Romuald Boco (born 8 July 1985) is a

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 last played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an 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 central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

. Born in France, he has represented

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

at full international level.

Club career

Accrington Stanley

Born in

Bernay, Eure Bernay () is a commune in the west of the Eure department in Northern France. In 2012, Bernay was designated one of the French Towns and Lands of Art and History. Geography Bernay is in the valley of the Charentonne, a tributary of the Risle, ...

, Boco signed for

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...

just before the 2005

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

deadline from

Niort Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres. The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...

. He had the honour of scoring the first two

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

goals for Stanley, in a 2–1 win against

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

. He instantly became a favourite among the fans who stated they were "loco for Boco.". After returning from the

2008 African Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confede ...

, he requested his contract be terminated, due to Homesickness. On 30 January 2016, Accrington Stanley announced that Boco had rejoined the club until Season End. He will take retake his 26 shirt as worn in his original stint with the club.

Sligo Rovers

On 11 February 2008, he signed for Sligo Rovers of the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

Premier Division. His new manager

Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956) is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He was also called "Cookie" by his friends on the punk music scene. Early life and career Cook was raised in Hammersmith and atte ...

, who he previously played with at Accrington Stanley, was happy with his latest signing ahead of his team's new campaign, "I didn't think I'd get him, I thought that he would be out of our reach but, thankfully we have secured him," said Cook. "I don't want to put pressure on him, but I'm certain that the fans will see that he is the real deal and with the other signings we've made, I believe that we're in for a very exciting season." He scored his first league goal for Sligo Rovers in a 3–1 win over

Cobh Ramblers Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) ( ga, Cumann Peile Chóstóirí Chóbh) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colm ...

. He helped Rovers to qualification for 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. It ...

, formerly known as the UEFA Cup. On 7 June 2009, he expressed concern at the financial situation within the League of Ireland in an interview with the BBC. Boco left Sligo when his contract expired at the end of the 2009 season. Boco was on trial with

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...

in a bid to earn a contract with the championship club, however nothing materialised and he then went on trial with

Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...

after his contract with Sligo Rovers ran out and he decided not to sign a new one.

Burton Albion

Boco joined

on a deal until the end of the season on 24 February 2010.

Sligo Rovers return

Boco rejoined Sligo Rovers on 30 July 2010 signing a contract which will expire by the end of the 2010 season. He played a major part in helping Rovers win the 2010 FAI Ford Cup after being changed position a right or left winger. When he first signed for

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 ...

he was a striker that was sometimes used as a

centre 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 ...

and then changed to

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. on 23 November, Paul Cook admitted that it's doubtful Boco will signed a new contract after turning down the club's "final" offer. Despite talks of the club and Boco agreeing terms, on 23 February 2011

announced that Boco would not be returning to the Showgrounds for the coming season. Boco then went on to join

Shanghai East Asia Shanghai Port FC (), previously named Shanghai SIPG, is a professional football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Pudong, Shanghai, and their home sta ...

on a deal until the end of the season. After a promising first season in China, Boco rejoined Sligo Rovers on 19 December 2011 after talks with

. The move would be his third spell for the Sligo. After consistently impressing during Sligo's pre-season fixtures, Boco scored his first goal back in the red of Sligo during the team's 2–0 win over Glentoran in the Setanta Cup Quarter Final first leg. On 31 August 2012, it was announced Boco had re-joined former club

on a one-year deal.

Accrington Stanley

He made a good start to his second stint at the Crown Ground, scoring vital goals in order to keep Stanley's League status. He has built a reputation for his tireless work rate and running. He has the perfect start to his second stint at Accrington scoring his first goal away to Cheltenham Town in September. Two more goals followed away to Chesterfield, Rochdale, Barnet, Fleetwood Town, Bradford City, Chesterfield again and Rochdale again. He is currently the top scorer for Accrington during this season. He has once again become a firm fan favorite with his work rate and has been nominated for player of the year award.

Plymouth Argyle

Boco signed a one-year contract with

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

in July 2013, and made his debut in the club's first game of the new season at

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

Chesterfield

Romuald signed for

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

on 8 August 2014 on a non-contract basis. This once again reunited him with manager

who he previously played under at Sligo and Accrington. Boco scored on his debut against

in a 2–1 victory for the Spireites.

Bharat FC

On 20 January 2015, Boco signed for Indian

I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...

newcomers Kalyani Bharat FC, as the club's marquee player. He debuted for the

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

based side against

Dempo SC Dempo Sports Club, or simply known as Dempo, is an Indian professional football club based in Panjim, Goa, that competes in the Goa Professional League. The club is owned and sponsored by the Dempo Mining Corporation Limited. Popularly known a ...

. He has appeared in all 20 league matches in the 2014-15 I-League season, under the coaching of

Stuart Watkiss Stuart Watkiss (born 8 May 1966) is an English football coach and former professional player who is the assistant coach of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. As a player, he was a defender and notably played in the Football League with Wolv ...

International career

Boco was part of the Beninese

2004 African Nations Cup The 2004 African Cup of Nations, known as the NOKIA African Cup of Nations, Tunisia 2004 for sponsorship reasons (also referred to as AFCON 2004 or CAN 2004) is the 24th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's footb ...

team, who finished bottom of their group in the first round of the competition. Boco and Benin finished third in 2005

African Youth Championship The U-20 Africa Cup of Nations also called TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsoring reason (previously known as the African Youth Championship or the African U-20 Championship) is the main international youth football competition ...

. He also scored a goal against

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

in the tournament. He has also represented Benin U20 team at the

2005 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 15th edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2005. Venues Qualification The following 24 teams qualified for the 2005 FIFA Worl ...

under the coaching of

Serge Devèze Serge Devèze (25 September 1956 – 17 December 2015) was a French association football manager, active primarily in Africa with the national teams of Guinea, Gabon and Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Repub ...

and appeared in all three group matches. Benin finished third in the Group A and bowed out of the tournament. Boco captained Benin in the

2008 African Nations Cup The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confede ...

in what was only the country's second time qualifying for the competition, and was part of the Beninese 2010 African Nations Cup team. He scored his first and only goal for the national team on 11 February 2009 against

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

in a friendly match, that ended as their 2–1 defeat. Between 2004 and 2013, Boco earned 50 caps for Benin internationally, scoring a goal.

Honours

International

;Benin U20 *

: Third place (1):

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

Club

;Accrington Stanley *

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...

: 2005–06 ;Sligo Rovers *

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...

Career statistics

Club

References

External links

* *
Romuald Boco Interview
at irishtimes.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Boco, Romuald 1985 births Living people People from Bernay, Eure Citizens of Benin through descent Beninese footballers Benin international footballers French footballers Association football midfielders Chamois Niortais F.C. players Accrington Stanley F.C. players Sligo Rovers F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Shanghai Port F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Bharat FC players Portsmouth F.C. players Havant & Waterlooville F.C. players Ligue 2 players China League One players National League (English football) players English Football League players League of Ireland players I-League players 2004 African Cup of Nations players 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players Beninese expatriate footballers Beninese expatriate sportspeople in England Beninese expatriate sportspeople in Ireland Beninese expatriate sportspeople in China Beninese expatriate sportspeople in India French expatriate footballers French sportspeople of Beninese descent Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate association footballers in the Republic of Ireland Expatriate footballers in China Expatriate footballers in India Sportspeople from Eure Footballers from Normandy Black French sportspeople