Congo Kinshasa 🇨🇩 international and Ligue 1 side Olympqyie Marselle forwardCedric Bakambu has announced his retirement from international football after The Leopards failed to qualify for FIFA world 🇶🇦 Qatar 2022, Felele247.com understands.
He made his professional debut for Sochaux in 2010, and played 107 official games for them over five seasons, scoring 21 goals. He then moved to Bursaspor for €1.8 million, finishing as top scorer as his team came runners-up in the Turkish Cup, before signing for Villarreal a year later.
Born in France, he represented them internationally at the youth level up to the under-20s, scoring eight goals in 38 games and winning the 2010 UEFA European Championship for the under-19s. In 2015, he made his senior debut for the DR Congo national team.
On 1 September 2014, Bakambu left France for the first time, moving on a four-year transfer to Turkey’s Bursaspor for a fee of €1.8 million and an annual salary of €800,000. He made his debut in the SĂĽper Lig twelve days later, replacing Ozan Ä°pek in the 55th minute of a 2–1 win at GençlerbirliÄźi. His first goals for the “Green Crocodiles” came on 19 October, in either half of a 2–2 draw against EskiĹźehirspor at the Bursa AtatĂĽrk Stadium, and six days later he scored a first professional hat-trick in a 5–0 win at Balıkesirspor.
He finished his only league season in Bursa with 13 goals in 27 games.
He later joined Spanish Laliga side Villareal on 19 August 2015, Spanish side Villarreal announced the signing of Bakambu on a five-year contract. He made his La Liga debut four days later, replacing LĂ©o BaptistĂŁo in the 61st minute of a 1–1 draw at Real Betis in the first game of the season; on the 28th he came on for the same player and scored two goals in the closing minutes of the fixture against Espanyol at Estadio El Madrigal, to secure a 3–1 victory for the “Yellow Submarine”.
On 28 February 2018, the final day of the Chinese transfer window, Bakambu’s protracted transfer from Villarreal to Beijing Sinobo Guoan was finally confirmed with the club paying his €40million release clause,
before returning to France 🇫🇷 to join Olympique Marseille
Bakambu was a French youth international and has represented the country at both under-18 and under-19 levels. He was a part of the team that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship on home soil. On 18 July, he scored twice in a 4–1 opening win over the Netherlands in Caen, and the 2–1 winner against Croatia in the semi-finals nine days later, also at the Stade Michel d’Ornano.
In March 2015, he opted to represent DR Congo at the senior level.
On arrival in Kinshasa, he was greeted by fans with banners of him, later reflecting “I hadn’t even played a match yet they made banners for me. It’s something else. It was through football that I discovered my country.”
The 30 years old forward currently play for French 🇫🇷 Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille.
