [Nathanaël Mbuku joins the Greens]. www.asse.fr (in French). 21 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Nathanaël Mbuku novi igrač Dinama" [Nathanaël Mbuku is a new Dinamo player] (in Croatian). Dinamo Zagreb. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Nathanaël Mbuku moves to Dinamo Zagreb". FC Augsburg. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Nathanaël MBUKU". unfp.org (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  11. ^ "VOILA NIGHT - FOOT-FRANCE U17: DÉCOUVREZ 06 INTERNATIONAUX FRANÇAIS D'ORIGINE CONGOLAISE".
  12. ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 - France". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019.
  13. ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 - News - Brazilians headline list of award winners". www.fifa.com.
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