Bira Dembélé
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 March 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, France | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Stevenage | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2000 | Neuilly-sur-Marne | ||
| 2000–2001 | La Portugaise Porto | ||
| 2001–2003 | Villemomble Sports | ||
| 2003–2004 | UJA Alfortville | ||
| 2004–2005 | Neuilly-sur-Marne | ||
| 2005–2008 | Stade Rennes | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2011 | Stade Rennes | 9 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → US Boulogne (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2011–2014 | CS Sedan | 1 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Red Star 93 (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2014– | Stevenage | 39 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| 2008 | France U21 | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:16, 21 April 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Bira Dembélé (born 22 March 1988) is a French footballer who plays for Stevenage.
Club career
Stade Rennais
A very rangy defender, Bira Dembélé worked his way through the Stade Rennais' youth team. Excellent in the air, thanks to his height and an impressive jumping ability, Dembélé still needs to improve his game with the ball.[1] Pairing with Prince Oniangue to compose a highly efficient central defense with the Reserves, Bira Dembélé took profit of numerous injuries in the professional squad to play his first games in Ligue 1, in January 2008. His performances were good enough to convince the management to offer him a first three-year professional contract.[2]
In summer 2009, he was loaned to Boulogne, recently promoted to Ligue 1, to gather some professional experience. There, he made his place as a regular in the first team, scoring his first professional goal in the process.[3] Back to his training club in 2010, Dembélé was left on the sidelines by Frédéric Antonetti and played the whole 2010/2011 season with the Reserve. At the end of his contract in June 2011, he joined Sedan after being told that his contract will not be renewed.[4]
Sedan
Dembélé moved to Sedan but failed to make a first team his and his time there included a brief loan to Red Star.[5][6] However, in April, Dembele loan spell was cut short because of injury.[7]
Stevenage
Dembélé joined League One side Stevenage on 22 February 2014 on a free transfer.[8] Upon joining Stevenage, Manager Graham Westley commented about Dembélé's talent, stating he "got a lot of quality; he's quick, very strong in the air and he can play the game."[9]
Dembélé made his debut for the club three days later, on 25 February 2014, where he made his first start in a 1–0 win over Crewe Alexandra.[10] After the match, Westley praised Dembele's debut, citing his pace and strong challenge.[11] His next appearance against Crawley Town on 4 March 2014, where he played at the right-back and scored his first goal from then header. The result went on to be a 1–1 draw.[12] Though he made thirteen appearance and scoring once, Manager Westley revealed that Dembélé had signed a new contract with Stevenage.[13]
References
- ↑ "Bira Dembele Stade Rennais Bio". Stade-Rennais-Online. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- ↑ "sign Dembele pro" [Foot Ligue 1 Rennes Dembele signe pro] (in French). L'Equipe. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Rennes confirmed for Dembele" [Foot – Transferts : Rennes confirme pour Dembélé] (in French). L'Equipe. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Dembele and Caro not retained" [Dembélé et Caro non-conservés] (in French). L'Equipe. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "B. Dembele à Sedan" [B. Dembele à Sedan] (in French). L'Equipe. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "David Beckham will not be joining Paris Saint Germain". French Football Weekly. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Red Star: End of season Bira Dembele" [Red Star: Fin de saison pour Bira Dembélé] (in French). Chrono Foot. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Bira Dembele: Stevenage sign French defender". BBC Sport. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ↑ "Stevenage new boy Dembele has a 'lot of promise', says Westley". The Comet. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Match report: Stevenage 1 Crewe Alexandra 0". The Comet. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Stevenage boss praises duo after impressive debuts in win over Crewe". The Comet. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "Match Report: Crawley Town 1 – 1 Stevenage". BBC Sport. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ "STEVENAGE AGREE TERMS WITH RONNIE HENRY, CHRIS WHELPDALE AND SIMON WALTON". Stevenage FC. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
External links
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