Josué Kossingou Balamandji (born 9 August 1989 in

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...

) is a Central African

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 currently plays for

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

. He plays as either a

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

or a winger.

Career

Club career

Balamandji was born in

and moved to France at two months old. After rotating between both countries in his youth, at the age of eight, his family moved permanently to France settling in Paris. Balamandji began his career with

Red Star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...

before joining professional club Lens at the age of 15. Following the 2006–07 season, he was released from the club and, subsequently, signed with Lorient. With Lorient, Balamandji played on the club's reserve team. After two years with Lorient, he signed with

Plabennec Plabennec (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. History The area around Plabennec has been occupied since Neolithic times and into the Bronze Age. The commune of Plabennec was formed around the 6th c ...

in the

Championnat National The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...

. Balamandji only made one appearance with the team in the 2009–10 season. Prior to the 2010–11 season, Balamandji joined amateur club Villemomble in the

Championnat de France amateur The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue ...

, the fourth level of French football. The forward had a successful campaign appearing in 20 matches and scoring 11 goals, which included a double against his former club Red Star. On 24 May 2011, it was announced that Balamandji had signed his first professional contract agreeing to a two-year deal with Reims. He made his professional debut on 30 July 2011 appearing as a substitute in a 2–0 win over his former club Lens.

Career statistics

Club

''(Correct as of 28 November 2011)''

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balamandji, Josue Living people 1989 births People from Bangui Central African Republic footballers Central African Republic international footballers Naturalized citizens of France French footballers French sportspeople of Central African Republic descent PFC Chernomorets Burgas players Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Bulgaria Ligue 2 players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Association football wingers Association football forwards Central African Republic emigrants to France Central African Republic expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Stade Plabennécois players