Geoffrey Kondogbia

Geoffrey Kondogbia

Kondogbia with France U19 in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth15 February 1993
Place of birthNemours, France
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Playing positionDefensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
Monaco
Number22
Youth career
1999–2003Nandy
2003–2004Sénart-Moissy
2004–2010Lens
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2010–2012Lens35(1)
2012–2013Sevilla33(1)
2013–Monaco39(2)
National team‡
2008–2009France U165(1)
2009France U176(0)
2010–2011France U1812(5)
2011–2012France U1912(1)
2012–2013France U2013(2)
2013–2014France U219(1)
2013–France3(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 February 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 April 2015

Geoffrey Kondogbia (born 15 February 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for AS Monaco FC as a defensive midfielder. He can also play as a central defender or left back.[2]

He started his career with Lens,[3] then signed for Sevilla at the age of 19.

Kondogbia gained 57 caps for France across its youth levels.[3] He made his debut for the full team in 2013.

Club career

Lens

Kondogbia was born in Nemours, Seine-et-Marne of Central African descent, joining RC Lens' youth system at the age of 11. On 11 April 2010 he signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a four-year deal.[4] On 21 November he made his debut in Ligue 1, appearing as a substitute against Olympique Lyonnais.[5]

Kondogbia spent the 2011–12 season in Ligue 2 after the Sang et Or's relegation. He scored his only official goal for the team on 13 April 2012, netting the opener in a 3–0 success at Tours FC.[6]

Sevilla

On 24 July 2012, Kondogbia signed with Spanish club Sevilla FC for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €3 million.[7][8] He first appeared in La Liga on 15 September, replacing goalscorer Piotr Trochowski in the 82nd minute of the 1–0 defeat of reigning champions Real Madrid, at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.[9] He scored his first goal for the Andalusians on 28 January 2013 of the following year, heading home the first for his team in an eventual 3–0 home derby win against Granada CF.[10]

In Sevilla's semi-final second leg tie of the Copa del Rey against eventual winners Atlético Madrid, on 27 February 2013, Kondogbia picked up a red card as his team ended the match with nine men in the 2–2 home draw, and fell to a 3–4 aggregate loss.[11][12]

Monaco

On 31 August 2013 Kondogbia returned to his country, signing a five-year contract with newly promoted AS Monaco FC worth $26.8 million.[13] He contributed with 26 games and one goal in his first season, helping the club finish second and return to the UEFA Champions League after one decade.

In the Champions League round-of-16's first leg, on 25 February 2015, Kondogbia put his team ahead at Arsenal in an eventual 3–1 win.[14]

International career

Kondogbia was selected to the French squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.[15] In the nation's first group match against Ghana, on 21 June, he scored the opening goal in an eventual 3–1 defeat of the Africans,[16] being chosen by some publications as "Man of the match" for his all-around performance;[17] he netted his second goal of the tournament against the hosts, who were defeated 1–4 in the round-of-16.[18]

Kondogbia made his debut for the full team on 14 August 2013 at the age of only 20, playing 63 minutes in a 0–0 friendly draw in Belgium.[19]

Honours

Country

Personal life

Kondogbia's older brother, Evans, is also a footballer. He spent most of his career in Belgium, and represented the Central African Republic internationally.[3][20]

References

  1. ↑ "Geoffrey Kondogbia". ESPN FC. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "Qui sont Varane, Kondogbia, Hazard et Deligny" [Who are Varane, Kondogbia, Hazard and Deligny] (in French). Lensois. 9 March 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Kondogbia: "Mon objectif, c’est Bollaert"" [Kondogbia: "Bollaert is my goal"] (in French). Lensois. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "Geoffrey Kondogbia quatre ans à Lens" [Geoffrey Kondogbia four years with Lens] (in French). Lensois. 11 April 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "Lens vs. Lyon" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  6. ↑ "Tours vs. Lens 0–3". Soccerway. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Official: Sevilla sign Geoffrey Kondogbia from Lens". Goal.com. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sevilla turn down €9m Kondogbia bid". ESPN FC. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  9. ↑ "Real suffer Sevilla defeat". ESPN FC. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sevilla see off struggling opponents". ESPN FC. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "El Atlético acepta el reto" [Atlético accepts challenge] (in Spanish). Marca. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Sevilla FC 2–2 Atletico Madrid". ESPN FC. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "Geoffrey Kondogbia joins Monaco after Sevilla exit". NDTV Sports. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  14. ↑ "Clinical Monaco catch Arsenal cold". UEFA.com. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "France". FIFA.com. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "France off to a flier". FIFA.com. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "France U20 3–1 Ghana U20: Poor start for Black Satellites at 2013 U20 World Cup". Goal.com. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  18. ↑ "Four-star France fly past Turkey". FIFA.com. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Amical: Les Bleus évitent une nouvelle défaite" [Friendly: Blues avoid new loss] (in French). L'Équipe. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  20. ↑ "Geoffrey Kondogbia signe 4 ans au RC Lens" [Geoffrey Kondogbia signs for 4 years with RC Lens] (in French). Centrafrique Football. 11 April 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

External links