Melingo Kevin Mbabu (born 19 April 1995) is a Swiss 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 a
defender for
Swiss Super League club
Servette
Servette is a district of the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The district's name comes from the Latin word for forest, ''silva'', and means "little forest". Its name alludes to Servette's rural past, before Geneva grew beyond its walls and incorpora ...
, on loan from
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Fulham and the
Switzerland national team.
Club career
Servette
Born in
Chêne-Bougeries
Chêne-Bougeries is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
History
Chêne-Bougeries is first mentioned in 1270 as ''Quercus''. In 1801 it was mentioned as ''Chêne-les-Bougeries''.
Chêne-Bougeries was inhabited for most of its his ...
, Switzerland, Mbabu started his career at
Servette
Servette is a district of the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The district's name comes from the Latin word for forest, ''silva'', and means "little forest". Its name alludes to Servette's rural past, before Geneva grew beyond its walls and incorpora ...
and progressed through the youth team.
At the start of the 2012–13 season, he was promoted to the first team and appeared in number of matches for the side. He made his professional debut as a 66th-minute substitute for
Servette
Servette is a district of the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The district's name comes from the Latin word for forest, ''silva'', and means "little forest". Its name alludes to Servette's rural past, before Geneva grew beyond its walls and incorpora ...
in a
Swiss Super League match against
Lausanne-Sport on 26 September 2012, which turned out to be his only appearance for the club.
Newcastle United
After a successful trial at the age of 17, Mbabu signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with
Newcastle United, moving for an undisclosed fee on 31 January 2013. Upon joining the club, he was immediately assigned to the development squad.
In the second half of the 2012–13 season, Mbabu made his home debut for the development squad on 1 April 2013, in a 2–1 win over
Stoke City Development Squad. For the rest of the second half of the 2012–13 season, he quickly impressed for the side and made seven appearances for the development side. The 2013–14 season saw Mbabu appeared in the development squad despite suffering from injuries as the season progressed.
However, in the 2014–15 season, Mbabu was plagued by injuries and affected the first half of the season. On 2 February 2015, Mbabu signed for
Scottish Championship
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...
club
Rangers on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season but he did not play in any games or even make it onto the bench once.
At the start of the 2015–16 season, Mbabu recovered from injury and continued to feature in the development squad. With lack of first team opportunities at the club, he was expected to be loaned out. But he called up to the first team by Manager
Steve McClaren
Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club.
McClaren began his coaching caree ...
following an injuries of defenders and made his Newcastle United debut against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, coming on as a substitute for
Daryl Janmaat
Daryl Janmaat (born 22 July 1989) is a Dutch professional football official and a former player who played as a right back. He is the technical director of ADO Den Haag.
He began his career at ADO Den Haag, and went on to play for the Eredivi ...
on 23 September 2015. Three days later, on 26 September 2015, Mbabu made his full Newcastle debut against
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
starting at left-back and the game finished 2–2. His performance against Chelsea was praised by pundits. He then made another start in the league on 3 October 2015, in a 6–1 loss against
Manchester City. However, he suffered a hamstring injury shortly after that kept him out throughout October. It wasn't until on 7 November 2015 when he returned as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win against
Bournemouth. Two months later, on 9 January 2016, Mbabu returned to the first team in
the third round of FA Cup against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
, where he started and played 52 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 loss. Following this, he missed the rest of the season after suffering injuries on two occasions. However, Mbabu went on to make 5 appearances in all competitions, as Newcastle United were relegated from the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
after six seasons there. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Mbabu signed a two–year contract with the club. Two years after his departure, Mbabu reflected on his time at Newcastle United.
Young Boys
![Kevin Mbabu Young Boys](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Kevin_Mbabu_Young_Boys.jpg)
On 23 August 2016, Mbabu completed a season-long loan move to
Swiss Super League-club
Young Boys.
However, Mbabu's start of his Young Boys saw him appear on the substitute bench in the first two months there. It wasn't until on 2 October 2016 when he made his Young Boys debut, coming on as a late substitute, in a 2–2 draw against
FC St. Gallen
Fussballclub St. Gallen 1879, commonly known as St. Gallen, is a Swiss professional football club based in the city of St. Gallen, Canton of St. Gallen. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the Swiss Super League.
History
Founde ...
. Several weeks later, on 23 October 2016, Mbabu made his first start and played the whole game, in a 4–0 win over
Grasshopper. Three days later, on 26 October 2016, Mbabu scored his first goal for the club in the last 16 of Swiss Cup, in a 5–0 win over Grasshoppers. After missing one match in late–October, he was sent–off in a follow–up match on 3 November 2016, in a 1–0 loss against
APOEL
APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...
in the Group Stage of the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
. Mbabu then scored his first league goal for the club a month later on 3 December 2016, in a 3–1 win over
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, a ...
. Following this, Mbabu continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position for the number of matches. Despite being suspended on three occasions later in the season, Mbabu went on to make 24 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Mbabu signed a permanent contract with the club. It was reported that he signed a three–year contract with the club, as Newcastle United agreed to sell him.
![Kevin Mbabu 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Kevin_Mbabu_2017.jpg)
In the
2017–18 season, Mbabu started the season well when he started the match and helped the side beat regaining Champions side FC Basel 2–0 in the opening game of the season. He then helped the side keep three more clean sheets in the next two matches against Grasshoppers,
Dynamo Kyiv
Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Dynamo Sports Society, the club as a separate business entity was officia ...
and
Lausanne-Sport. He continued to establish himself in the starting eleven for the side, playing in the right–back position. His performance became recognised that there were calls for him to be called up by the
national team squad.
He then scored his first goal of the season on 1 October 2017, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 6–1 win over FC St. Gallen. Between the three matches on 29 October 2017 and 19 November 2017, Mbabu set up three goals in three separate matches against
FC Sion
Football Club de Sion, commonly known as simply FC Sion or Sion, is a Swiss football team from the city of Sion. The club was founded in 1909, and play their home matches at the Stade Tourbillon. They have won the Swiss Super League twice, and ...
, Basel and
FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in Zürich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
. After missing one game through suspension, Mbabu scored on his return on 10 December 2017, in a 1–1 draw against Grasshoppers. By the conclusion of the first half of the season, the club became a title contender, having been at the top of the table. At the SFL Award Night 2017, Mbabu were among several players to be named Team of the Year. From 17 December 2017 and 17 March 2018, he was involved in the team that saw the side go eight matches winning streak in the league. During the streak, Mbabu was later chosen Player of the Month for this display. Despite suffering two injuries later in the season, Mbabu, nevertheless, was part of the Young Boys squad that won the
2017–18 Swiss Super League, their first league title for 32 years.
Wolfsburg
On 25 April 2019, Mbabu signed a four-year contract with
VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
, with the player joining the club in July ahead of the
2019–20 season. Mbabu opted to wear the No.19 shirt for Wolfsburg in honour of
Junior Malanda who died following a car accident in northern Germany on 10 January 2015.
![Kevin Mbabu - Wolfsburg (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Kevin_Mbabu_-_Wolfsburg_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On , during the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
, it was reported that a
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
test Mbabu had taken on had returned positive.
Mbabu was placed in quarantine at home, and would likely miss a scheduled game on in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
that had been postponed due to the pandemic. As a precaution, testing was carried out on the athletes before they resumed training, and all other tests carried out on and had returned negative.
Fulham
On 27 July 2022, Mbabu joined newly promoted
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
club
Fulham for a reported fee of €5.5 million with and additional €2 million in add-ons, on a three-year deal, with the option to extend for a further twelve months. "Kevin is a player whom we’ve pursued for several years. He brings great physical tools to our Club in addition to his vast experience," said club owner Tony Khan.
Loan to Servette
On 13 February, Mbabu returned to his youth club
Servette FC on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.
International career
Due to his mixed descent, Mbabu was eligible to play for
Switzerland,
DR Congo and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
He was a youth international for Switzerland, from the under–16 to under–21 side.
Senior career
In May 2018, Mbabu was named in the Switzerland's preliminary squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. However, he was cut from the squad after Switzerland's preliminary squad was cut to 26. He made his debut on 8 September 2018, in the starting lineup against the
2018–19 UEFA Nations League
The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The league phase of the competiti ...
match against
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
.
In May 2019, he played in
2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, where his team finished 4th.
Personal life
Born in
Chêne-Bougeries
Chêne-Bougeries is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
History
Chêne-Bougeries is first mentioned in 1270 as ''Quercus''. In 1801 it was mentioned as ''Chêne-les-Bougeries''.
Chêne-Bougeries was inhabited for most of its his ...
, Switzerland, to a Congolese mother and a
French father, Mbabu has two sisters (one of which is his step–sister) and one brother. However, Mbabu revealed that he never met his biological father and when his mother was remarried, his Austrian step–father raised him and played a role of introducing him to football.
As he was introduced to football, he played in the forward position before switching to the defender position.
Alongside his native
French, Mbabu reportedly speaks
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(though he acknowledged the difficulty of the language).
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Young Boys
*
Swiss Super League:
2017–18,
Schweizer Meister YB – In Bern ist das Glück zu Gast
/ref> 2018–19
Individual
* Axpo Swiss League Player of the Year: 2018
References
External links
*
Kevin Mbabu profile
at servettefc.ch
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbabu, Kevin
1995 births
Living people
Sportspeople from the canton of Geneva
Association football defenders
Swiss men's footballers
Switzerland youth international footballers
Switzerland international footballers
Swiss people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
Swiss people of French descent
Servette FC players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Rangers F.C. players
BSC Young Boys players
VfL Wolfsburg players
Fulham F.C. players
Swiss Super League players
Premier League players
Bundesliga players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
Swiss expatriate footballers
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate footballers in England
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
Expatriate footballers in Scotland
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Expatriate footballers in Germany