Jirès Kembo Ekoko (born 8 January 1988) is a retired 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 le ...

who played as a striker. His father is

Kembo Uba Kembo Jean Kembo Uba-Kembo (27 December 1947 – 26 March 2007) was a Congolese football midfielder who played for Zaire in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Career Born in Matete, Kembo played club football for AS Vita Club, where he would win the Afric ...

, who played for

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

(formerly Zaire) national team in the

1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...

. Born in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, Kembo Ekoko is a former youth international for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Early life

Born in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

, Kembo Ekoko moved to France when he was six years old and lived in

Bondy Bondy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. In 2019, it had a population of 54,587. Name The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around ...

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

with his uncle and older sister. His mother decided to send him to Europe for education, while his parents remained in Zaire (later renamed Congo in 1997). Kembo Ekoko was adopted by the Mbappé family, and is the adopted brother of

Kylian Mbappé Kylian Mbappé Lottin (born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is renowned for his dribb ...

and Ethan Mbappé. Kembo Ekoko began playing football in the street and was spotted by scouts while playing in school. At age 9, Kembo Ekoko signed with the youth team AS Bondy in 1997. Four years later, he would join another youth team, Clairefontaine. After three years of training, he would join

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

. Upon joining the club, Kembo Ekoko soon joined the youth team and made an impression. Due to his technical qualities, he was nicknamed "Kembinho" by his teammates. By the end of May, he signed his first professional contract.

Club career

Stade Rennais

In his first season, Kembo Ekoko made his debut, coming on for

Jimmy Briand Jimmy Julien Briand (born 2 August 1985) is a French professional footballer. He started his career as a striker, but is now usually deployed on the wing. Briand is a graduate of Clairefontaine academy and was a France youth international. He ...

in the late minutes of a 2–1 loss against

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

. Since his debut, he played very little on first team that season, which led him being linked with several clubs in the lower division, but the club rejected the bids. In his second season, Kembo Ekoko's playing time was limited. Under

Pierre Dréossi Pierre Dréossi (born 12 October 1959) is a French football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Lille OSC, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, OGC Nice, Paris Saint-Germain and AS Cannes. He was head coach of Stade Rennais until ...

, Kembo Ekoko played his first game in the UEFA Cup against

Lokomotiv Sofia Lokomotiv 1929 ( bg, Локомотив 1929) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently plays in the First League, the top tier of Bulgarian football. Founded as Railway Sports Club in 1929, and refou ...

in a 2–1 loss, before coming off for Jérôme Leroy. In the next UEFA Cup match, Kembo Ekoko set up a goal for

Bruno Cheyrou Bruno Olivier Cheyrou (born 10 May 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Cheyrou was born in Suresnes, Hauts-de-Seine. After success with Lille OSC, where he scored against Manchester Unite ...

in a 1–1 draw against Brann. At the end of the season, he earned French citizenship, and a call up for the France national team. In his third season, Kembo Ekoko made 13 appearances and scored 3 goals, under Dréossi's successor

Guy Lacombe Guy Hubert Georges Lacombe (born 12 June 1955) is a French football manager and former professional player. Playing career Lacombe was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. ...

. Under Lacombe, he received more playing time. In the third match of the

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Football in France, French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was est ...

against

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

on 24 September 2008, Kembo Ekoko scored his first Coupe de la Ligue goal in a 2–2 draw. As a result, he was linked with Reading F.C, although a bid was not accepted. The club would win 4–3 on penalties in the next round shootout to go through to the last sixteen of

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

on 4 March 2009. Kembo also scored his first Coupe de France's goal in a 3–0 win over

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

. A week later following his first Coupe de France goal, Kembo Ekoko scored his first league goal against Le Mans (the team he scored his first goal in Coupe de la Ligue). His performance suggested the club should give him more playing time, but he began to grow impatient with being on the bench and wanted more playing time. The club would reach the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of Coupe de France against

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guinga ...

. Ahead of the match, Lacombe would put

Olivier Thomert Olivier Thomert (born 28 March 1980) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger who currently plays for French amateur club Claye Souilly Sports. He made nearly 200 appearances in the top flight of French football. Care ...

Romain Danzé Romain Danzé (born 3 July 1986) is a French former professional footballer who spent his entire career with Stade Rennais in Ligue 1. He played as a right-back, but could also play as a midfielder or left-back. Danzé spent his entire career ...

and

Moussa Sow Moussa Sow (born 19 January 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level, scoring 18 goals in 50 appearances. He was known for his bicycle kick goals and emotional reac ...

in three-way attack and the club is without injured

and with the club losing 2–1, Kembo Ekoko came on as a substitute in a late minute for

. In the end, Guingamp won their first title. Weeks after the final on 23 May 2009, Kembo Ekoko scored his second goal in a 3–1 win over Lorient. After the 2008/09 season, Lacombe would leave the club and was replaced by

Frédéric Antonetti Frédéric Antonetti (born 19 August 1961) is a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of French club Metz. He previously managed Bastia, Gamba Osaka, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Rennes and Lille. Earl ...

. In his fourth season, many strikers like Briand, Sow and

Mickaël Pagis Mickaël Pagis (born 17 August 1973) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is a beach soccer player. Career Pagis' nickname is "Pagistral", based on his name and the French word "magistral" (brilliant). A firm f ...

all left the club but the club managed to bring

Asamoah Gyan Asamoah Gyan ( ; born 22 November 1985) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who last played as a striker for Legon Cities FC and is the former captain of the Ghanaian national team. Gyan began his career in 2003 with Ghanaian Premier Leag ...

(his future Al Ain teammate) and

Ismaël Bangoura Ismaël Bangoura (born 2 January 1985) is a Guinean former footballer who played as a forward. Although his primary position is striker, Bangoura has also played as a winger and attacking midfielder. Club career Early career Bangoura began ...

putting Kembo Ekoko out of the first team. Despite being pushed out of the first team, he scored his first goal of the season in a 4–1 win over

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

on 20 March 2010. As his contract was set to expire at the end of the 2009/10 season, Kembo Ekoko signed a new contract, keeping him until 2013. Unlike the previous season, he barely received playing time at the club. In his fifth season, Kembo Ekoko managed to make a return to the first team after Gyan and Bangoura both left the club, and received Víctor Montaño. This allowed manager Antonetti to give him more playing time He scored three goals in three games against Lyon, Auxerre and Brest. His performance led the federation of Congo to ask Kembo Ekoko to join the national team, in his father's footsteps, but he declined, insisting he should concentrate on his club career. During a match against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

on 12 December 2010, he suffered an ankle injury in the second half from

Salif Sané Salif Sané (born 25 August 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Senegal national team. Born in France, he represents Senegal at international level. Early and personal life Sané was born in Lormont, France to S ...

. He would undergo surgery which was a success but he suffered a series of complications with a hamstring injury. After taking time to completely heal, he returned to training at the end of July, ahead of the new season. Jirès Kembo Ekoko

In his sixth season, Kembo Ekoko came on as a substitute for

Razak Boukari Abdoul-Razak "Razak" Boukari (born 25 April 1987) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a winger. He progressed from Châteauroux to play top-level football in France for both Lens and Rennes, before joining Wolverhampton Wandere ...

and after ten minutes, he scored the only goal in the game against French giant

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

. Since then, he maintained goalscoring form, making him one of the most effective strikers in Ligue 1, but would lose his form in the second half of the season, although in the final game of the season he scored twice in a 5–0 win over

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

. That win relegated Dijon after one season. In the qualifying round of the Europa League, he scored his first Europa League goal and set up in a 4–0 win over

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 ...

. That win earned the club advancement to the Group Stage. He scored 13 goals (including all league and cups), the best total of his career since turning professional. In the summer, Kembo Ekoko was in negotiations to sign a new contract, as his contract would expire the following month. By early August, Antonetti announced Kembo Ekoko was close to sign a new deal. After Kembo Ekoko left Rennes for Al Ain, Antonetti said he was disappointed by his departure.

Al Ain

After one appearance for Rennes against

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, he joined

Al Ain FC Al Ain Football Club ( ar, نادي العين لكرة القدم; transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn) or Al Ain FC or simply Al Ain is a professional football club, based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many spo ...

on a four-year deal.

International career

Kembo Ekoko was eligible to play for

, since he received French citizenship in 2008, and was called up for the national's team U21 squad.

Honours

Al Ain *

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 2014–15 *

UAE Super Cup The UAE Super Cup ( ar, كأس السوبر الإماراتي), is the curtain raiser of the United Arab Emirates football season. It is played between the previous season's UAE League, Pro-League winners and UAE President's Cup, President's Cup W ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

El Jaish *

Qatar Cup The Qatar Cup is a tournament in men's football. It is played by the top 4 teams of the Qatar Stars League after each season. In 2013, the tournament was renamed Qatar Cup. Previous winners Top-Performing Clubs References External links ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

References

External links

Jirès Kembo Ekoko profile
at

Stade Rennais F.C. Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pla ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kembo Ekoko, Jires 1988 births Living people Footballers from Kinshasa French footballers France under-21 international footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo footballers French sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Association football forwards INF Clairefontaine players Stade Rennais F.C. players Al Ain FC players El Jaish SC players Al-Nasr SC (Dubai) players Ligue 1 players Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate footballers in Qatar UAE Pro League players Qatar Stars League players Sportspeople from Bondy Footballers from Seine-Saint-Denis Black French sportspeople