 M'Poku playing forIncheon United FC in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul-José M'Poku Ebunge[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-04-19)19 April 1992 (age 33) | ||
| Place of birth | Kinshasa,Zaire | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft10+1⁄2 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger,attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Batin | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2002 | Cornesse FC | ||
| 2002–2004 | Entente Rechaintoise | ||
| 2004–2008 | Standard Liège | ||
| 2008–2010 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | →Leyton Orient (loan) | 27 | (3) |
| 2011–2016 | Standard Liège | 71 | (13) |
| 2015 | →Cagliari (loan) | 16 | (3) |
| 2015–2016 | →Chievo (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Chievo | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | →Panathinaikos (loan) | 25 | (2) |
| 2017–2020 | Standard Liège | 69 | (15) |
| 2020–2021 | Al Wahda | 27 | (6) |
| 2021–2022 | Konyaspor | 27 | (3) |
| 2022–2025 | Incheon United | 52 | (4) |
| 2025 | UTA Arad | 10 | (3) |
| 2025– | Al-Batin | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007 | Belgium U15 | 5 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Belgium U16 | 9 | (2) |
| 2008–2009 | Belgium U17 | 7 | (5) |
| 2009–2010 | Belgium U18 | 7 | (3) |
| 2010–2011 | Belgium U19 | 17 | (3) |
| 2011–2014 | Belgium U21 | 20 | (4) |
| 2015–2022 | DR Congo | 22 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11 June 2021 | |||
Paul-José M'Poku Ebunge (born 19 April 1992) is a Congolese professionalfootballer who plays as awinger or as anattacking midfielder for Saudi clubAl-Batin.
Born inKinshasa,Zaire, M'Poku moved toBelgium as a child. Prior to joining Tottenham Hotspur in June 2008, he had played for Belgian clubStandard Liège[3] and signed his first professional contract on 24 April 2009.[4]
Representing Tottenham Hotspur in thePremier Academy League, he was a prolific scorer and was included in the squad for the FA Cup replay againstBolton Wanderers on 26 February 2010.[5][6]
On 24 September 2010, M'Poku moved toLeyton Orient on a month's loan, to last until 23 October.[7]
He made his professional debut coming on as a substitute for Orient againstWalsall on 28 September. After impressing Orient managerRussell Slade, M'Poku's loan was extended until 8 January 2011.[8] He scored his first goal in English football with Orient's third in the 8–2 thrashing ofDroylsden in the FA Cup on 7 December.[9] His loan was subsequently extended until the end of the season.[10] He scored two league goals for Orient: their third in the 4–2 win overColchester United on 3 January,[11] and a late 25-yard winner againstOldham Athletic on 12 March.[12] He made 35 appearances for Orient in all competitions.
Without making a first team appearance at Tottenham Hotspur, he was transferred back to Standard Liège in July 2011 for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract.[13][14]
M’Poku remained out of the first team at the start of the 2011–12 season until on 28 August 2011, he made his first team appearance as an un-used substitute, in a 1–1 draw againstBeerschot.[15] M’Poku then made his Standard Liege debut, where he came on as a substitute forGeoffrey Mujangi Bia in the last minutes, in a 2–1 win overClub Brugge on 6 November 2011.[16] In his first season at Standard Liege, M’Poku was featured less in the first team under the management ofJosé Riga.,[17] as he made eight appearances for the club.
The 2012–13 season saw M’Poku get more playing time at the club under the new management ofMircea Rednic.[17] M'Poku scored his first goal on 23 November 2012 in a 3–0 win againstLierse.[18] M’Poku then provided a double assist, in a 3–0 win over Beerschot on 27 December 2012.[19] In thePlay-Offs, M’Poku went to score five more goals againstZulte Waregem[20] (scored against them in another encounter[21]),Genk,[22]Lokeren[23] and Club Brugge[24] despite suffering from a knee injury, but managed to recover from it.[25][26] M’Poku then scored a hat-trick in a 7–0 win overGent on 26 May 2013 to help the club qualify for theEuropa League next season.[27] M’Poku finished the 2012–13 season, making thirty one appearance and scoring nine times in all competitions.
The 2013–14 season saw M’Poku being linked with a move to rivals,Anderlecht, though the club's owner,Roland Duchâtelet, said there were no offers made for M’Poku from Anderlecht.[28] Despite this, M’Poku remained at the club. M’Poku started the 2013–14 season well when he scored his first goals of the season, in a 3–1 win overKR in the first leg of second round of Europa League[29] and scored his first league goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over Genk on 11 August 2013.[30] M’Poku scored in the second leg of the Europa League Qualification Round, in a 3–0 win overMinsk[31] and scored his second league goal, in a 2–0 win overKortrijk.[32] By the end of 2013, M’Poku scored againstBruxelles,[33]Cercle Brugge,[34]Red Bull Salzburg,[35]Lierse[36] and Genk.[37] M’Poku later added three goals in the 2013–14 season against Cercle Brugge,[38] Zulte Waregem[39] and Lokeren.[40] At the end of the 2013–14 season, which saw Standard Liege failing to win the league, M’Poku made forty–nine appearances and scored twelve times. He was also nominated for theEbony Shoes,[41] but lost out toThorgan Hazard. Despite this, M’Poku was rewarded with a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2018.[42]
In the 2014–15 season, M’Poku continued to attract interests around Europe[43] and Qatar,[44][45] but remained at the club.[46] M’Poku started the season well when he scored in the second leg of the third round of Champions League, in a 2–1 win overPanathinaikos and was awarded Man of the Match by Sporza.[45][47] Then on 21 September 2014, M’Poku scored his first league goal of the season and set up a goal, in a 2–0 win overWaasland-Beveren.[48] He also four more goals by November against Zulte Waregem,[49]Anderlecht,[50]Mechelen,[51] regaining Europa League ChampionsSevilla[52] and Genk.[53] However, M’Poku suffered injuries by the end of 2014.[54][55]
In the January transfer window, M’Poku continued to attract interests and was on a verge of joining Qatar sideAl-Arabi and expected to be loaned out to a European club.[56] However, the move suffered a huge setback over his fitness[57] and the move was eventually cancelled.[58] After the move was broken down, M’Poku was then linked with a move toBundesliga sideMainz 05[59] andSerie A sideInter Milan.[60]
On 1 February 2015, M'Poku signed forCagliari on loan until the end of the season.[61] Upon joining the club, M’Poku revealed that then-ManagerGianfranco Zola persuaded him to join the club.[62]
M’Poku made his Cagliari debut, where he came on as a substitute forAlejandro González in the 61st minute, and scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss againstRoma on 8 February 2015.[63] Two weeks later, on 23 February 2015, M’Poku made his first start, playing 90 minutes, in a 2–1 loss againstInter Milan.[64] M’Poku scored his second Cagliari goal and set up one of the goals, in a 4–0 win overParma on 4 May 2015.[65] In the last game of the season, M’Poku scored his third Cagliari goal and set up one of the goals, in a 4–3 win overUdinese.[66] M’Poku made sixteen appearances and scoring three times, but was unable to help the club survive relegation to Serie B next season.
After being unregistered by Standard Liege ahead of the new season,[67] it was announced on 13 July 2015, M’Poku was loaned out to another Italian club by joiningChievo on a season-loan deal for the 2015–16 season.[68]
M’Poku made his Chievo debut in the opening game of the season, where he made his first start and played 45 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 win overEmpoli.[69] However, in a 1–0 loss against Inter Milan on 23 September 2015, M’Poku suffered an injury after colliding with Inter'sFelipe Melo and was substituted after playing 14 minutes.[70] M’Poku then made his return to the first team on 28 October 2015, where he came on as a substitute in the second half, in a 1–0 loss againstA.C. Milan.[71] However, M’Poku struggled to score goal, like he did at Cagliari, as he made twenty appearances and scoring none, as he spent most of the season on the substitute bench.
After a loan spell at Chievo, M’Poku joined the club on a permanent basis, signing a three–year contract on 31 May 2016.[72]
On 31 August 2016, M'Poku signed a year long-term loan with Greek giantsPanathinaikos on loan from Chievo, for an undisclosed fee.[73] On 30 October he scored his first goal with the club in a 2–0 homeLeague game againstIraklis.
On 3 July 2017, M’Poku decided to leavePanathinaikos as he agreed to return to his former club of Standard Liege. According to various sources, the Belgian Club moved to sign the Congolese winger, by putting on the table a bid of €1.5 million. M’Poku underwent medical examinations before signing a five-year contract.[74]
On 17 March 2018 he played as Standard Liege beatGenk 1–0 in extra time to win the2018 Belgian Cup Final and qualify for theUEFA Europa League.[75]
On 21 January 2020,Al Wahda signed M'Poku fromStandard Liège.[76]
On 12 December 2022, M'Poku has joinedIncheon United FC of South KoreanK League 1.[77]
In 17 February 2025, M'Poku signed a contract with RomanianLiga I clubFC UTA Arad.[78]
On 10 September 2025, M'Poku joined Saudi FDL clubAl-Batin.[79]
M'Poku represented Belgium at youth level, such as,Belgium U15,Belgium U16,Belgium U17,[80]Belgium U18,Belgium U19,[81] andBelgium U21.[82]
On 19 February 2015, M'Poku announced his decision to play forDR Congo despite being monitored bythe senior team.[83] M'Poku scored on his DR Congo debut in the friendly match on 28 March 2015, in a 2–1 loss againstIraq.[84] In January 2017 M'poku was selected in DR Congo's final squad for the2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
Though he was linked with a move to Anderlecht, M’Poku stated he expressed his dislike towards the club on his Twitter account.[85]
M'Poku's brotherAlbert Sambi Lokonga is also a professional footballer.[86]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Leyton Orient (loan) | 2010–11 | League One | 27 | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 1[a] | 0 | 35 | 4 | ||
| Standard Liège | 2011–12 | Belgian Pro League | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 4[b] | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11[c] | 8 | 31 | 9 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | 10[d] | 3 | 10[b] | 1 | 49 | 12 | |||
| 2014–15 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 9[e] | 2 | — | 27 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 71 | 13 | 6 | 1 | — | 19 | 5 | 25 | 9 | 121 | 28 | |||
| Cagliari (loan) | 2014–15 | Serie A | 16 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 3 | ||||
| Chievo (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| Panathinaikos (loan) | 2016–17 | Super League Greece | 25 | 2 | 7 | 2 | — | 4[d] | 0 | — | 36 | 4 | ||
| Standard Liège | 2017–18 | Belgian First Division A | 28 | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 6[f] | 0 | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2018–19 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 6[g] | 0 | 8[h] | 1 | 37 | 8 | |||
| 2019–20 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 6[d] | 1 | — | 27 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 69 | 15 | 8 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 103 | 17 | |||
| Al Wahda | 2019–20 | UAE Pro League | 7 | 1 | — | — | 2[i] | 1 | — | 9 | 2 | |||
| 2020–21 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 30 | 7 | |||
| Konyaspor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 29 | 3 | |||||
| Incheon United | 2023 | K League 1 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[i] | 1 | — | 33 | 5 | ||
| 2024 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 52 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 63 | 6 | ||||
| UTA Arad | 2024–25 | Liga I | 10 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | ||||
| Career Total | 344 | 52 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 8 | 40 | 10 | 463 | 75 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | |||
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 28 March 2015 | Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium,Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |  Iraq | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly | |
| 2. | 5 June 2016 | Rabemananjara Stadium,Mahajanga, Madagascar |  Madagascar | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 3. | 4–0 | ||||||
| 4. | 24 January 2017 | Stade de Port-Gentil,Port-Gentil, Gabon |  Togo | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 5. | 29 January 2017 | Stade d'Oyem,Oyem, Gabon |  Ghana | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 6. | 5 September 2017 | Stade des Martyrs,Kinshasa, DR Congo |  Tunisia | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Standard Liège
DR Congo squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
