Michy Batshuayi

Michy Batshuayi
Batshuayi playing for Belgium in 2018
Personal information
Full name Michy Batshuayi-Atunga[1]
Date of birth (1993-10-02) 2 October 1993[2]
Place of birth Brussels, Belgium
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Valencia (on loan from Chelsea)
Number 23
Youth career
2003–2005 RFC Evere
2005–2006 RUSA Schaarbeek
2006–2007 Brussels
2007–2008 Anderlecht
2008–2009 Brussels
2008–2011 Standard Liège
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Standard Liège 97 (39)
2014–2016 Marseille 62 (26)
2016– Chelsea 32 (7)
2018 → Borussia Dortmund (loan) 10 (7)
2018– → Valencia (loan) 6 (1)
National team‡
2012–2014 Belgium U21 13 (7)
2015– Belgium 20 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 September 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:22, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

Michy Batshuayi-Atunga (French pronunciation: ​[mi(t)ʃi batʃu.a.(j)i]; born 2 October 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia on loan from Chelsea, and for the Belgium national team.

He began his professional career at Standard Liège in 2011, scoring 44 goals in 120 games across all competitions. His 21 goals in the 2013–14 Belgian Pro League made him the second-highest scorer and contributed to his Ebony Shoe Award. He then transferred to Marseille for £4.5 million, helping them reach the 2016 Coupe de France Final. In July 2016, he was signed by Chelsea for £33 million, and scored the goal that won the Premier League title in his debut season.

Batshuayi scored in his international debut for Belgium against Cyprus in March 2015. He was part of their side that reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 and third place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Standard Liège

Batshuayi and Frédéric Bulot prepare to kick off in a UEFA Europa League game against Red Bull Salzburg in October 2013.

Born in Brussels, Batshuayi had a nomadic youth career with spells at Evere, Schaarbeek, Brussels (twice) and Anderlecht before he joined Standard Liège.[3]

Batshuayi made his debut for the senior team on 20 February 2011 in a 4–1 loss away to Gent, replacing Franck Berrier for the last seven minutes.[4] Six days later, he made his only other appearance of the Belgian Pro League season, filling in for Aloys Nong in the last minute of a 3–0 victory against KV Mechelen at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.[5]

On 21 July, Batshuayi was an unused substitute in the 2011 Belgian Super Cup, a 1–0 loss to Gent.[6] On 15 December, he scored his first professional goal, the only one away to Copenhagen in the last match of Group B during the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage, advancing his team into the knockout stages.[7] Six days later, he added two more in a 2–1 win at Lierse in the quarter-final first leg of the Belgian Cup, although his side lost 5–4 on aggregate.[8] He scored his first league goal on 14 January 2012 to round off a 6–1 home win over Germinal Beerschot,[9] and ended the campaign with six. He was sent-off as a substitute in a 3–2 loss at Genk on 22 April for stamping on the chest of Jeroen Simaeys, for which the Royal Belgian Football Association suspended him for four matches.[10]

Batshuayi was again sent-off on 25 September 2012 in a 3–2 win at Mouscron in the sixth round of the Belgian Cup, having elbowed Benjamin Delacourt within the first half-hour; he was suspended for the next two matches of the competition and fined €200.[11] In an interview a month later, he said he felt "destroyed" by the suspension.[12] He recorded 12 goals in 26 matches over the campaign, including two on 19 May 2013 to decide a 4–3 home win over Lokeren.[13]

Batshuayi playing for Standard Liège during a match in March 2014

In the 2013–14 season, Batshuayi scored 21 goals in 34 matches, putting him in second place for the league's top scorer behind Lokeren's Hamdi Harbaoui.[3] This tally included a first professional hat-trick on 15 September in a 4–2 win at Oostende.[14] He was awarded the Ebony Shoe Award for the season's best player of African origin, ahead of Tunisian Harbaoui.[15]

Marseille

On 8 August 2014, Batshuayi signed with French club Marseille for a £4.5 million transfer fee.[16][17] He made his debut the next day as Marseille began the Ligue 1 season with a 3–2 win at Bastia, replacing Dmitri Payet with 11 minutes remaining. On 29 October, he scored his first goal for the club to open a 2–1 defeat at Rennes in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue.[18] He scored nine league goals for Marcelo Bielsa's team, despite rarely starting matches.[3] On 22 February 2015, within five minutes of coming on for André-Pierre Gignac, he scored twice away to Saint-Étienne in an eventual 2–2 draw.[19] In March, he added further braces in away victories at Toulouse and Lens (6–1 and 4–0 respectively), the latter after taking Gignac's place at half-time.[20][21]

On 23 August 2015, Batshuayi scored his first goals of the season, a brace, in a 6–0 victory over Troyes.[22] Soon after, club president Vincent Lebrune said, "There is not a single top 15 world club that is not interested in Batshuayi. He is one of the most wanted players on the market. There were a lot of offers for him this summer, but he didn't want to leave. He's proving himself on the pitch, and if clubs want him then they are going to have to pay around €50m."[3] By the mid-season break, he had 11 goals from 19 matches, behind only arch-rival Paris Saint-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimović, with Marseille in tenth in the league table and PSG in first.[3] Batshuayi finished the league season with 17 goals. He added two more goals from five games in the Coupe de France, one being in the final, lost 4–2 to PSG on 21 May 2016.[23]

Chelsea

Batshuayi in action against Burnley in August 2017

In April 2016, English Premier League club West Ham United were reported as the favourites to sign Batshuayi, having offered a €35 million bid.[24] Two months later, their London neighbours Crystal Palace made a €38 million (£31.5 million) bid which would have made him their record signing, while Italian champions Juventus were also among the interested parties.[17] Although Palace's bid was accepted, Batshuayi did not want to make the move, instead engaging with a €40 million (£33.2 million) offer from Chelsea, for which he left Belgium's UEFA Euro 2016 squad to undergo a medical.[25] On 3 July, he signed a five-year deal at Chelsea.[26] He was the first signing by their new manager Antonio Conte, and said his aim was to get the team back to winning the Premier League and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.[27] Batshuayi added he was eager to work alongside their midfielder Oscar.[28] Batshuayi joined Chelsea for pre-season in Austria, and on 20 July, he made his debut in a friendly against Wolfsberger AC.[29] A day later, he scored his first two goals in an 8–0 friendly victory against Atus Ferlach.[30]

On 15 August, Batshuayi made his competitive debut in Chelsea's opening match of the 2016–17 season, coming off the substitutes' bench to set-up Diego Costa's late winner in a 2–1 win over West Ham.[31] Five days later, after replacing Oscar, he went on to score his first Premier League goal in a victory by the same score at Watford.[32] On 23 August, Batshuayi made his first start for Chelsea in the EFL Cup, scoring a brace in a 3–2 home victory against Bristol Rovers.[33]

On 12 May, Batshuayi came on as a second-half substitute against West Bromwich Albion with the score 0–0, with Chelsea needing a victory to clinch the Premier League title.[34] In the 82nd minute, he slotted a goal past goalkeeper Ben Foster to win Chelsea their fifth Premier League title and sixth title in all.[35] Batshuayi went on to score three goals in Chelsea's final two matches, including the last goal of the season in the 92nd minute of Chelsea's 5–1 win over Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the season. Batshuayi finished the season with 5 goals in only 236 minutes of Premier League action, equaling a rate of one goal every 47 minutes.[36]

Batshuayi scored his first Chelsea hat-trick on 20 September 2017 in a 5–1 home win over Nottingham Forest in the third round of the EFL Cup.[37] In a UEFA Champions League group stage match away to Atlético Madrid a week later, substitute Batshuayi scored the added-time winning goal in a 2–1 victory.[38] On 17 January 2018, he scored in a third-round FA Cup win over Norwich City on his 50th appearance for Chelsea. The match finished 1–1 after extra time, with the Blues going on to win 5–3 on penalties.[39]

Loan to Borussia Dortmund

On 31 January 2018, Batshuayi joined German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.[40] His debut came on 2 February away to 1. FC Köln, where he scored twice and had a third disallowed via the video assistant referee, as he was in an offside position. He also made an assist. The match ended 3–2 to Dortmund as an away victory.[41] Batshuayi became the first player to score multiple goals on his Bundesliga debut since the player he replaced at Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.[42] The following week, on matchday 22, he again scored the opening goal against Hamburger SV as Dortmund won 2–0.[43] On 15 February, he scored twice against Atalanta in the round of 32 first leg of the UEFA Europa League as Dortmund won 3–2 and took the lead going into the second leg.[44] Dortmund's draw in Italy meant the club progressed to the round of 16, although Batshuayi reported hearing "monkey noises" during the match.[45] In March, UEFA's investigation led to both teams being fined for use of pyrotechnics and other crowd disturbances, but Batshuayi's allegations of racism were dismissed. He criticised European football's governing body for their judgement.[46] In a 2–0 loss to Schalke 04 on 15 April, Batshuayi injured his ankle ligaments and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.[47]

Loan to Valencia

On 10 August 2018, Batshuayi was loaned to Spanish La Liga club Valencia for the 2018–19 season.[48] Ten days later, he made his Liga debut as a 76th-minute substitute for Carlos Soler in a 1–1 home draw with Atlético Madrid, then continued that role in subsequent matches in a side possessing Rodrigo, Santi Mina and Kevin Gameiro as striking options.[49] On 26 September, he scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with Celta de Vigo, therefore becoming the first player to score in the top leagues of France, Germany, England and Spain in the 21st century.[50]

International career

Batshuayi playing for Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Batshuayi was eligible to play for the DR Congo national team through his parents, but in March 2015, he ruled out this option, stating that although his Congolese heritage is important to him, he would rather represent Belgium.[51]

Batshuayi made his international debut for Belgium on 28 March 2015 in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Cyprus. Replacing Christian Benteke in the 77th minute, he scored from outside the penalty area three minutes later to seal a 5–0 victory at home.[52] He was selected for the final tournament in France, making his competition debut in the last 16 against Hungary in Toulouse on 26 June. With his first touch, he finished Eden Hazard's assist for the second goal of a 4–0 victory.[53]

In Belgium's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, Batshuayi scored once in a 4–3 win away to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 7 October 2017, with the Red Devils already assured of their place in the final tournament.[54] Manager Roberto Martínez named him in the 23-man squad to go to Russia.[55] In their second group stage match, he came on as a 68th-minute substitute against Tunisia and missed several chances before finally scoring the fifth goal for Belgium in a 5–2 victory.[56]

Style of play

A December 2015 profiling by FourFourTwo likened Batshuayi for his speed, strength, positioning and link-up play to Didier Drogba, despite being shorter than the Ivorian.[3]

Personal life

Batshuayi is nicknamed "Batsman", a play on words of the name of the popular superhero Batman.[24] His younger brother Aaron Leya Iseka plays for Toulouse in the same position, coming through at Anderlecht and signing for Marseille on loan, one month after Batshuayi's exit.[57]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 April 2018[58]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Standard Liège 2010–11 Belgian Pro League 2000———20
2011–12 23622—8[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]100339
2012–13 341220———3612
2013–14 382110—10[lower-alpha 2]2—4923
Total 973952—1830012044
Marseille 2014–15 Ligue 1 2691011——2810
2015–16 361752207[lower-alpha 2]4—5023
Total 6226623174—7833
Chelsea 2016–17 Premier League 2055232——289
2017–18 12233534[lower-alpha 1]21[lower-alpha 3]02510
Total 327858542105319
Borussia Dortmund (loan) 2017–18 Bundesliga 107——4[lower-alpha 2]2—149
Valencia (loan) 2018–19 La Liga 0000—00—00
Career total 20179199116331110265105
Batshuayi in Sochi (2017)
  1. 1 2 Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. 1 2 3 4 Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ One appearance in FA Community Shield

International

As of match played 7 September 2018[59]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 201522
201671
201742
201875
Total2010

International goals

Scores and results show Belgium's goal tally first
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef
1.28 March 2015King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium Cyprus
5–0
5–0
UEFA Euro 2016 qualification[60]
2.13 November 2015King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium Italy
3–1
3–1
Friendly[61]
3.26 June 2016Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France Hungary
2–0
4–0
UEFA Euro 2016[53]
4.5 June 2017King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium Czech Republic2–12–1Friendly[62]
5.7 October 2017Stadion Grbavica, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina2–24–32018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.27 March 2018King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium Saudi Arabia3–04–0Friendly
7.11 June 2018King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium Costa Rica4–14–1
8.23 June 2018Otkritie Arena, Moscow, Russia Tunisia5–15–22018 FIFA World Cup
9.7 September 2018Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland Scotland
3–0
4–0
Friendly
10.
4–0

Honours

Chelsea

Belgium

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia: List of players: Belgium" (PDF). FIFA. 10 June 2018. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Michy Batshuayi: The SpongeBob-loving Spurs target tearing up Ligue 1". FourFourTwo. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "KAA Gent 4 Liege 1". ESPN Soccernet. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Standard Liege 3–0 KV Mechelen". ESPN. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "Genk edge Standard to win first Super Cup". UEFA. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Solid Standard march on unbeaten after FCK win". UEFA. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Standard: Batshuayi l'homme du match, au Lierse" [Standard:Batshuayi man of the match, at Lierse] (in French). Sud Info. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Standard vernedert zwak Beerschot" [Standard humiliate weak Beerschot] (in Dutch). Sporza. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Foot : Michy Batshuayi (Standard) convoqué devant le Comité sportif mardi" [Football: Michy Batshuayi (Standard) summoned before the Sports Committee on Monday]. Le Soir (in French). 22 April 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Le Standard accepte la suspension de Batshuayi" [Standard accept Batshuayi's suspension] (in French). 7sur7. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Batshuayi : "C'était très dur pour moi après Mouscron"" [Batshuayi: "It was very hard for me after Mouscron] (in French). DH. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Batshuayi redt Standard tegen Lokeren" [Batshuayi saves Standard against Lokeren] (in Dutch). Sporza. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Batshuayi consolida el liderato del Standard en Bélgica" [Batshuayi consolidates Standard's lead in Belgium]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 15 September 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  15. 1 2 "The Belgian Ebony Shoe 2014 goes to Standard Liège's Michy Batshuayi". Benefoot. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Batshuayi vers Marseille !" [Batshuayi to Marseille!] (in French). DHNET. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  17. 1 2 Trehan, Dev (28 June 2016). "Michy Batshuayi subject of £31.5m bid from Crystal Palace". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "L'OM éliminé à l'ultime seconde !" [OM eliminated in the last second!]. L'Equipe (in French). 19 October 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Match nul à suspense à Geoffroy-Guichard" [Suspenseful draw at Geoffroy-Guichard]. L'Equipe (in French). 22 February 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi leads rout as Marseille refind form at Toulouse". The Guardian. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  21. ↑ "BATSHUAYI BAGS BRACE IN MARSEILLE ROMP". Ligue 1. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  22. ↑ Scott, A (23 August 2015). "MICHEL'S MARSEILLE HIT TROYES FOR SIX". Ligue 1. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ibrahimovic nets brace in cup triumph". Goal.com. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  24. 1 2 Atchinson, Jack (28 June 2016). "Profile of West Ham transfer target Michy Batshuayi of Marseille". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  25. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi set for Chelsea medical before £33m move from Marseille". The Guardian. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  26. ↑ "Batshuayi signs". Chelsea F.C. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  27. ↑ Spence, Liam (6 July 2016). "Chelsea new boy Michy Batshuayi opens up about Champions League hopes and Antonio Conte". Daily Express. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  28. ↑ Cannon, James (3 July 2016). "Michy Batshuayi "can't wait" to convert Oscar's assists following Chelsea transfer". Squawka. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  29. ↑ "Batshuayi's debut, Chelsea's bid for Morata and Costa staying – Conte wants firepower". Goal.com. 20 July 2016.
  30. ↑ "Blues cruise". Chelsea F.C. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  31. ↑ "Diego Costa's late winner helps Chelsea defeat West Ham in opener". ESPN. 15 August 2016.
  32. ↑ "Watford 1–2 Chelsea: Diego Costa scored the winner for the second game". BBC Sport. 20 August 2016.
  33. ↑ "Chelsea 3–2 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  34. ↑ Sports Illustrated (12 May 2017). "Chelsea can clinch Premier League title with win at West Brom". Fox Sports.
  35. ↑ "West Bromwich Albion 0–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 12 May 2017.
  36. ↑ "Batshuayi's unerring eye for goal is earning young charge a second chance". ESPNFC. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  37. ↑ Aarons, Ed (20 September 2017). "Batshuayi hits treble and Musonda excels as Chelsea silence Forest". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  38. ↑ Henry, Matthew (27 September 2017). "Atletico Madrid 1–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  39. ↑ "FA Cup: 9-man Chelsea beat Norwich on penalties". ITV News. 17 January 2018.
  40. ↑ Olivier Giroud: Chelsea sign Arsenal striker as Michy Batshuayi joins Dortmund, BBC Sport, 31 January 2018, retrieved 31 January 2018
  41. ↑ Richardson, Andrew (2 February 2018). "Michy Batshuayi scores twice on Borussia Dortmund debut following loan spell from Chelsea". The Sun.
  42. ↑ Floyd, Thomas (2 February 2018). "Batshuayi first Bundesliga striker to score debut brace since Aubameyang". Goal.com.
  43. ↑ "Gotze, Batshuayi score as Dortmund sink Hamburg". ESPN. 10 February 2018.
  44. ↑ Mendola, Nicholas (15 February 2018). ""Delighted" Batshuayi is the talk of Dortmund (and London)". soccer.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  45. ↑ "Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi accuses Atalanta fans of racism". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Associated Press. 23 February 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  46. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi criticises Uefa for ending investigation into racial abuse claim". BBC Sport. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  47. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi's Dortmund season over, doubt for World Cup with Belgium". ESPN FC. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  48. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi: Chelsea striker joins Valencia on a season-long loan". BBC Sport. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  49. ↑ Harbord, Oliver (5 September 2018). "Why Michy Batshuayi is struggling to shake off substitute tag after stuttering start in Spain". Football London. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  50. ↑ Guest, Rob (28 September 2018). "The incredible record Chelsea ace Michy Batshuayi has set after scoring his first Valencia goal". Football London. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  51. ↑ "Olympique Marseille's Michy Batshuayi Chooses Belgium Over DR Congo". Caught Offside. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  52. ↑ Scholten, Berend (28 March 2015). "Classy Belgium too strong for Cyprus". UEFA. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  53. 1 2 "Euro 2016: Hungary 0 Belgium 4 – Alderweireld, Hazard, Batshuayi and Carrasco goals set up quarter-final against Wales". The Daily Telegraph. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  54. ↑ Bhardwaj, Vaishali (7 October 2017). "Bosnia-Herzegovina 3 Belgium 4: Vertonghen and Batshuayi on target as Fellaini forced off with knee injury". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  55. ↑ "World Cup 2018: Belgium include Vincent Kompany but Christian Benteke misses out". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  56. ↑ Massart, Simon (23 June 2018). "Batshuayi's perseverance pays dividends". FIFA. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  57. ↑ "OM : cinq choses à savoir sur Aaron Leya Iseka, le petit frère de Michy Batshuayi" [OM: five things to know about Aaron Leya Iseka, Michy Batshuayi's little brother] (in French). BFM. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  58. ↑ Michy Batshuayi at Soccerway
  59. ↑ Michy Batshuayi stats at the Royal Belgian Football Association.
  60. ↑ "Belgium vs. Cyprus – 28 March 2015 – Soccerway". soccerway.com.
  61. ↑ "Belgium vs. Italy (3:1)". National Football Teams.
  62. ↑ "Belgium edges Czech Republic 2–1 in friendly". USA Today. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  63. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
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