Stéphane Mbia Etoundi (born 20 May 1986) is a Cameroonian 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 plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or defender. He played 179 games and scored nine goals 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 ...

over nine seasons playing for

Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. He spent two years at

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

, winning the Europa League in both. He also played for Cameroon 68 times from 2005 to 2016 and scored five goals for the national team. He was included in the squads for the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fr ...

, two

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

tournaments and two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

Club career

Rennes

Born in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

, Mbia made his debut for the

first team during the 2005–06 season, going on to make a handful of appearances over the campaign. The Cameroonian scored his first

goal in November 2006 against the incumbent French champions

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. On 18 April 2007, Mbia was abused by Lyon player

Milan Baroš Milan Baroš (; born 28 October 1981) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. In 2005, he was part of the Liverpool team which won the UEFA Champions League. He went on to win Ligue 1 with Lyon in 2007, the FA Cup w ...

. This led to disciplinary action being taken against Baroš by the

French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF and 3F; or Triple F; , ) is the governing body of football in France. It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital, Paris. The FFF is a founding member of FIFA and is responsible for overseeing all aspec ...

, who banned the striker for three matches.

Marseille

On 14 July 2009, Mbia completed his £10.4 million move to

from Rennes, going on to play a vital role in Marseille's victorious Ligue 1 campaign that season, starting off as a

but later making the transition to the role of centre back alongside former Charlton Athletic player Souleymane Diawara. His redeployment at centre back was a success and he went on to play the rest of the season in this position, where he was considered to be one of the best performers in Didier Deschamps' talented squad, as he formed a formidable defensive partnership with Diawara.

Queens Park Rangers

On 31 August 2012 Mbia signed a two-year deal with English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

, signing for an undisclosed fee, with Joey Barton heading in the opposite direction on a season-long loan. On 27 October 2012, Mbia was sent off seventeen minutes from the end of only his fourth league appearance for QPR, a 1–0 defeat to

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

at the

Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...

. He was dismissed in the 79th minute for violent conduct after kicking Gunners defender Thomas Vermaelen in retaliation to a strong challenge that had left Mbia floored. He received the standard three-match ban from the FA, and became ineligible for QPR's league games against

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, Stoke City and

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. On 6 May 2013, Mbia tweeted to Joey Barton, asking him if he would like to switch seats with him at Marseille in hinting that he wanted to leave Queen Park Rangers after they were relegated from the Premier League. In July 2013 Mbia scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly against Southend United and expressed desire to stay at QPR.

Sevilla

On 26 August 2013, Mbia was loaned out to Spanish

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

for the rest of the season. Mbia made his Sevilla debut on 1 September, providing an assist for Kevin Gameiro's first goal in a 2–2 draw with

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

. On 27 October, Mbia provided assists for both Ivan Rakitić and Jairo Samperio as Sevilla overcame 10-man

Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...

2–1. His first goal in

came in the Seville derby against

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It plays in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. It plays home ...

on 24 November, heading in Sevilla's second goal in a 4–0 win. Mbia scored with a back-heel in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against compatriots

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

on 24 April 2014 in a 2–0 home win. In the second leg on 1 May, he scored the winning away goal with a header in the fourth minute of added time to take Sevilla into the final. Sevilla subsequently won the final in a shootout against Benfica at the

Juventus Stadium Juventus Stadium (), known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz Stadium since July 2017, sometimes simply known in Italy as the Stadium (), is an all-seater football stadium in the Vallette borough of Turin, Italy, and the home of Juventus ...

in Turin on 14 May, with Mbia converting his penalty kick after the match had ended 0—0. On 3 June, Mbia was selected in the 18-man Europa League "Team of the Year" along with teammates Ivan Rakitić,

Nicolás Pareja Nicolás Martín Pareja (born 19 January 1984) is an Argentine former professional Association footballer, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, central defender. After starting out at Argentinos Juniors he went ...

and Beto. At the LFP Awards, he was a nominee for the league's best African player, alongside the

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

duo of Yacine Brahimi and Youssef El-Arabi. On 31 August 2014, Mbia rejoined Sevilla on permanent basis. He scored his first goal of the new season on 18 September, heading in a cross from Gerard Deulofeu as Sevilla started the defense of their Europa League title with a 2–0 win over

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

. Mbia netted a brace as Sevilla earned a comfortable 4–1 victory over

Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña () or simply Depor, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, that competes in the Segunda División, the ...

at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on 5 October. On 27 May 2015, Mbia started for Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final defeat of

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

at Poland's

National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football ...

, thus retaining their Europa League crown, and qualifying the team for next season's Champions League

Later career

On 2 July 2015, Mbia joined

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal. On 29 January 2016, Mbia signed for Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune. In March 2018, he left the club by mutual consent. In August 2018, Mbia joined Ligue 1 side

on a season-long contract. He left the club in January 2019. On 3 February 2019, Mbia returned to China to join top-flight newcomers Wuhan Zall. A year later, he moved across the league to Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. He left after one season to re-join Wuhan Zall, now renamed Wuhan F.C., and reunited with his former Sevilla team-mate Daniel Carriço. On 31 August 2021, Mbia returned to Spain after six years, and joined Fuenlabrada in the

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

on a one-year deal. On 21 January, he left the club after alleging "personal problems".

International career

Mbia has played international football at junior level for Cameroon. He was part of the Cameroon squad that competed in the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland, where his side were eliminated at the group stage. He made his debut for the full Cameroon national team in 2005. He was part of the squad which were runners up at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, where he scored twice in a 3–2 win against

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

in the quarter-finals. Mbia was part of the Cameroon squad for the

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, playing in all four of his team's matches, and scoring once against

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. Mbia was also selected to represent Cameroon at the

2010 Africa Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was held in Angola, where it began on 10 January 2 ...

in Angola and the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

in South Africa. On 2 June 2014, Mbia was included by Cameroon manager Volker Finke in the final 23-man squad for the

in Brazil. The team were eliminated after losing all of their group games amidst a bonuses dispute that led to Mbia replacing

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian Association football, football administrator and former Football player, player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. He is often regarded as one of the ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the national team.

Personal life

Mbia is the older brother of footballer Franck Etoundi, who was also a Cameroonian international.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Rennes *

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Marseille *

: 2009–10 *

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Sevilla *

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

: 2013–14, 2014–15 Cameroon *

runner-up:

Individual *

Team of the Tournament:

* CAF Team of the Year: 2014 *

Squad of the season: 2013–14, 2014–15

References

External links

* *
Stade Rennais profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mbia, Stephane 1986 births Living people Footballers from Yaoundé Men's association football midfielders Cameroonian men's footballers 21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen Cameroon men's international footballers Naturalized citizens of France French men's footballers Ligue 1 players Premier League players La Liga players Süper Lig players Chinese Super League players Segunda División players Kadji Sports Academy players Stade Rennais FC players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Olympique de Marseille players Sevilla FC players Trabzonspor footballers Hebei F.C. players Toulouse FC players Wuhan Yangtze River F.C. players Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players CF Fuenlabrada footballers Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Cameroon 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Expatriate men's footballers in France Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in China Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in China UEFA Europa League–winning players 21st-century French sportsmen