Thievy Bifouma

Thievy
Personal information
Full nameThievy Guivane Bifouma Koulossa[1]
Date of birth13 May 1992
Place of birthSaint-Denis, France
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing positionForward
Club information
Current team
Almería (on loan from Espanyol)
Number9
Youth career
1999–2006CS Meaux
2006–2010Strasbourg
2010–2011Espanyol
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2010–2011Espanyol B6(3)
2011–Espanyol32(4)
2012–2013→ Las Palmas (loan)38(11)
2014→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)6(2)
2014–→ Almería (loan)20(1)
National team‡
2011France U201(0)
2012–2013France U213(0)
2014–Congo11(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 March 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 January 2015

Thievy Guivane Bifouma Koulossa (born 13 May 1992), simply known as Thievy, is a Congolese professional footballer who plays for UD Almería on loan from RCD Espanyol, and the Congo national team, as a forward.

Club career

Born in Saint-Denis, Paris, Thievy joined RCD Espanyol in Spain in early 2010, not yet aged 18, signing from RC Strasbourg. On 13 March 2011 he made his debut with the Catalans' first team, after coming on as a substitute for Joan Verdú in the dying minutes of a 2–0 La Liga home win against Deportivo de La Coruña.[2]

On 10 August 2011, in the Copa Catalunya final, Thievy scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win against a FC Barcelona team that was filled with reserve and youth players.[3] On 17 December he netted his first goal with the main squad, scoring the opener in an eventual 2–1 success at Sporting de Gijón.[4]

In September 2012, Thievy was loaned to UD Las Palmas in Segunda División.[5] After a successful spell, he extended his contract with Espanyol until 2017.[6]

On 31 January 2014, Thievy signed for West Bromwich Albion on a loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer, being awarded the number 50 shirt.[7][8] He made his debut in the Premier League eight days later, playing the second half and scoring within 36 seconds of taking the pitch in a 1–3 away loss against Crystal Palace.[9]

On 13 August 2014 Thievy left Espanyol and moved to fellow top-divisioner UD Almería, in a season-long loan.[10] On 19 March of the following year he was suspended for one month, due to allegations of breach of contract with his former agent.[11]

International career

A French youth international, Thievy opted to represent Congo at the senior level, receiving a FIFA clearance on 1 August 2014.[12] He made his full international debut a day later, replacing Julsy Boukama-Kaya in the 68th minute of a 0–2 away loss against Rwanda for the second leg of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations second qualification round.[13]

On 6 September 2014, in the same competition, Thievy scored a brace in a 3–2 win in Nigeria.[14] At the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, he netted Congo's first goal of the tournament in a 1–1 draw to hosts Equatorial Guinea.[15] He also scored the opener in their 2–1 group phase victory over Burkina Faso, a result which qualified the nation to the quarter-finals for the first time since 1992,[16] where he grabbed his final goal against the DR Congo, putting his team ahead 2–0 but in an eventual 2–4 defeat.[17]

International goals

Scores and results list Congo's goal tally first.[18]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 6 September 2014 U. J. Esuene, Calabar, Nigeria  Nigeria
2–1
3–2
2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.
3–1
3. 17 January 2015 Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea  Equatorial Guinea
1–1
1–1
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
4. 25 January 2015 Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea  Burkina Faso
1–0
2–1
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
5. 31 January 2015 Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea  DR Congo
2–0
2–4
2015 Africa Cup of Nations

Statistics

Club

As of 3 January 2015[19]
Club Season Competition League Cup Other[lower-roman 1] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Espanyol B 2010–11 Tercera División 63—63
Espanyol 2010–11 La Liga 2000—20
2011–12 19140—231
2012–13 0000—00
2013–14 11330—143
Total 3247000394
Las Palmas 2012–13 Segunda División 381162—4413
West Bromwich 2013–14 Premier League 6200—62
Almería 2014–15 La Liga 14110—151
Career totals 96211420011023
  1. ↑ Including Segunda División play-offs.

International

As of 25 January 2015
Congo
YearAppsGoals
201472
201543
Total115

References

  1. ↑ "Premier League clubs submit squad lists" (PDF). Premier League. 4 February 2014. p. 39. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Alonso and Verdu fire Espanyol; ESPN Soccernet, 13 March 2011
  3. ↑ El Espanyol se da un festín en el derbi de la mano de Thievy (Espanyol indulges itself in derby courtesy of Thievy); Marca, 10 August 2011 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ Sporting Gijon 1–2 Espanyol; ESPN Soccernet, 17 December 2011
  5. ↑ El delantero Thievy jugará cedido en Las Palmas por el Espanyol (Forward Thievy will play in Las Palmas on loan from Espanyol); Liga de Fútbol Profesional, 4 September 2012 (Spanish)
  6. ↑ Thievy, españolista hasta el 2017 (Thievy, españolista until 2017); Tinta Amarilla, 12 July 2013 (Spanish)
  7. ↑ "Thievy jugarà al West Bromwich Albion" [Thievy will play in West Bromwich Albion] (in Catalan). RCD Espanyol. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "Albion sign Thievy Bifouna". West Bromwich Albion. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "Crystal Palace 3–1 West Brom". BBC Sport. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "El Almería refuerza su ataque con el fichaje de Thievy" [Almería bolsters attack with the signing of Thievy] (in Spanish). Almería's official website. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Thievy, sancionado con un mes por una denuncia de su exagente" [Thievy, suspended for a month due to a complaint from his ex-agent] (in Spanish). Marca. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Congo: La FIFA donne feu vert à Thievy Bifouma (Congo: FIFA gives green light to Thievy Bifouma); Africa Top Sports, 1 August 2014 (French)
  13. ↑ Rwanda 2–0 Congo; African Soccer, 2 August 2014
  14. ↑ Congo stun Nigeria in five-goal show; SuperSport, 6 September 2014
  15. ↑ "Equatorial Guinea 1–1 Congo". BBC Sport. 17 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Congo 2–1 Burkina Faso". BBC Sport. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Hughes, Ian (31 January 2015). "Congo 2–4 DR Congo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "T. Bifouma – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Thievy Bifouma". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 November 2014.

External links