Rio Mavuba
Mavuba playing for Lille in 2010 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba | ||
Date of birth | 8 March 1984 | ||
Place of birth | Born at sea[1] | ||
Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Sparta Prague | ||
Number | 24 | ||
Youth career | |||
2002–2003 | Bordeaux | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2003–2007 | Bordeaux | 127 | (1) |
2007–2008 | Villarreal | 5 | (0) |
2008 | → Lille (loan) | 17 | (1) |
2008–2017 | Lille | 282 | (4) |
2017–2018 | Sparta Prague | 11 | (0) |
National team | |||
2004–2006 | France U21 | 20 | (1) |
2004–2014 | France | 13 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 March 2018 |
Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba (born 8 March 1984) is a former French footballer who played as a midfielder.
He played most of his professional career with Bordeaux and Lille, winning the 2011 national championship with the latter.
A France international since 2004, Mavuba represented the country at the 2014 World Cup.
Early years
Mavuba's father was Mafuila Mavuba, a footballer who appeared at the 1974 FIFA World Cup with Zaire, while his mother was an Angolan national. He was born on board a boat in international waters during the period of the Angolan Civil War, and later stated that his birth certificate did not have a nationality on it, reading only "born at sea";[1] he received French nationality in September 2004.
Mavuba's mother died when he was two, and his father 12 years later. He launched himself into football to help deal with his grief.[1]
Club career
Bordeaux
Mavuba played youth football with FC Girondins de Bordeaux. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 10 January in a 2–1 away win against Montpellier HSC and, under recently appointed manager Michel Pavon, became an immediate first-choice.
From the 2004–05 season until the end of his spell, Mavuba never appeared in less than 32 league matches.
Villarreal / Lille
On 3 July 2007, Mavuba signed a five-year deal with Villarreal CF worth €7 million, as the Spanish side had lost Alessio Tacchinardi who returned to Juventus F.C. following a loan.[2][3] He found it hard to break into the first team,[4] only totalling 219 minutes in La Liga, and in late January 2008 joined Lille OSC on loan until the end of the campaign.[5]
The transfer was made subsequently permanent in summer 2008, with the player penning a four-year contract for a reported fee of €7 million. He appeared in 46 matches between the league and the Coupe de France in his third year, helping Les Dogues win both competitions, the former after a 57-year wait.
Mavuba suffered a knee injury midway through the 2012–13 season, being sidelined for more than three months.[6] On 22 December 2013, the team captain scored his first goal of the new campaign, helping to a 2–2 draw at Paris Saint Germain F.C. and being involved in a scuffle with Zlatan Ibrahimović, with both players being booked late into the first half.[7][8]
On 26 May 2015, Mavuba signed a new four-year deal with Lille.[9]
Sparta
On 21 July 2017, 33-year-old Mavuba agreed to a three-year contract with Czech club AC Sparta Prague.[10]
International career
In 2004, Mavuba was asked to play for the DR Congo national team, but he turned it down.[1] From the 2004 Toulon Tournament to the 2006 UEFA European Championship, he acted as captain to the French under-21s.[11]
Mavuba won his first cap for the senior side on 18 August 2004, in a 1–1 friendly draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Rennes.[12] From 2008 to 2011, he did make one single appearance.[13]
Mavuba was selected by coach Didier Deschamps for his 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.[14] He made his debut in the competition on 15 June, coming on as a second-half substitute for Yohan Cabaye in a 3–0 group stage win against Honduras.[15]
Honours
Bordeaux
Lille
- Ligue 1: 2010–11
- Coupe de France: 2010–11
- Trophée des Champions: Runner-up 2011
References
- 1 2 3 4 James Copnall (14 October 2004). "Mavuba: born without a nation". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
- ↑ "El Villarreal ficha a Rio Mavuba por siete millones de euros" [Villarreal sign Rio Mavuba for seven million euros]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Mavuba, al Villarreal" [Mavuba, to Villarreal] (in Spanish). UEFA. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Mavuba tampoco juega en la UEFA" [Mavuba also does not play in UEFA]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 October 2007. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Mavuba rebondit à Lille" [Mavuba rebounds to Lille]. Le Figaro (in French). 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Mavuba, et maintenant?" [Mavuba, and now]. Le Figaro (in French). 3 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Lille hold PSG". ESPN FC. 22 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "PSG-LOSC (2–2): Mavuba sur Ibrahimovic: "Il fait 2 mètres, on lui touche la tête et il tombe..."" [PSG-LOSC (2–2): Mavuba on Ibrahimovic: "He's 2 metres tall, you touch him on the head and he falls..."] (in French). Eurosport. 22 December 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "Rio Mavuba signs Lille contract extension". Get French Football News. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ "Rio Mavuba signs". Sparta Prague. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ↑ "France flurry flattens Germany". UEFA. 25 May 2006. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ↑ "La reconstruction est entamée" [Rebuilding on its way]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 19 August 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ↑ "Equipe de France: Mavuba, le retour" [France national team: Mavuba, the return]. Le Monde (in French). 7 November 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
- ↑ "World Cup 2014: Stephane Ruffier confirmed in France squad". BBC Sport. 3 June 2014. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ↑ "Benzema bags brace as Bleus beat Honduras". FIFA. 15 June 2014. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
External links
- Rio Mavuba at L'Équipe Football (in French)
- Rio Mavuba – French league stats at LFP
- Rio Mavuba at National-Football-Teams.com
- Rio Mavuba – FIFA competition record (archive)
- Rio Mavuba at ESPN FC
- Rio Mavuba at Soccerway