Ma-Kalambay in training for Hibernian |
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Yves Makabu-Makalambay | ||
Date of birth | 31 January 1986 | ||
Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | ||
Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[1] | ||
Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | KV Mechelen | ||
Youth career | |||
2002–2003 | PSV Eindhoven | ||
2003–2006 | Chelsea | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2006–2007 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
2006 | → Watford (loan) | 0 | (0) |
2007–2010 | Hibernian | 57 | (0) |
2010–2011 | Swansea City | 0 | (0) |
2011– | KV Mechelen | 1 | (0) |
National team‡ | |||
2008 | Belgium under–23 | 1 | (0) |
2010– | DR Congo | 4 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:40, 31 October 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
Yves Makabu-Ma-Kalambay (born 31 January 1986) is a Belgian footballer goalkeeper who is currently playing for the Belgian Jupiler Pro League club KV Mechelen. His parents are from the DR Congo, but Ma-Kalambay grew up in Brussels in the same neighbourhood as fellow footballers Vincent Kompany, Faris Haroun, Anthony Vanden Borre and Jeanvion Yulu-Matondo. Ma-Kalambay represented Belgium in the 2008 Olympic Games and has since played for DR Congo at full international level.
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Ma-Kalambay signed for Chelsea as a youth. He went on loan to Watford in February 2006 to cover for the suspended Ben Foster. Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd suggested that he was interested in signing Ma-Kalambay in some capacity for the 2006–07 season,[2] but this did not come to fruition.
On 18 October, Ma-Kalambay made the bench for Chelsea's 1-0 Champions League match group stage win against Barcelona, due to injuries to Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini.[3] After the arrival of Magnus Hedman, Ma-Kalambay was relegated to fifth choice goalkeeper at Chelsea.
Makalambay signed for SPL club Hibernian in June 2007.[4] He kept a clean sheet on his competitive debut for Hibs in a Edinburgh derby win at Tynecastle against Hearts. Despite making two bad errors in a 3–3 draw with Aberdeen, Makalambay then made a penalty save in his next match, a 1–0 win over Inverness.
Makalambay has received some criticism at times for his performances for Hibs, but he claimed during an interview with the Daily Record in December 2008 that he is under greater scrutiny than goalkeepers of other Scottish Premier League clubs.[5] The newspaper surmised that this scrutiny was because of the high profile mistakes made by his immediate predecessors in the Hibs goal, Zibi Malkowski and Simon Brown.[5] After making an error in an Edinburgh derby, Makalambay was replaced by Grzegorz Szamotulski at half-time due to a hamstring injury. He regained his place in the first team near the end of the season, putting in some impressive displays in draws against the Old Firm and in an Edinburgh derby win at Tynecastle, but then conceded a bizarre goal against Aberdeen on the final day of the season.[6]
Makalambay lost his place to new signing Graham Stack in the 2009–10 season.[7] With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, Makalambay expressed a desire to open talks with Hibs about a new deal.[7] Hibs signed goalkeeper Graeme Smith on the first day of the January 2010 transfer window, however, which raised further doubt over Makalambay's future at the club.[8] This doubt was confirmed on 14 May 2010 when it was announced that Ma-Kalambay's contract would not be renewed.[9] After his release, Makalambay claimed that he had only been dropped due to his refusal to sign a new contract.[10] He also claimed to have received offers from clubs in England and Spain.[10]
In September 2010, Makalambay went on trial with Football League Championship club Swansea City.[11] He signed a contract with the club until the end of the 2010–11 season later that month.[12] He left the club at the end of his contract in 2011.[13]
In October 2011, Makalambay signed a contract until the end of the season with Jupiler Pro League club KV Mechelen.[14] He was signed because the second choice KV Mechelen goalkeeper, Wouter Biebauw, is injured for a long time.[14] Makalambay will make his Pro League debut on 26 October 2011, as the first choice goalkeeper, Olivier Renard, is injured as well.
Makalambay was selected by Belgium in January 2008.[15] He was then selected for their squad in the 2008 Olympic Games.[16] Makalambay played in only one match during the Olympics,[17] when he came on as a substitute for Logan Bailly during their 3–2 victory over Italy in the quarter final.[18] Belgium eventually finished in fourth place; Makalambay missed out on a medal due to Belgian defeats by Nigeria and Brazil.[19]
Makalambay was selected by the Democratic Republic of Congo national football team for a friendly against Saudi Arabia in May 2010.[20] He made his international debut as Congo lost 2–0.[21]
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