| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Blaise Isetsima Nkufo | ||
| Date of birth | 25 May 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1994 | Lausanne | 2 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Echallens | 16 | (9) |
| 1995–1996 | Al-Arabi | 12 | (6) |
| 1996–1997 | Yverdon | 35 | (12) |
| 1997–1998 | Lausanne | 34 | (18) |
| 1998–2000 | Grasshopper | 18 | (4) |
| 1999–2000 | → Lugano (loan) | 21 | (14) |
| 2000–2001 | Lucerne | 19 | (7) |
| 2001–2002 | Mainz | 42 | (20) |
| 2002–2003 | Hannover 96 | 9 | (0) |
| 2003–2010 | Twente | 223 | (114) |
| 2010 | Seattle Sounders FC | 11 | (5) |
| Total | 442 | (200) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2010 | Switzerland | 34 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Blaise Isetsima Nkufo (born 25 May 1975) is a retired Congolese-born Swiss footballer. Nkufo played professionally in Switzerland, Qatar, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Nkufo was also a member of the Swiss national team, having won 34 caps and scored seven goals.
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Born in Kinshasa, Zaire, Nkufo emigrated to Switzerland with his family when he was seven and became naturalised as a Swiss citizen at the age of 20.
Nkufo began his professional career in 1993 with Lausanne Sport, where he spent one season. He later played with FC Echallens before moving to Qatar to play with Al-Arabi. After a year in the Gulf, he moved back to Switzerland, and played with Yverdon-Sport FC; he also re-signed for Lausanne Sports before moving to Grasshopper-Club Zürich in 1998; his spell in Zurich included a loan spell to AC Lugano. He then played with FC Lucerne, before moving to Germany to play with Mainz 05 and Hannover 96. He signed for FC Twente in the Netherlands in 2003 and was their leading scorer in five of the six seasons he played there. FC Twente won their first Dutch title in the last season he played with the team.
In February 2010, Nkufo was linked to sign with the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC.[1] On 4 March 2010, the Sounders confirmed that they had signed him. He joined the Sounders' squad on 13 July 2010.[2] His first appearance for the Sounders was on 18 July 2010 during a friendly vs. Celtic.[3] His first MLS start was on 25 July 2010 in a home match against the Colorado Rapids in which Seattle Sounders FC won 2-1. On 18 September 2010 in an away match against the Columbus Crew, he scored his first goal in the MLS which was the start to his hat-trick for the game, the first ever for the Seattle Sounders.
On 15 March 2011, Seattle and Nkufo agreed mutually to the termination of his deal.[4] Nkufo announced his retirement thirteen days later.[5]
Nkufo made his international debut for Switzerland in 2002. He failed to make the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but he represented them at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Nkufo has himself said in interviews that his surname is Nkufo. The incorrect version N'Kufo is often found in media. The surname is pronounced Kufo, without the N.[6] However, on the back of his shirt, he has been known variously as Nkufo, N'Kufo and Nkufu.
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