Guélor Kanga (; born 1 September 1990) is a Gabonese professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
for
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...
and the
Gabon national team.
Club career
Early years in Gabon
Kanga started playing with
AS Mangasport
Association Sportive Mangasport, abbreviated AS Mangasport, is a Gabonese football club based in Moanda. It was founded in 1962. They play at the Stade Henri Sylvoz.
Achievements
*Gabon Championnat National D1: 9
:: 1995, 2000, 2004, 2005, 20 ...
in 2007.
[Guélor Kanga](_blank)
at National-Football-Teams.com Immediately in his first season as a senior at the club, he won the
Gabon Championnat National D1
Gabon Championnat National D1 is the top division of the Gabonese Football Federation, it was created in 1968.
Gabon Championnat National D1 Clubs - 2015/16
* Bitam ( Bitam)
* Cercle Mbéri Sportif (Libreville)
* FC 105 Libreville (Libreville)
...
.
In the following seasons Mangasport finished third in 2008–09 and second in 2009–10.
After three seasons at Mangasport, in 2010 he moved to
Missile FC
Missile FC is a football (soccer) club from Gabon based in the capital Libreville.
Achievements
*Gabon Championnat National D1: 1
::2010–11
Performance in CAF competitions
* CAF Champions League: 1 appearance
::2012
File:2012 Events Col ...
and took a part in the 2010–11 championship winning campaign.
However, the following season they failed to achieve the same goal and finished 5th.
In the 2012–13 season Mounana won the
Coupe du Gabon Interclubs
The Coupe du Gabon Interclubs is the top knockout tournament of the Gabonese football.
Winners
*1961-63 : ''unknown''
*1964 : AS Mangasport (Moanda)
*1965-77 : ''unknown''
*1978 : AS Stade Mandji (Ogooué-Maritime)
*1979 : AS Stade Mandji (Ogo ...
, a title Manga was still missing among the domestic ones.
Rostov
On 9 February 2013, Kanga signed a 3.5-year deal with
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...
side
FC Rostov
FC Rostov (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб Ростов) is a Russian professional football club based in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast. The club are members of the Russian Premier League, and play at the Rostov Arena. After the ...
. Kanga made his debut in the Russian Premier League on 9 March 2013 for FC Rostov against
FC Alania Vladikavkaz
FC Spartak Vladikavkaz (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Спартак Владикавказ») was a Russian football club based in Vladikavkaz (formerly Ordzhonikidze), North Ossetia–Alania. Founded in 1921, the club playe ...
.
Kanga received a three match ban in December 2014 after being sent-off for Rostov vs
FC Spartak Moscow
FC Spartak Moscow (russian: Футбольный клуб «Спартак» Москва, Futbolʹnyy klub «Spartak» Moskva, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships (second only to Dyn ...
for responding to racist abuse from the Spartak fans with an obscene gesture.
During the four seasons Kanga spent at Rostov, he made 70 appearances in the Russian Premier League and scored on seven occasions.
The first three seasons Rostov performed mostly mid-table however in his last season there the club finished second.
By then Kanga became the main target of
Miodrag Božović
Miodrag "Grof" Božović (, ; born 22 June 1968) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player.
Playing career Club
A tall central defender, Božović played alongside Yugoslav and Montenegrin legends Predrag Mijatović and Dejan Saviće ...
who had coached him at Rostov between 2012 and 2014 and was now at Serbian side
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...
who had won the
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
and were reinforcing the team for their
2016–17 UEFA Champions League campaign.
Red Star Belgrade
On 1 July 2016, Kanga signed a two-year deal with
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...
. Kanga was
Miodrag Božović
Miodrag "Grof" Božović (, ; born 22 June 1968) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player.
Playing career Club
A tall central defender, Božović played alongside Yugoslav and Montenegrin legends Predrag Mijatović and Dejan Saviće ...
's transfer wish for Red Star's upcoming
Champions League campaign, as Kanga and Božović had known each other over two years at
FC Rostov
FC Rostov (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб Ростов) is a Russian professional football club based in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast. The club are members of the Russian Premier League, and play at the Rostov Arena. After the ...
. Kanga was the first Gabonese footballer in 33 years to play on Serbian soil, as the previous one was actually the first ever footballer from Africa to play in
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
, Gabonese international
Anselme Delicat, who in 1983 debuted for Serbian club
FK Vojvodina
Fudbalski klub Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Војводина), commonly known as Vojvodina and colloquially as Voša ( sr-Cyrl, Воша), is a Serbian professional football club based in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, the second l ...
. He opened way for numerous players from other African countries that came after him to the region.
Kanga made his debut in an official match for Red Star on July 12, 2016, as a starter in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the
2016–17 UEFA Champions League against
Valletta F.C. away. Red Star won 1–2, and he assisted team mate
Aleksandar Katai
Aleksandar Katai ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Катаи; born 6 February 1991) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Red Star Belgrade and the Serbia national team.
Club career Vojvodina
Katai started playing foot ...
for the equalizer.
Kanga scored his first goal for Red Star in the first leg of the third qualifying round against
Ludogorets in
Razgrad
Razgrad ( bg, Разград ) is a city in Northeastern Bulgaria in the valley of the Beli Lom river that falls within the historical and geographical region of Ludogorie (Deliorman). It is an administrative center of Razgrad Province.
Etymolog ...
after a "parabola" shot from distance. Three days later he made his
SuperLiga debut in a win against
Metalac.
Sparta Prague
Kanga was transferred to Czech team
Sparta Prague
) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds/The Maroons).'' Letenští''
, ground = Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena
, capacity = 19,416
, clubname = Sparta Prague
, image = Sparta Praha logo.png
, image_size = 160px
, fu ...
on 2 February 2018 for an undisclosed fee. He scored 15 league goals from well executed penalties, another 13 from game.
Red Star Belgrade
On 31 July 2020, Kanga signed a three-year deal with
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...
.
International career
Ever since his debut in 2012, Kanga has been a regular at
Gabon national football team
The Gabon national football team ( French: ''Équipe de football du Gabon'') represents Gabon in men's international football. The team's nickname is The Panthers and it is governed by the Gabonese Football Federation. They have never qualified ...
.
He was selected for the Gabon team at the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations and played all three games in the group.
It was no surprise his call for the
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
squad to play in the
2017 Africa Cup of Nations of which Gabon were the hosts. Kanga featured for
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
in the
Africa Cup of Nations 2021 tournament in
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
.
Personal life
In December 2021, Guélor Kanga acquired
Serbian citizenship
Citizenship of Serbia is regulated by the ''Citizenship Law of the Republic of Serbia'', adopted in 2004 and based primarily on the principle of Jus sanguinis. Article 23 of the citizenship law stipulates that any foreign national with Serbian ...
.
Controversy
In April 2021, the
Congolese Association Football Federation
The Congolese Association Football Federation (french: Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association, FECOFA) is the governing body of football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was founded in 1919 and affiliated to the FIFA in 1964 ...
submitted a lawsuit against the country of
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
for falsification of Kanga's identity.
They claim that Kanga is born in Congo and is in fact four years older than the Gabonese birth certificate shows and that his birth name is Kiaku-Kiaku Kianga; allegedly, the Gabonese authorities gave him Gabonese citizenship with a new falsified birth certificate.
Additionally, in May 2021, it was reported that the
CAF began investigating after there were allegations that his mother died in 1986, despite his registered date of birth which is September 1990.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''As of match played 17 November 2018. Gabon score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kanga goal.''
Honours
Club
Mangasport
*
Gabon Championnat National D1
Gabon Championnat National D1 is the top division of the Gabonese Football Federation, it was created in 1968.
Gabon Championnat National D1 Clubs - 2015/16
* Bitam ( Bitam)
* Cercle Mbéri Sportif (Libreville)
* FC 105 Libreville (Libreville)
...
: 2007–08
Missile
*
Gabon Championnat National D1
Gabon Championnat National D1 is the top division of the Gabonese Football Federation, it was created in 1968.
Gabon Championnat National D1 Clubs - 2015/16
* Bitam ( Bitam)
* Cercle Mbéri Sportif (Libreville)
* FC 105 Libreville (Libreville)
...
: 2010–11
Mounana
*
Coupe du Gabon Interclubs
The Coupe du Gabon Interclubs is the top knockout tournament of the Gabonese football.
Winners
*1961-63 : ''unknown''
*1964 : AS Mangasport (Moanda)
*1965-77 : ''unknown''
*1978 : AS Stade Mandji (Ogooué-Maritime)
*1979 : AS Stade Mandji (Ogo ...
: 2013
Rostov
*
Russian Cup:
2013–14
Sparta Prague
*
Czech Cup
The Czech Cup ( cs, Pohár FAČR), officially known as the MOL Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the major men's football cup competition in the Czech Republic. It is organised by the Czech Football Association.
The Czech Cup was first held in 19 ...
:
2019–20
Red Star Belgrade
*
Serbian SuperLiga
The Serbian Super League ( sr, Супер лига Србије / Super liga Srbije), referred to as the Mozzart Bet Super League ( sr, Моцарт Бет Супер лига / Mozzart Bet Super liga) for sponsorship reasons, is a Serbian profes ...
(3):
2017–18,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
,
2021–22
*
Serbian Cup
The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије, Kup Srbije) is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round.
From 2006 to 2010, the competition was known as the Lav Cup ...
(2):
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
,
2021–22
References
External links
Profile by the Russian Premier League*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanga, Guelor
1990 births
Living people
People from Oyem
Gabonese footballers
Serbian footballers
Association football midfielders
AS Mangasport players
Missile FC players
CF Mounana players
Russian Premier League players
FC Rostov players
Serbian SuperLiga players
Red Star Belgrade footballers
Czech First League players
AC Sparta Prague players
Gabon international footballers
2015 Africa Cup of Nations players
2017 Africa Cup of Nations players
Gabonese expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Russia
Expatriate footballers in Serbia
Expatriate footballers in the Czech Republic
Naturalized citizens of Serbia
Serbian people of Gabonese descent
European sportspeople of Gabonese descent
Age controversies
21st-century Gabonese people
2021 Africa Cup of Nations players