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, Zaire
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 were 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".