Lionel Mpasi

Lionel Mpasi Nzau (born 1 August 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for club Le Havre. Born in France, he plays for the DR Congo national team.

Early life Mpasi was born in Meaux, in the eastern suburbs of Paris, to Congolese parents. He acquired French nationality on 31 August 2000, through the collective effect of his father's naturalization.

Club career A youth product of PSG, Mpasi signed his first professional contract with Toulouse before moving to Rodez in 2016. Mpasi made his professional debut with Rodez in a 0–0 Ligue 2 tie with Le Mans FC on 14 February 2020.

On 13 July 2025, he signed a two-year contract with Le Havre, a Ligue 1 club, as the second-choice goalkeeper behind Mory Diaw, his former youth teammate at Paris Saint-Germain.

On 18 January 2026, he made his debut for Le Havre in a Ligue 1 match against Rennes on Matchday 18 of the season. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.

International career Mpasi is a former youth international for France. However, he decided to represent the home country of his parents, DR Congo. Being selected without appearing on the pitch, he finally debuted for the DR Congo national team in a 1–0 friendly loss to Bahrain on 1 February 2022.

On 27 December 2023, he was selected from the list of 24 Congolese players selected by Sébastien Desabre to participate in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. As a full goalkeeper, he contested the three first-round matches, all ended in a tie against Zambia 1–1 and Morocco 1–1 and Tanzania 0–0, respectively. In the eighth final, against the Egypt team, with the game ending in a 1–1 draw, he scored the last shot at the goal in a sudden death penalty shootout after the opposing goalkeeper Gabaski sent his shot over the bar, giving Congo the win 8-7 on penalties.

On 19 May 2026, he was included in the 26-man squad selected by head coach Sébastien Desabre to represent the DR Congo at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mpasi went on to start four games before DR Congo were knocked out by England in the round of 32. During the group-stage, Mpasi conceded one goal to Portugal, but made eight saves and conceded one goal in the next match against Colombia. He made one save and conceded one goal during the match with Uzbekistan. When DR Congo faced England after reaching the round of 32 for the first time, Mpasi made multiple saves, including two against Jude Bellingham. However, Harry Kane scored two goals past Mpasi late in the match, resulting in England's victory.

Career statistics Club

International