 Vetokele with Copenhagen in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Igor Mavuba Vetokele[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-03-23)23 March 1992 (age 33) | ||
| Place of birth | Ostend, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Oostende | ||
| 2007–2010 | Gent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Gent | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Cercle Brugge | 38 | (9) |
| 2012–2014 | Copenhagen | 45 | (16) |
| 2014–2019 | Charlton Athletic | 80 | (15) |
| 2016–2017 | →Zulte Waregem (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | →Sint-Truiden (loan) | 43 | (11) |
| 2019–2023 | Westerlo | 87 | (18) |
| 2023–2025 | Lommel | 27 | (6) |
| Total | 335 | (75) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009 | Belgium U17 | 8 | (3) |
| 2009–2010 | Belgium U18 | 9 | (3) |
| 2010–2011 | Belgium U19 | 17 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | Belgium U21 | 14 | (4) |
| 2014–2019 | Angola | 7 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:10, 17 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:10, 17 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Igor Mavuba Vetokele (born 23 March 1992) is a former professionalfootballer who played as aforward. Born in Belgium, he also represented theAngola national team.
Vetokele started his youth career atOostende in 2006 and after a year at the youth club he joinedGent. There, managerBob Peeters saw him play and was impressed with his playing style. Vetokele appeared as an unused substitute in the last game of the season.
On 31 August 2011 Vetokele joinedCercle Brugge on a permanent transfer, where he rejoined Peeters.[2] Vetokele made his Cercle Brugge debut, coming on as a substitute forKevin Janssens in the 87th minute, in a 0–0 draw againstLierse on 17 September 2011.[3] On 5 October 2011 Vetokele scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win overMechelen.[4] In his first season at Cercle Brugge Vetokele made thirty-six appearances and scored eight goals in all competitions. In the opening game ofthe season Vetokele scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw againstGenk[5] and went on to make four more appearances before leaving Cercle Brugge for Copenhagen.
On 20 August 2012, Vetokele joinedCopenhagen on a four-year contract with a fee of DKK 7,500,000.[6] Prior the move, Danish newspapers reported that the club were linked to Vetoleke after finding a replacement forDame N'Doye, who left forLokomotiv Moscow.[7]
He made his debut for F.C. Copenhagen in the last minutes ofextra time in aChampions League playoff match againstFrench sideLille OSC atGrand Stade Lille Métropole.[8] Vetokele later recalled playing in the Champions League as a "nice experience".[9] Vetokele scored on his league debut, on 15 September 2012, just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, in a 2–1 win overNordsjælland.[10] Vetokele scored his first European goal in the last game of the group stage, in a1–1 draw againstSteaua București, which saw Copenhagen eliminated from the Europa League tournament.[11] However, his first season was poor as he made only fifteen appearances and scored only three times. Despite this, the club ended up winning theDanish Superliga, in a season where he had been struggling with muscle injury.[12]
After a poor first season, Vetokele's goal drought continued, until it came to an end on 1 September 2013, in a 4–1 win overViborg.[13] Vetokele then scored three braces during the season against Nordsjælland on 2 November 2013,[14] then against Viborg on 24 November 2013[15] andBrøndby on 1 December 2013.[16] Two days after theDanish Cup Final, Vetokele scored the opener, in a 3–2 victory againstOB, to ensure second place and earning the club a place in the Champions League. The goal also confirmed Vetokele as the club's top goalscorer with thirteen goals.[17] Vetokele previously stated he hoped to score more goals throughout the season.[18]
On 17 June 2014, F.C. Copenhagen accepted a bid fromChampionship sideCharlton Athletic. Copenhagen agreed to the sale after the club purchasedSteve De Ridder as they could no longer guarantee him first team football.[19]
On 24 June 2014,Charlton Athletic completed the signing of Vetokele fromCopenhagen for £2.4 million on a five-year deal.[20] Upon joining Charlton, Vetokele spoke of the move as a new challenge.[9]
Vetokele made his competitive debut in a friendly match, a 0–0 draw againstSint-Truiden on 6 July 2014.[21] After three goals in the pre-season friendlies, Vetokele scored on his Championship debut, putting Charlton ahead in a 1–1 draw away to League new-boysBrentford.[22] He scored his second againstDerby County,[23] his third againstHuddersfield Town[24] and then scored twice againstBrighton & Hove Albion.[25] On 5 September, he was named Championship player of the month for August.[26][27] Vetokele then scored in a 1–1 draw againstBirmingham City on 4 October 2014, ending his five-game goal drought.[28] After missing two games due to fitness concerned during a match againstBournemouth,[29] Vetokele scored on his return on 1 November 2014, in a 1–1 draw againstSheffield Wednesday[30] and scored seven days later, in a 1–0 win overReading.[31] He then scored three goals in three matches againstNorwich City,[32] Brentford[33] and Wigan Athletic[34] In his first season at Charlton Athletic Vetokele went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 times.
On 24 June 2016, Vetokele joinedZulte Waregem on a season long loan deal.[35]
He was released by Charlton at the end of the 2018–19 season.[36]
On 26 June 2019, Vetokele joinedWesterlo.[37]
In June 2023, Vetokele joinedChallenger Pro League sideLommel.[38]
Vetokele has represented Belgium at various youth levels, from under 16 to under 21.[39] In May 2014, Vetokele pledged his commitment to play forAngola.[40]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cercle Brugge | 2011–12[41] | Belgian Pro League | 34 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 36 | 8 | |
| 2012–13[42] | Belgian Pro League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 40 | 9 | |||
| Copenhagen | 2012–13[42] | Danish Superliga | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 1 | 17 | 4 | |
| 2013–14[43] | Danish Superliga | 30 | 13 | 3 | 1 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 34 | 14 | ||
| Total | 45 | 16 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 51 | 18 | |||
| Charlton Athletic | 2014–15[44] | Championship | 41 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 43 | 11 | |
| 2015–16[45] | Championship | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17[46] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017–18[47] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[48] | League One | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[e] | 2 | 25 | 5 | |
| Total | 80 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 86 | 18 | ||
| Zulte Waregem (loan) | 2016–17[46] | Belgian First Division A | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Sint-Truiden (loan) | 2016–17[46] | Belgian First Division A | 17 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 8 | ||
| 2017–18[47] | Belgian First Division A | 26 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 27 | 5 | |||
| Total | 43 | 11 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 44 | 13 | ||||
| Westerlo | 2019–20[49] | Belgian First Division B | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21[49] | Belgian First Division B | 26 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 8 | |||
| 2021–22[49] | Belgian First Division B | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23[49] | Belgian Pro League | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 5 | |||
| Total | 87 | 18 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 92 | 18 | ||||
| Lommel | 2023–24[50] | Challenger Pro League | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25[51] | Challenger Pro League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 6 | ||||
| Career total | 335 | 75 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 359 | 83 | ||
Copenhagen
Westerlo
