Léandre Tawamba

Léandre Gaël Tawamba Kana (born 20 December 1989) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Al-Tai as a forward.

Early in his career, Tawamba played as a centre-back and defensive midfielder, but was converted into a striker in Europe.

Club career

Early career

Born in Yaoundé, Tawamba was a regular member of Cameroon's Elite One side Aigle Royal Menoua in the 2007–08 season. He later moved to Union Douala, spending there the 2009–10 campaign. In 2011, Tawamba returned to his former club Aigle Royal Menoua, captaining the team in the nation's Elite Two.

South Africa and Slovakia

In early 2012, Tawamba moved abroad to South Africa and joined FC Cape Town. He scored once in the second half of the 2011–12 National First Division. In June 2012, Tawamba traveled to Slovakia and trained with Slovan Bratislava and Ružomberok, before returning to South Africa and joining National First Division side Mpumalanga Black Aces. He was ultimately transferred to Slovak club Nitra in early 2013. Until the end of the 2012–13 season, Tawamba scored three times in 14 league appearances.

In June 2013, Tawamba switched to Ružomberok, rejoining his Nitra manager Jozef Vukušič. He netted on his league debut on 14 July, scoring the equalizer in a 2–2 draw with Žilina. On 10 August, Tawamba scored a brace in a 3–2 home win over Spartak Trnava. He finished the season as the team's top scorer with 13 goals in 31 appearances.

Libya

In July 2014, Tawamba returned to Africa and signed with Libyan club Al-Ahly Benghazi, again following his former manager Jozef Vukušič. He represented the side in the 2014 CAF Champions League exclusively, appearing in two games of the group stage against Tunisia's CS Sfaxien and Espérance.

Return to Slovakia

In early 2015, Tawamba returned to Slovakia and joined Zlaté Moravce, but was unable to play in the 2014–15 season. He scored a goal on his debut for the club on 15 August in a 2–2 home draw with Železiarne Podbrezová. On 19 September, Tawamba netted both his team's goals in a 5–2 away loss to Ružomberok. He subsequently scored a hat-trick to give his side a 3–1 win over Skalica on 21 November.

Kazakhstan

On 1 April 2016, Tawamba transferred to Kazakh club Kairat. He signed a one-plus-two-year contract and was awarded the number 20 shirt. On 29 May, Tawamba scored a stoppage-time back-heel winner to give his team a 3–2 win over Akzhayik. He subsequently made his debut in UEFA competitions, coming on as a substitute for Gerard Gohou in a 1–0 away win against Teuta Durrës in the first leg of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round on 30 June. A week later in the return leg, Tawamba scored his team's fourth goal in an eventual 5–0 victory at home. He also netted a brace in a 3–2 away win against Irtysh Pavlodar on 17 July. One day before the league's final fixture, on 28 October, Tawamba terminated his contract with Kairat by mutual agreement. He made 29 appearances and scored six goals in all competitions.

Serbia

In November 2016, Tawamba moved to Serbia and signed a three-year contract with Partizan. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 home league win over Metalac Gornji Milanovac on 8 March 2017. In his first Belgrade derby, Tawamba scored the team's second goal in an eventual 3–1 away win over Red Star Belgrade on 18 April. He eventually finished the season collecting the double.

On 22 July 2017, Tawamba scored a brace in the league's opener versus Mačva Šabac, as Partizan won the game 6–1. He also netted the opening goal in a 1–3 loss to Olympiacos in the first leg of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round on 25 July. In the return leg of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League play-off round, Tawamba scored the opener in a 4–0 away win against Videoton on 24 August, thus helping Partizan progress to the group stage. He subsequently found the back of the net in a 2–3 home loss to Dynamo Kyiv in Group B on 28 September. In the fourth game of the group stage, on 2 November, Tawamba scored a goal to give his team a 2–0 home win over Skënderbeu Korçë. He also scored the opener in a 2–1 home win over Young Boys, on 23 November, as Partizan advanced to the knockout stage after 13 years. With 19 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions, Tawamba finished the season as the team's top scorer, helping them win the 2017–18 Serbian Cup.

Saudi Arabia

In July 2018, Tawamba was transferred to Saudi club Al-Taawoun for a fee of €1.4 million. He was the team's top scorer in the 2018–19 season with 27 goals across all competitions.

On 31 August 2023, Tawamba joined Al-Okhdood on a free transfer.

On 28 August 2024, Tawamba joined Al-Tai on a free transfer.

International career

Tawamba was named in Cameroon's preliminary squad for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but was later dropped from the final 21-man squad. He was also called up to the Cameroon U23 team in preparation for the 2011 All-Africa Games.

In March 2018, Tawamba received his first call-up to the Cameroon national team for a friendly against Kuwait. He played the full 90 minutes in that match, receiving a yellow card in their 3–1 away victory.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Partizan
* Serbian SuperLiga: 2016–17
* Serbian Cup: 2016–17, 2017–18
Al-Taawoun
* King's Cup: 2019

Individual
* Saudi Pro League Player of the Month: November 2018, January 2021
* King's Cup Top goalscorer: 2020–21

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tawamba, Leandre
1989 births
Living people
Footballers from Yaoundé
Cameroonian men's footballers
Cameroon men's international footballers
Cameroon men's youth international footballers
21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen
Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Aigle Royal Menoua players
Union Douala players
F.C. Cape Town players
Mpumalanga Black Aces F.C. players
FC Nitra players
MFK Ružomberok players
Al Ahly SCSC (Benghazi) players
FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce players
FC Kairat players
FK Partizan players
Al Taawoun FC players
Al-Okhdood Club players
Al-Tai FC players
Elite One players
National First Division players
Slovak First Football League players
Libyan Premier League players
Kazakhstan Premier League players
Serbian SuperLiga players
Saudi Pro League players
Saudi First Division League players
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in South Africa
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Libya
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Kazakhstan
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Serbia
Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
Expatriate men's soccer players in South Africa
Expatriate men's footballers in Slovakia
Expatriate men's footballers in Libya
Expatriate men's footballers in Kazakhstan
Expatriate men's footballers in Serbia
Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia