Youssouf Mulumbu

Youssouf Mulumbu

Personal information
Date of birth	25 January 1987 (1987-01-25) (age 24)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion
Number	21
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 SC (loan)	23	(1)
2009	→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)	6	(0)
2009–	West Bromwich Albion	74	(10)
National team‡
2007	France U20	1	(0)
2007	France U21	2	(0)
2008–2011	DR Congo	12	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:19, 25 May 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:19, 25 May 2011 (UTC)

Youssouf Mulumbu (born on 25 January 1987) is a Congolese footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a midfielder.

Club career

Paris Saint-Germain

Born in Kinshasa, Zaire, Mulumbu joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2004 and signed his first professional contract in November 2006. Mulumbu helped PSG reach the UEFA Cup's last 16 in 2007 before they were knocked out by Benfica, losing 5–2 on aggregate. He spent the 2007–08 season on loan at Ligue 2 outfit Amiens SC, notching one goal in 23 league appearances.

West Bromwich Albion

It was reported by the French media on 26 January 2009 that he joined Premier League team West Bromwich Albion on a trial basis. On 2 February 2009, the January transfer deadline day, he joined them on loan with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season. Mulumbu's first term at The Hawthorns was interrupted by injuries and he had to wait until April to make his Barclays Premier League debut, coming on as a sub in a 2-2 draw at Portsmouth. He signed for West Brom permanently on a one-year contract for a fee of £175,000 on 10 July.^[2] and extended that deal one month later by another year. Mulumbu scored his first goal in West Brom's 2–0 win over Ipswich Town on 22 August 2009. Mulumbu decided to boycott international football after he claimed his national team, DR Congo, lacked professionalism on 14 October 2009. Soon after this, he bagged his third goal of the season with a stunning 25 yard strike in West Brom's 3–1 win over Reading on 17 October 2009.

Mulumbu signed a new-and-improved contract in January 2011, committing his furture to the Baggies until June 2014, after penning a two-and-a-half year deal, plus a further year's option in the club's favour. It was his second one-year extension in seven months and was a reward for his impressive form in his first full Premier League season. Mulumbu has formed an effective defensive midfield partnership with Austrian international Paul Scharner, who was recently moved back to his favoured position of central midfield, having covered for the injured Jonas Olsson.^{[citation needed]} This brought out a string of improved performances from Mulumbu, including both he and Scharner scoring in their 3–1 away victory against Birmingham City and again both scoring against Sunderland. Mulumbu scored the winning goal, in the 86th minute, against West Midland rivals Aston Villa on 30 April 2011, the 2–1 win was the first win for West Brom against Aston Villa since 1985.^[3]

He was named West Brom's player of the year by both the club and the fans at the end of the season, and signed his third contract extension in 13 months on 25 July 2011, tying himself to the club until 2015 (with the option of an extra year).^[4]

International career

He earned his first cap for Congo DR national football team against Algeria on 26 March 2008. He formerly was a member of the France under-20 and under-21 teams. On the 23rd of September 2011 he retired from international duties for family reasons. ^[5]

Honours

• Champion de France −18 : 2006 Paris Saint-Germain
• Winner Toulon Tournament : 2007 (under-20)
• Finalist Trophée des champions : 2007 Paris Saint-Germain

References

1. ^ "Premier League Player Profile Youssouf Mulumbu". Premier League. http://www.premierleague.com/page/PlayerProfile/0,,12306~38626,00.html. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 
2. ^ "Mulumbu pens permanent WBA deal". BBC Sport. 2009-07-10. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_bromwich_albion/8145576.stm. Retrieved 2011-05-25. 
3. ^ Orvice, Vikki (30 April 2011). "West Brom 2 Aston Villa 1". The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3557020/West-Brom-2-Aston-Villa-1.html. 
4. ^ "Mulumbu signs new West Brom deal". BBC Sport. 25th July 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14284166.stm. Retrieved 26th July 2011. 
5. ^ "Mulumbu quits international game". BBC Sport. 22nd September 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15021688.stm. Retrieved 24th September 2011. 

External links

• Youssuf Mulumbu profile at the West Bromwich Albion website
• Youssuf Mulumbu career stats at Soccerbase
• Youssouf Mulumbu at National-Football-Teams.com
• Player profile of Youssuf Mulumbu at BBC Sport

Persondata
Name	Mulumbu, Youssouf
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 January 1987
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Date of death
Place of death