Tshamala Kabanga

Tshamala Kabanga
Lê Minh Tshamala

Personal information
Full name	Tshamala Kabanga
Date of birth	(1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 (age 39)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, DR Congo
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2003	TP Mazembe	29	(9)
2003–2004	Orlando Pirates	6	(1)
2004–2005	Long An	19	(10)
2005–2006	Quảng Nam	26	(17)
2006–2012	Long An	168	(97)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tshamala Kabanga (born 10 October 1984 in DR Congo) is a former Congolese professional footballer who was last contracted to Long An of the V.League 1, a Vietnamese football league. ^[1]

Career

Orlando Pirates

While playing for TP Mazembe in the 2003 Vodacom Challenge, Kabanga was spotted by the South African football club, the Orlando Pirates , and signed for them shortly after. ^[2] Putting in what was seen as mediocre performances in his four starts and two substitute appearances, he scored his only goal for the Buccaneers in a 1-1 draw with Wits University and was traded to Vietnamese side Long An F.C. following his only season there. ^[2]

Vietnam

After a spell with Long An F.C. Kabanga was loaned to Quang Nam where he stayed for one season before returning to his previous Vietnamese team. ^[3] Helping Long An reach second place in the 2008 V. League 1 with a hat-trick in the last round. ^[4] Kabanga was praised for his unselfishness forming close links with all his teammates. ^[3] Deployed as an attacking midfielder by the coach, he recorded a brace in the 2006 Vietnamese Super Cup final and an 87th-minute goal in a 1-4 defeat to Seongnam in the 2007 AFC Champions League. ^[3] Authoring four goals in six rounds in the 2010 V-League. Kabanga was known for his distinct Peacock Dance goal celebration. ^[5] Because they both were vying for their coach's and teammates' approval, there was a rivalry between him and Brazilian Antonio that lasted several years. ^[5] His six-year stint at Long An ended when Simon McMenemy was installed as coach in 2011. ^[6]

Kabanga also temporarily changed his name to Le Minh Tshamala due to being naturalized as a citizen in Vietnam. ^[7]

Personal life

Learning Vietnamese from another player, Kabanga can communicate in English as well and was viewed as the healthiest among his teammates during his time at Long An. ^[8]

Kabanga now^{[ when? ]} works at the S and A Academy in Vietnam.^{[ citation needed ]}

He and his wife live in Long An, presently. ^[9]

References

1. "Cựu tiền đạo Tshamala: Từ ngôi sao đội Long An đến công nhân điện lạnh". laodong.vn.
2. www.realnet.co.uk (10 January 2015). "Worst Foreign Striker – Kabanga Tshamala (No. 28)".
3. VnExpress. "Tshamala, sát thủ mới tại V-League – VnExpress Thể Thao". VnExpress.
4. "Long An win 2nd place in V-League".
5. "Tay chơi Tshamala Kahanga". 10 July 2010.
6. "ĐT.LA chia tay tiền đạo Tshamala". 12 May 2011.
7. "ĐTLA nhập quốc tịch cầu thủ: Bao giờ có Lý Lâm Wa, Lê Minh Tshamala?". 25 January 2010.
8. ngoisao.vn (9 March 2021). "Chàng Tây V-League 'vô địch' hát nhạc Việt trên Karaoke".
9. bongdaplus.vn. "Cựu tiền đạo Tshamala Kanbanga: Xưa là 'sát thủ', nay 'gõ đầu trẻ' và sắm vai thợ hồ".