Célia Okoyino da Mbabi

Célia Okoyino da Mbabi

Personal information
Date of birth	27 June 1988 (1988-06-27)
Place of birth	Bonn, West Germany
Playing position	Midfielder, Striker
Club information
Current club	SC 07 Bad Neuenahr
Number	7
Youth career
1993–2000	TuS Germania Hersel
2000–2001	SC Widdig
2002–2003	TuS Pützchen 05
2003–2004	FC St. Augustin
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–	SC 07 Bad Neuenahr	97	(76)
National team‡
2005–	Germany	64	(17)
Honours Competitor for Germany Women's Football Bronze 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:13, 18 June 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:36, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Célia Okoyino da Mbabi (born 27 June 1988) is a German footballer. She plays as a midfielder or a striker for SC 07 Bad Neuenahr and the German national team.

Career

Club

Célia Okoyino da Mbabi began her career at the age of five at TuS Germania Hersel, after her older brother had taken her to a training session. After several clubs at junior level, Okoyino da Mbabi joined the Bundesliga side SC 07 Bad Neuenahr in 2004. She quickly became a regular starter and an important player for the club. In 2005, Okoyino da Mbabi received the Fritz Walter medal in bronze as the year's third best female junior player. In March 2007, she suffered a fractured tibia in a league game against FC Bayern Munich, which ended her season. She had been the division's top-scorer up until then.

International

Okoyino da Mbabi held French citizenship through her mother. After the German Football Association had approached her, she became a German citizen at the beginning of 2004. Later that year, she was part of Germany's winning squad at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, scoring three goals in the group stage.

In January 2005, Okoyino da Mbabi made her debut for Germany's senior national team against Australia. She scored her first goal in a friendly match against Canada in September 2006. A tibia fracture ruled her out for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was part of Germany’s squads claiming bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics and winning the title at the 2009 European Championship, where she scored in the semi-final against Norway. At both tournaments, she was a reserve player with limited playing time. Okoyino da Mbabi has been called-up for the German 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup squad.

Personal life

Okoyino da Mbabi was born in Bonn, Germany, the daughter of a Cameroonian father and a French mother. Her name "da Mbabi" roughly means "(daughter) of Mbabi", while "Okoyino" derives from her father's grandmother. Because of her long name, she is the only women's Bundesliga player with only her first name on her jersey. However, in the national team, her full family name is displayed.

In 2007, Okoyino da Mbabi graduated with the Abitur diploma at the Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium in Bonn. Her majors were Sports and French. Since October 2009, she has been studying Cultural studies at the University of Koblenz and Landau.

Honours

Okoyino da Mbabi with the FIFA U-19 (now U-20) Women's World Cup trophy

International

• UEFA European Championship: Winner (1) 2009
• Olympic bronze medal: (1) 2008
• U-19 Women's World Championship: Winner (1) 2004

Individual

• Fritz Walter medal: Bronze 2005

External links

• Profile at the German Football Federation (German)
• Célia Okoyino da Mbabi – FIFA competition record
• Profile at Weltfussball.de (German)
• [1] Official Facebook Page