Granddi N'Goyi Majundu (born 17 May 1988) is a former 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 lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He made one appearance for the

DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, having previously represented France internationally at youth level.

Club career

Paris St. Germain and loans

N'Goyi was born to DR Congolese parents in

Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, ...

, a suburb of the French capital

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He began his career in the youth ranks of capital club

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

. In 2007, he graduated to the first team of Paris Saint-Germain, where he made seven first team appearances in

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

for the club, with him mainly playing back up to

Claude Makélélé Claude Makélélé Sinda (born 18 February 1973) is a French Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He last managed Super League Greece club Astera ...

and

Jérémy Clément Jérémy Clément (born 26 August 1984) is a French professional football manager and former player. Playing as a midfielder, he spent most of his career with two clubs, Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Étienne. Playing career Though born in Bé ...

in the defensive midfielder positions. On 7 January 2009, he went on loan to

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

side

Clermont Foot Clermont Foot 63 (Occitan: ''Clarmont d'Auvèrnhe''; commonly referred to as Clermont Foot) is a French professional football club based in Clermont-Ferrand, France. It competes in Ligue 2. The first incarnation of the club was formed in 1911 and ...

. In total, he played 19 games and scored 1 goal for Clermont. After impressing on loan, he returned to Paris Saint-Germain for the 2009–10 season, where he played more regularly, playing in 16 of Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 games and making a further four appearances in cup games, again N'Goyi was usually used as a back up to Makélélé and Clément. He spent the 2010–11 season on loan at Brest playing 25 games. After his former France U21 teammate

Blaise Matuidi Blaise Matuidi (born 9 April 1987) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus FC, Juventus, and the France nati ...

signed for Paris Saint-Germain, N'Goyi went on loan to Ligue 2 side

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

for the 2011–12 season. He revealed after the signing of Matuidi that he joined Nantes as he wanted to be playing regular football at this stage of his career rather than being a backup player at Paris Saint-Germain. In total, he played 20 games scoring 1 goal for Nantes.

Troyes

On 28 June 2012, he signed a three-year contract with

Troyes AC Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne (ESTAC), commonly known as Troyes, is a football in France, French professional association football club based in Troyes that competes in Ligue 2. It plays its home matches at the Stade de l'Aube. Foun ...

, newly promoted to

, on a free transfer from

. He was unable to keep Troyes AC in Ligue 1 with them finishing 19th during the 2012–13 season. In total, he played 31 games for Troyes scoring 1 goal.

Palermo

In the summer of 2013, after

's relegation from

, he moved on to then-

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

Italian club

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

on a four-year contract. On 11 August 2013, he made his Palermo debut playing in the Italian Cup match against

Cremonese Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

. On 24 August, he made his Serie B debut when started for Palermo against Modena in a 1–1 draw. In his first season at the club, he earned a promotion to

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

after his club was promoted during the 2013–14 season, Palermo reached promotion with 5 games to spare, going up as Champions. He made his first appearance in Serie A on 31 August 2014, making an appearance in a 1–1 draw against

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

Leeds United

On 26 January 2015, N'Goyi joined

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season, with the option for the club to complete a £2 million permanent deal. He was initially given the number 10 shirt. However, after the sale of

Jason Pearce Jason Daniel Pearce (born 6 December 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was previously the captain of Portsmouth, AFC Bournemouth, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic. He is currently senior professi ...

and the signing of

Edgar Çani Edgar Junior Çani (born 22 July 1989) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie D club Crema. Club career Early career Çani was born in Tirana, Albania but grew up in Città della Pieve in the Perugia ...

on 2 February, N'Goyi's squad number was then changed to number 6 with Football League approval. Çani subsequently took the number 10 shirt. After picking up an injury in one of his first training sessions at Leeds, N'Goyi's first involvement in the Leeds first team was on 6 April 2015 as an unused substitute against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

in a 4–3 defeat. On 14 April 2015, he made his debut for Leeds when he started against

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

in a 2–0 defeat.

International career

Youth

Despite being of Congolese parents, N'Goyi represented the land of his birth, France at the

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

. He was handed the number 13 shirt for the tournament and played all four games the French took part in. He was one of the French penalty takers in the semi-final match against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and scored his penalty, although the Spaniards went on to win 4–2. In October 2008, N'Goyi was called up to represent

, along with Paris Saint-Germain teammates

Larrys Mabiala Larrys Mabiala Destin (born 8 October 1987) is a former professional footballer who last played for the Portland Timbers, having previously played for Turkish Süper Lig club Kayserispor as a defender, Paris Saint-Germain, Plymouth Argyle, and ...

and

Youssouf Mulumbu Nganguyousuf Mulumbu (born 25 January 1987) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Orléans. Mulumbu came through Paris Saint-Germain's youth academy. He began playing for Paris Saint-Germain B in 2004 and was ...

, for the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

qualifier against rivals

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

. He accepted the call-up but did not make his debut, as his team was surprisingly beaten 2–1 by Malawi, having taken an early 1–0 lead, through former

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

striker

Lomana LuaLua Trésor Lomana LuaLua (; born 28 December 1980) is a Congolese former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the attacking coach for Spalding United. LuaLua was born in Kinshasa, but moved to England at a young age. ...

. On 3 August, he was called up to the France under-21 team for a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He made his debut in that match as a substitute. He was called up again, two weeks later, for their UEFA U-21 Championship qualifiers against

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Senior

N'Goyi was called up and started for the DR Congo in a 3–0 friendly loss against

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. On 13 November 2013, N'Goyi got another call-up to the DR Congo squad, but after discussions with manager

Claude Le Roy Claude Le Roy (; born 6 February 1948) is a French football manager and former player, who gained prominence at international level as coach to the Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana national teams. Managerial career Le Roy has had a varied manageria ...

to represent them, he and

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...

midfielder

Steven Nzonzi Steven Nkemboanza Mike Christopher Nzonzi (born 15 December 1988) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Persian Gulf Pro League club Sepahan S.C., Sepahan. Nzonzi began his career with ...

both turned down the opportunity to play for them. N'Goyi remains eligible to still play for both DR Congo and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

since he only played for DR Congo in a friendly match.

Honours

Paris Saint-Germain *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

: 2009–10 Palermo *

: 2013–14

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngoyi, Granddi 1988 births Living people Footballers from Melun Black French sportspeople French sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Democratic Republic of the Congo men's footballers French men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Democratic Republic of the Congo men's international footballers France men's under-21 international footballers France men's youth international footballers Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Serie A players Serie B players English Football League players Paris Saint-Germain FC players Clermont Foot players Stade Brestois 29 players FC Nantes players ES Troyes AC players Palermo FC players Leeds United F.C. players US Sénart-Moissy players French expatriate men's footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate men's footballers French expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy French expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England 21st-century French sportsmen 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo sportsmen