Denis Bouanga

Last updated

Denis Bouanga
Lens - Saint-Etienne (03-10-2020) 57.jpg
Bouanga with Saint-Étienne in 2020
Personal information
Full name Denis Athanase Bouanga [1]
Date of birth (1994-11-11) 11 November 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth Le Mans, France
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) [2]
Position(s) Winger, forward
Team information
Current team
Los Angeles FC
Number 99
Youth career
0000–2011 SO Maine
2011–2013 Le Mans
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2013–2014 Mulsanne-Téloché 24 (20)
2014–2015 Lorient B 25 (12)
2014–2018 Lorient 38 (10)
2016Strasbourg (loan) 18 (5)
2016–2017Tours (loan) 36 (16)
2018–2019 Nîmes 35 (8)
2019–2022 Saint-Étienne 97 (26)
2022– Los Angeles FC 44 (23)
International career
2017– Gabon 38 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:16, 31 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:06, 19 November 2023 (UTC)

Denis Athanase Bouanga (born 11 November 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger and forward for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Born in France, he plays for the Gabon national team.

Contents

Bouanga began his career in France, making 136 Ligue 1 appearances for Lorient, Nîmes and Saint-Étienne and scoring 35 goals. In 2022, he signed for Los Angeles FC for a $5 million fee. In 2022, he helped the team win the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup, while in 2023 he won the MLS Golden Boot.

Bouanga made his international debut for Gabon in 2017 and was selected for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2021.

Club career

Lorient

Born in Le Mans, Bouanga played as a youth for Stade Olympique du Maine and for two years at Le Mans FC but was released after two years at the latter club. In 2013, he started his senior career in the sixth-tier Division d'Honneur for Mulsanne. He was the top scorer in the Ligue de Maine in 2013–14 with 26 goals, and was then signed by Ligue 1 club Lorient; manager Franck Haise signed his younger brother Didier Bouanga as well. [3]

Bouanga made his professional debut on 28 October 2014 in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 win at Evian. [4] Four days later he made his one top-flight appearance of the season, the last eight minutes as a substitute for Raphaël Guerreiro in a 2–1 home loss to Paris Saint-Germain. [5] [6] [7] On 29 August 2015, he scored his only Ligue 1 goal for Les Merlus, equalising in a 4–1 loss at Reims. [8]

Bouanga was loaned to Strasbourg in the third-tier Championnat National on 3 January 2016, for the remainder of the season. [9] He scored five goals, all in his first eight games, including two in a 3–0 win away to Alsace rivals Colmar on 11 March; [10] Strasbourg ended the season as league champions. [11]

In 2016–17, Bouanga was lent out again, this time to Tours in Ligue 2. He ranked third in the league with 16 goals. [12] In July 2017, he signed a new deal at Lorient for four years; despite his rare opportunities at the club, he cited his upcoming fatherhood as a reason to commit to the club. Saint-Étienne and Valencia had tracked him after his season at Tours. [13]

Representing Lorient in the 2017–18 Ligue 2 season, Bouanga scored nine goals in 34 games. [14] On 24 April, he was sent off in a 1–0 loss at Nîmes for a dangerous tackle, as were teammate Ibrahima Conte and opponent Téji Savanier. [15]

Nîmes and Saint-Étienne

In July 2018, Bouanga joined Nîmes in Ligue 1 on a three-year contract for a reported transfer fee of €3 million. [16] [17] A year later, having scored eight goals in his one season at Nîmes, he joined Saint-Étienne for €4.5 million on a four-year deal. [18] [19]

Bouanga scored 10 goals in 26 games in his first league season for ASSE, which was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. [20] He also helped them to the Coupe de France final by scoring the only goal away to Monaco in the last 16, [21] and one more goal in a 2–1 win in the next round at Épinal. [22]

In Bouanga's final game for Saint-Étienne, a 2–1 loss to Dijon on the first day of the 2022–23 Ligue 2 season, he was sent off at the end for insulting the referee. [23]

Los Angeles FC

On 5 August 2022, Bouanga was acquired by Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer for a $5 million fee. [24] On 2 October, he scored the match-winning goal in the 95th minute against Portland Timbers to win 2–1, clinching LAFC's second Supporters' Shield and his first trophy with the club. [25] Eighteen days later, he netted twice in a 3–2 win at home to LA Galaxy in the Western Conference semi-finals of the MLS Cup playoffs. [26] On 5 November, his team won MLS Cup 2022 by beating Philadelphia Union 3–0 on penalties after a 3–3 extra-time draw; he was among the penalty scorers. [27]

In 2023, after scoring twice and tallying one assist in the club's 4–0 victory over New England Revolution, Bouanga was named to the league's Team of the Matchday for week three. [28]

On 9 March 2023, Bouanga scored his first hat-trick of his career with a 0–3 away victory over L.D. Alajuelense during the first leg in the two club's Round of 16 showdown in the CONCACAF Champions League. [29] Just under a month later on 8 April 2023, Bouanga scored his second hat-trick of his career in a 3–0 win at home over Austin FC. [30]

International career

Bouanga first received a call-up to the Gabon national team for a match against Mauritania on 28 May 2016. [31] He made the final squad for Gabon for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. [32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 March 2024 [33] [34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [lower-alpha 1] League cup [lower-alpha 2] ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Mulsanne-Téloché2013–14 Division d'Honneur 2420002420
Lorient B 2014-15 CFA 19101910
2015-16 6262
Total25122512
Lorient 2014–15 Ligue 1 10001020
2015–16 41001051
2017–18 Ligue 2 34945314115
Total391045514816
Strasbourg (loan) 2015–16 Championnat National 185185
Tours (loan) 2016–17 Ligue 2361600103716
Nîmes 2018–19 Ligue 13581021389
Saint-Étienne 2019–20 Ligue 1261042105 [lower-alpha 3] 03612
2020–21 367367
2021–22 349102 [lower-alpha 4] 0379
2022–23 Ligue 21010
Total97265210502011028
Los Angeles FC 2022 MLS 71003 [lower-alpha 5] 2103
2023 3120008 [lower-alpha 6] 79 [lower-alpha 7] 114838
2024 62000062
Total442300008712136443
Career total318120107921371413364149
  1. Includes Coupe de France
  2. Includes Coupe de la Ligue
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearances in Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-offs
  5. Appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
  6. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
  7. Three appearances and six goals in Leagues Cup, one appearance in Campeones Cup, five appearances and five goals in MLS Cup Playoffs

International

Scores and results list Gabon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bouanga goal. [34]
List of international goals scored by Denis Bouanga
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
124 March 2017 Stade Océane, Le Havre, FranceFlag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 1–12–2 Friendly
210 June 2017 Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, MaliFlag of Mali.svg  Mali 1–01–2 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
312 October 2018 Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville, GabonFlag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 1–03–02019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
415 October 2019 Stade Ibn Batouta, Tangier, MoroccoFlag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 2–13–2Friendly
517 November 2019 Stade de Franceville, Franceville, GabonFlag of Angola.svg  Angola 2–02–1 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
612 November 2020Stade de Franceville, Franceville, GabonFlag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 1–02–12021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
725 March 2021Stade de Franceville, Franceville, GabonFlag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 2–03–02021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
816 November 2023Stade de Franceville, Franceville, GabonFlag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 1–12–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
919 November 2023 National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaFlag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 2–02–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Strasbourg

Saint-Étienne

Los Angeles FC

Gabon

Individual

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