Josué Kossingou Balamandji (born 9 August 1989) 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 lea ...

who currently plays for

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

. He plays as either a striker or a winger.

Career

Club career

Balamandji was born in

Bangui Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango language, Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in the Central African Republic, largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a Fren ...

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. ...

before joining professional club

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

at the age of 15. Following the 2006–07 season, he was released from the club and, subsequently, signed with

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 ...

. With Lorient, Balamandji played on the club's reserve team. After two years with Lorient, he signed with

Plabennec Plabennec (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France. History The area around Plabennec has been occupied since Neolithic times ...

in the

Championnat National The Championnat National (), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, is the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of ...

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

Villemomble Villemomble () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. Heraldry Transport Villemomble is served by Le Raincy – Villemomble – Montfermeil (Par ...

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 French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2 ...

, the fourth level of

French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the natio ...

. 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)''

International goal

:''Scores and results list Central African Republic's goal tally first.''

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balamandji, Josue Living people 1989 births Footballers from Bangui Central African Republic men's footballers Central African Republic men's international footballers Naturalized citizens of France French men's footballers French sportspeople of Central African Republic descent PSFC Chernomorets Burgas players Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria Ligue 2 players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Men's association football wingers Men's association football forwards Central African Republic emigrants to France Central African Republic expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Stade Plabennécois players 21st-century French sportsmen