Dieumerci Mbokani

Dieudonné "Dieumerci" Mbokani Bezua (born 22 November 1985) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a striker. He was captain and is the all time top goalscorer of the DR Congo national football team.

He has previously played for TP Mazembe, Anderlecht, VfL Wolfsburg, Monaco, Standard Liège, Norwich City, Hull City, Dynamo Kyiv, Al-Kuwait and Beveren.

Club career Mbokani began his career at local side Bel'or and was a league topscorer in the 2004 season with 16 goals.

After failing to impress in Ligue 1, on 9 August 2011, he signed a contract with Anderlecht for a reported fee of €3 million, stating that he looked forward to playing together again with his friend Milan Jovanović. The start of his spell at Anderlecht was dramatic, first injuring himself during one of his first training sessions, meaning he would be sidelined for at least two months. On 21 June 2013, Mbokani officially signed a contract with the Ukrainian club FC Dynamo Kyiv. On 14 July 2013, he scored his first goal in the very first game of the Ukrainian Premier League against Volyn Lutsk during the first half, which ended 1–1.

On 31 August 2015, Mbokani was loaned out to English club Norwich City.

On 31 August 2016, Mbokani was loaned out to English club Hull City. Mbokani made his debut on 17 September 2016 when he came off the bench, after 77-minutes, as a replacement for Abel Hernández in a 4–1 loss at home to Arsenal.

On 20 June 2017, Mbokani was close to completing a transfer to Greek powerhouse Olympiacos but the deal did not ultimately go ahead as the player failed his medical.

In August 2018 he signed a one-year contract with Belgian club Royal Antwerp. He extended his contract with the club in June 2019.

On 14 August 2023, Armenian Premier League Noah announced the signing of Mbokani.

International career Mbokani represented the DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and 2015, helping them to third place at the latter tournament.

Mbokani was caught up in the 2016 Brussels bombings, alongside his international teammate Cédric Bakambu. Though both escaped unscathed, Mbokani was reportedly left "shaken". In the aftermath of this, after being sanctioned for missing a game as a result, he retired from international football with 31 caps. However, he returned to DR Congo's squad for the 2017 Cup of Nations in Gabon, and he was recalled to the national team in March 2019, although he withdrew due to injury.

Personal life Mbokani was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then called Zaire. The name "Dieumerci" means "Thank God" in French.

In August 2011, his five-month-old son, David Mbokani, died of a cardiac arrest in his sleep.

Career statistics

Club

International Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mbokani goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Dieumerci Mbokani No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1 16 November 2005 Stade Sébastien Charléty, Paris, France 1–2 Friendly 2 12 May 2006 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico 1–2 1–2 Friendly 3 26 March 2008 Stade Maurice Bacquet, Gonfreville-l'Orcher, France 1–0 1–1 Friendly 4 13 June 2008 El Hadj Hassan Gouled Aptidon Stadium, Djibouti City, Djibouti 1–0 6–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 5 4–0 6 22 June 2008 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 5–0 5–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 7 10 June 2012 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2–0 2–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 8 17 June 2012 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1–0 3–0 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification 9 9 September 2012 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1–0 4–0 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification 10 4–0 11 20 January 2013 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa 2–2 2–2 2013 Africa Cup of Nations 12 28 January 2013 Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa 1–0 1–1 2013 Africa Cup of Nations 13 31 January 2015 Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea 1–2 4–2 2015 Africa Cup of Nations 14 4–2 15 4 February 2015 Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea 1–1 1–3 2015 Africa Cup of Nations 16 18 October 2015 Stade de la Cité de l'Oie, Visé, Belgium 1–0 2–0 Friendly 17 8 October 2016 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1–0 4–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification 18 3–0 19 2 September 2021 Stade TP Mazembe, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 20 6 September 2021 Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin 1–0 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 21 7 October 2021 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 22 14 November 2021 Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Anderlecht Belgian First Division: 2006–07, 2011–12, 2012–13 Belgian Super Cup: 2012

Standard Liège Belgian First Division: 2007–08, 2008–09 Belgian Super Cup: 2009

Dynamo Kiev Ukrainian Premier League: 2014–15 Ukrainian Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15

Individual Belgian Golden Shoe: 2012 Ebony Shoe: 2012, 2020 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer: 2015 Belgian First Division A Top Scorer: 2019–20 DH The Best Standard Liège Team Ever: 2020