A full international for DR Congo since 2012, Mbemba has earned 90 caps and represented the country at five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing third in 2015.
Early life
Mbemba grew up in Kinshasa in a family of nine children. His mother, Antoinette, is a former basketball player who represented DR Congo.[4][5]
A 2013 report by CNN found that documents support four different dates of birth for Mbemba from 1988 to 1994, with the player saying himself that he was born in 1990; an anonymous member of the Congolese Association Football Federation said that his date of birth was changed to 1991 so that he would be eligible for the 2012 Olympics where players must be under 23.[6] Upon signing for Newcastle, he said that he was born in 1994 and that there was forensic proof.[7]
Club career
Anderlecht
After playing youth football for several clubs including E.S. La Grace and FC MK Etanchéité in Kinshasa, Mbemba joined Belgian club Anderlecht in 2012.[4] Upon moving, he mainly played with Anderlecht reserve and youth teams, and requested to have a bone scan to dispel rumours that he was older than he actually was.[6]
On 21 July 2013, Mbemba was an unused substitute as Anderlecht won the Belgian Super Cup 1–0 against Genk.[8] He made his debut a week later in their opening match of the Belgian Pro Leagueseason, a 3–2 home defeat to Lokeren.[9] He scored five goals in 35 games of a league-winning campaign, starting by concluding a 2–0 win at Mons on 18 October, a contribution to becoming the league's Player of the Month.[10]
On 26 July 2015, Premier League side Newcastle United announced the signing of Mbemba.[12] Four days later, he signed a five-year contract with the club.[13] He made his debut on 9 August on the first day of the Premier League season, starting in a 2–2 home draw with Southampton.[14]
He scored his only goal for the club on 7 May 2017 against Barnsley in a 3–0 home win, on the same day that Newcastle clinched the EFL Championship title a year after relegation.[15]
Porto
On 23 July 2018, Primeira Liga side Porto signed Mbemba for a reported £7.14 million fee.[16] He made his debut on 31 October in a 4–2 home win over Varzim in the group stage of the Taça da Liga, with manager Sérgio Conceição sending out a completely different team to the previous league game.[17] Four days later he made his Primeira Liga bow as an 80th-minute substitute for striker Yacine Brahimi in a 2–0 victory at Marítimo;[18] he played only two more league games that season, one of which was a start in a 3–1 win over Nacional at the Estádio do Dragão on 7 January 2019.[19] He also played two matches for the reserve team in LigaPro.[20][21]
Mbemba scored his first goal for the Dragons on 24 November 2019, opening a 4–0 home win over Vitória de Setúbal that qualified his team to the last 16 of the Taça de Portugal.[22] The following 7 March, he was on the scoreboard for the first time in the league, in a 1–1 draw with Rio Ave at the same venue;[23] his team ended the season as champions.[24] On 1 August 2020, Mbemba scored both goals of a 2–1 win over Benfica in the Taça de Portugal Final.[25]
On 13 October 2015, Mbemba scored his first international goal, a late long-distance winner in a 2–1 friendly against Gabon in Visé, Belgium.[33] He also went to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2019; in the latter in Egypt he scored a late header in a 2–2 draw with Madagascar in the last 16, though his team lost in a shootout.[34]
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