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Rio Mavuba

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Rio Mavuba
Mavuba playing for Lille in 2010
Personal information
Full name Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba[1]
Date of birth (1984-03-08) 8 March 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Born at sea[2]
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Mérignac-Arlac
Youth career
2002–2003 Bordeaux
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 Bordeaux 127 (1)
2007–2008 Villarreal 5 (0)
2008Lille (loan) 17 (1)
2008–2017 Lille 282 (4)
2017–2018 Sparta Prague 11 (0)
2018– Mérignac-Arlac 5 (0)
International career
2004–2006 France U21 20 (1)
2004–2014 France 13 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 December 2018

Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba (born 8 March 1984) is a French footballer who plays for Football Club des Écureuils de Mérignac-Arlac as a midfielder.

He spent 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";[2] 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.[2]

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

Mavuba with Lille in 2014

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.[3][4] He found it hard to break into the first team,[5] only totalling 219 minutes in La Liga, and in late January 2008 joined Lille OSC on loan until the end of the campaign.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8][9]

On 26 May 2015, Mavuba signed a new four-year deal with Lille.[10]

Later career

On 21 July 2017, 33-year-old Mavuba agreed to a three-year contract with Czech club AC Sparta Prague.[11] He returned to his adopted homeland on 14 September 2018, signing with Championnat National 3 amateurs Football Club des Écureuils de Mérignac-Arlac.[12][13]

International career

In 2004, Mavuba was asked to play for the DR Congo national team, but he turned it down.[2] From the 2004 Toulon Tournament to the 2006 UEFA European Championship, he acted as captain to the French under-21s.[14]

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.[15] From 2008 to 2011, he did make one single appearance.[16]

Mavuba was selected by coach Didier Deschamps for his 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.[17] 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.[18]

Honours

Bordeaux

Lille[19]

References

  1. ^ "Rio Mavuba". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Copnall, James (14 October 2004). "Mavuba: born without a nation". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Mavuba, al Villarreal" [Mavuba, to Villarreal] (in Spanish). UEFA. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ Cerbelle, Nicolas (21 January 2008). "Mavuba rebondit à Lille" [Mavuba rebounds to Lille]. Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  7. ^ Gazeau, Florent (3 May 2013). "Mavuba, et maintenant?" [Mavuba, and now?]. Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Lille hold PSG". ESPN FC. 22 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  9. ^ Dorso, Damien (22 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. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Rio Mavuba signs Lille contract extension". Get French Football News. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Rio Mavuba signs". Sparta Prague. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  12. ^ "Nationale 3: Rio Mavuba, ancien joueur des Girondins de Bordeaux, signe à Mérignac-Arlac" [Nationale 3: Rio Mavuba, former player of Girondins de Bordeaux, signs at Mérignac-Arlac] (in French). Actu. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Vidéo. Football: Rio Mavuba décisif lors de la victoire de Mérignac-Arlac" [Video. Football: Rio Mavuba decisive in Mérignac-Arlac win]. Sud Ouest (in French). 22 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  14. ^ "France flurry flattens Germany". UEFA. 25 May 2006. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  15. ^ "La reconstruction est entamée" [Rebuilding on its way]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 19 August 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  16. ^ Dupré, Rémi (7 November 2013). "Equipe de France: Mavuba, le retour" [France national team: Mavuba, the return]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Benzema bags brace as Bleus beat Honduras". FIFA. 15 June 2014. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  19. ^ Hémard, Adrien; Souhard, Alexis (5 October 2018). "Rio Mavuba: « Être entraîneur, c'est vraiment un objectif »" [Rio Mavuba: « To be a coach, it's really a goal »] (in French). Sofoot. Retrieved 30 January 2019.