Thievy Bifouma

Thievy Guivane Bifouma Koulossa (born 13 May 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chinese club Shenzhen F.C. and the Congo national team.

Thievy Bifouma
Bifouma with Reims in 2016
Personal information
Full name Thievy Guivane Bifouma Koulossa[1]
Date of birth (1992-05-13) 13 May 1992[2]
Place of birth Saint-Denis, France
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward[2]
Club information
Current team
 Shenzhen
Number 19
Youth career
1999–2006 CS Meaux
2006–2010 Strasbourg
2010–2011 Espanyol
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Espanyol B 6 (3)
2011–2016 Espanyol 32 (4)
2012–2013 → Las Palmas (loan) 38 (11)
2014 → West Bromwich Albion (loan) 6 (2)
2014–2015 → Almería (loan) 29 (4)
2015–2016 → Granada (loan) 7 (0)
2016 → Reims (loan) 14 (4)
2016–2017 Bastia 14 (2)
2017 Osmanlıspor 17 (1)
2017–2018 Sivasspor 28 (6)
2018–2019 Ankaragücü 13 (1)
2019–2020 Yeni Malatyaspor 31 (8)
2020– Shenzhen 9 (0)
National team‡
2011 France U20 1 (0)
2012–2013 France U21 3 (0)
2014– Congo 31 (15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 December 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2018

He spent most of his early career in Spain, totalling 68 La Liga games and eight goals for Espanyol, Almería and Granada in addition to a season on loan at Las Palmas in Segunda División. As well as brief spells in England with West Bromwich Albion and France with Reims and Bastia, he represented four clubs in Turkey's Süper Lig.

Formerly a youth international for France, Bifouma made his senior debut for the Congo in 2014. He competed at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where he was joint top scorer.

Club career

Espanyol

Bifouma was born in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis.[4] He joined RCD Espanyol in Spain in early 2010, not yet aged 18, signing from RC Strasbourg Alsace. On 13 March 2011, he made his debut with the Catalans' first team, after coming on as a substitute for Joan Verdú in the dying minutes of a 2–0 La Liga home win against Deportivo de La Coruña.[5]

On 10 August 2011, in the Copa Catalunya final, Bifouma scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 victory over a FC Barcelona team that was filled with reserve and youth players.[6] On 17 December, he netted his first goal with the main squad, scoring the opener in an eventual 2–1 win at Sporting de Gijón.[7]

In September 2012, Bifouma was loaned to UD Las Palmas of Segunda División.[8] After a successful spell, he extended his contract with Espanyol until 2017.[9]

On 31 January 2014, Bifouma signed for West Bromwich Albion on a loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer, being awarded the number 50 shirt.[10][11] He made his debut in the Premier League eight days later, playing the second half and scoring within 36 seconds of taking the pitch in a 1–3 away loss against Crystal Palace.[12]

Bifouma moved to fellow top-division club UD Almería on 13 August 2014, in a season-long loan.[13] On 19 March of the following year, he was suspended for one month due to allegations of breach of contract with his former agent;[14] the ban was lifted days later, and he continued to appear regularly for the Andalusians, which suffered relegation.[15]

On 19 August 2015, Bifouma was loaned to Granada CF of the same league for one year.[16] He finished the season with Stade de Reims, also owned by Espanyol.[17]

Later career

On 28 July 2016, Bifouma signed for fellow French Ligue 1 club SC Bastia.[18][19] He was on the move again in the following transfer window, joining Süper Lig's Osmanlıspor on a three-and-a-half-year deal.[20] He scored just one goal in 22 total games for the team from Ankara, in their 5–1 win at Adanaspor in the Süper Lig on 19 February 2017.[21]

Remaining in the same league, Bifouma signed a one-year contract with Sivasspor on 9 September 2017.[22] Only eight days later, he netted twice in a 4–2 victory on his return to the Osmanlı Stadium.[23]

Bifouma went back to the Turkish capital in June 2018, agreeing to a three-year deal at MKE Ankaragücü.[24] He scored once during his brief tenure, a late consolation in a 1–2 home loss to Kasımpaşa S.K. on 2 September,[25] and moved on again on 22 January 2019 when he signed with third-placed Yeni Malatyaspor for an undisclosed fee.[26]

International career

A French youth international, Bifouma opted to represent Congo at the senior level, receiving a FIFA clearance on 1 August 2014.[27] He made his full debut a day later, replacing Julsy Boukama-Kaya in the 68th minute of a 0–2 away loss against Rwanda for the second leg of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations second qualification round.[28]

On 6 September 2014, in the same competition, Bifouma scored a brace in a 3–2 win in Nigeria.[29] At the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, he netted Congo's first goal of the tournament in a 1–1 draw to hosts Equatorial Guinea.[30] He also scored the opener in their 2–1 group phase victory over Burkina Faso, a result which qualified the nation to the quarter-finals for the first time since 1992,[31] where he grabbed his final goal against the DR Congo, putting his team ahead 2–0 but in an eventual 2–4 defeat;[32] with three goals, he was one of five joint top scorers.[33]

Career statistics

Club
As of 31 December 2020.[34]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Espanyol B 2010–11 Tercera División 63—63
Espanyol 2010–11 La Liga 2000—20
2011–12 19140—231
2012–13 0000—00
2013–14 11330—143
Total 32470—394
Las Palmas (loan) 2012–13 Segunda División 381162—4413
West Bromwich Albion (loan) 2013–14 Premier League 6200—62
Almería (loan) 2014–15 La Liga 29410—294
Granada (loan) 2015–16 La Liga 7010—80
Reims (loan) 2015–16 Ligue 1 14400—144
Bastia 2016–17 Ligue 1 14210—152
Osmanlıspor 2016–17 Süper Lig 161302[lower-alpha 1]0211
2017–18 1000—10
Total 1713020221
Sivasspor 2017–18 Süper Lig 28620—306
Ankaragücü 2018–19 Süper Lig 13100—131
Yeni Malatyaspor 2018–19 Süper Lig 10220—122
2019–20 216404[lower-alpha 1]0296
Total 3186040418
Shenzhen 2020 Chinese Super League 9010—100
Career total 244402826027842
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International
As of 18 November 2018.[35]
Congo
YearAppsGoals
201472
201598
201640
201772
201843
Total3115

International goals
As of 25 March 2018.

Congo score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bifouma goal.[36]

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 September 2014U. J. Esuene, Calabar, Nigeria Nigeria
2–1
3–2
2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.
3–1
3.10 January 2015Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal Cape Verde1–02–3Friendly
4.17 January 2015Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea
1–1
1–1
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
5.25 January 2015 Burkina Faso
1–0
2–1
6.31 January 2015 DR Congo
2–0
2–4
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
7.13 October 2015Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville, Congo Benin
1–0
2–1
Friendly
8.
2–1
9.14 November 2015Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis-Abeba, Ethiopia Ethiopia1–14–32018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10.17 November 2015Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville, Congo2–12–1
11.10 June 2017Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo DR Congo1–11–32019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
12.1 September 2017Baba Yara, Kumasi, Ghana Ghana1–01–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
13.25 March 2018Aimé Bergéal, Mantes-la-Jolie, France Guinea-Bissau
2–0
2–0
Friendly
14.9 September 2018Alphonse Massemba-Débat, Brazzaville, Congo Zimbabwe1–11–12019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
15.18 November 2018 DR Congo1–11–1

References
  1. "Premier League clubs submit squad lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 February 2014. p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  2. "Thievy". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  3. "Thievy: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  4. "Il ne faut pas avoir peur" [«There's no need to be afraid»] (in French). Le Parisien. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  5. Alonso and Verdu fire Espanyol; ESPN Soccernet, 13 March 2011
  6. El Espanyol se da un festín en el derbi de la mano de Thievy (Espanyol indulge themselves in derby courtesy of Thievy); Marca, 10 August 2011 (in Spanish)
  7. Sporting Gijón 1–2 Espanyol; ESPN Soccernet, 17 December 2011
  8. El delantero Thievy jugará cedido en Las Palmas por el Espanyol (Forward Thievy will play in Las Palmas on loan from Espanyol); Liga de Fútbol Profesional, 4 September 2012 (in Spanish)
  9. Thievy, españolista hasta el 2017 (Thievy, españolista until 2017); Tinta Amarilla, 12 July 2013 (in Spanish)
  10. "Thievy jugarà al West Bromwich Albion" [Thievy will play in West Bromwich Albion] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  11. "Albion sign Thievy Bifouna". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  12. Chase, Graham (8 February 2014). "Crystal Palace 3–1 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  13. "El Almería refuerza su ataque con el fichaje de Thievy" [Almería bolster attack with the signing of Thievy] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  14. "Thievy, sancionado con un mes por una denuncia de su exagente" [Thievy, suspended for a month due to a complaint from his ex-agent] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  15. Gregorio, Paco (23 May 2015). "Descenso con un claro responsable (2–3)" [Relegation has a clear guilty party (2–3)] (in Spanish). Diario de Almería. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  16. "¡Thievy ya está aquí!" [Thievy is already here!] (in Spanish). Granada CF. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  17. Gonzalez, Lionel (28 January 2016). "L'attaquant Thievy Bifouma rejoint l'effectif du Stade de Reims" [Forward Thievy Bifouma joins Stade de Reims roster] (in French). France 3. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  18. "4 arrivées et 3 départs au Sporting" [4 arrivals and 3 departures at Sporting] (in French). SC Bastia. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  19. "Thievy, traspassat al SC Bastia" [Thievy, transferred to SC Bastia] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  20. "Osmanlıspor transfer haberi – Thievy Bifouma Osmanlıspor'da" [Osmanlıspor transfer news – Thievy Bifouma to Osmanlıspor] (in Turkish). Yeni Şafak. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  21. "Adanaspor 1–5 Osmanlıspor / Maç özeti" [Adanaspor 1–5 Osmanlıspor / Match highlights] (in Turkish). Skor. 19 February 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  22. "Thievy Bifouma signe pour un an à Sivasspor" [Thievy Bifouma signs for one year at Sivasspor] (in French). L'Équipe. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  23. "Demir Grup Sivasspor, Osmanlıspor'u 4–2 yendi" [Demir Grup Sivasspor, Osmanlıspor beat 4–2] (in Turkish). Anadolu Agency. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  24. Waell, Youssef (20 June 2018). "Congolese Thievy Bifouma joins MKE Ankaragücü". KingFut. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  25. McBride, Luke (2 September 2018). "Trezeguet scores winner for Kasimpasa". KingFut. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  26. "Thievy Bifouma (ex-Reims) rejoint Malatyaspor (officiel)" [Thievy Bifouma (ex-Reims) joins Malatyaspor (official)] (in French). Football 365. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  27. Congo: La FIFA donne feu vert à Thievy Bifouma (Congo: FIFA gives green light to Thievy Bifouma); Africa Top Sports, 1 August 2014 (in French)
  28. Rwanda 2–0 Congo Archived 3 August 2014 at Archive.today; African Soccer, 2 August 2014
  29. Congo stun Nigeria in five-goal show; SuperSport, 6 September 2014
  30. Hughes, Ian (17 January 2015). "Equatorial Guinea 1–1 Congo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  31. "Congo 2–1 Burkina Faso". BBC Sport. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  32. Hughes, Ian (31 January 2015). "Congo 2–4 DR Congo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  33. Isabirye, David (15 January 2017). "AFCON Top Scorers: A look at the previous tournament net busters". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  34. "T. Bifouma". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  35. Thievy Bifouma at National-Football-Teams.com
  36. "T. Bifouma – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
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