| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 November 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Mechelen, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lille | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Mechelen | |||
| 2018–2019 | Zulte Waregem | ||
| 2019–2023 | Mechelen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Mechelen | 35 | (0) |
| 2024– | Lille | 26 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Belgium U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2023 | DR Congo U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | DR Congo | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 September 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:35, 19 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
Ngal'ayel Mukau (born 3 November 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lille. Born in Belgium, he represents the DR Congo at international level.
Mukau is a youth product of Mechelen and Zulte Waregem. On 20 July 2022, he signed his first professional contract with Mechelen for 2+1 seasons. [1] He made his senior and professional debut with Mechelen in a 2–0 Belgian First Division A loss to Zulte Waregem on 8 January 2023. [2]
On 11 July 2024, Mukau signed for French Ligue 1 club Lille, on a four-year contract. [3] The financial details of the transfer include an initial and base fee of €4 million and a maximum of €1 million add-ons depending on sporting conditions. [4] On 27 November, he scored his first professional goals with a brace in a 2–1 win at Bologna in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase. [5]
Born in Belgium, Mukau is of DR Congolese descent. He is a former youth international for Belgium, having played for the Belgium U18s. However, he was called up to a training camp for the DR Congo U21s in September 2023, [6] and debuted with them in a pair of friendlies against the Tunisia U20s in October 2023. [7]
On 16 November 2024, he made his debut for the DR Congo national team, coming on as a substitute in an 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification against Guinea. [8]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mechelen | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 [a] | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||
| Lille | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 [b] | 2 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 [c] | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | — | 40 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 61 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 3 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR Congo | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | |