// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Elie Mbavu a good soccer player? Mbavu-lous.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 October 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Jong Genk | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 73 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Sporting Bruxelles | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2025 | Genk | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Jong Genk | 27 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Belgium U15 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Belgium U16 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Belgium U17 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 4 June 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 June 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Elie Mbavu (born 20 October 2009) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Jong Genk.
Club career
[edit]Born in Brussels, Mbavu is a youth product of Sporting Bruxelles and KRC Genk, where he signed his first contract in November 2024.[1][2]
During the 2024–25 season he was a standout with the club's U18 and U19 in the Youth League.[3][4][5]
Mbavu made his professional debut with the reserve team in a 3–0 Challenger Pro League loss to Club NXT on 14 March 2025.[6]
International career
[edit]Born in Belgium, Mbavu also has Congolese origins. He is a youth international for Belgium, having played for the under-15 and under-16.[7]
He then captained the under-17 team to the European Under-17 Championship in May and June 2026.[8] Belgium reached the final of the competition after beating Believe Munongo's French team 2–1,[9][10] a first in the nation's history, after 4 semi-final exits, including twice against France.[11][12]
Honours
[edit]Belgium U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship runner-up: 2026[13]
References
[edit]- ↑ Reulens, Claudio (1 November 2024). "KRC Genk haalt slag thuis met nieuw contract". voetbalnieuws (in Flemish). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ Projects, Sanmax. "Elie Mbavu (15) tekent eerste profcontract tot 2027 bij KRC Genk". KRC Genk (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 November 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ↑ "Jong Genk oefent met Onstein en Lazar tegen Thes Sport". Het Belang van Limburg (in Flemish). 2 August 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Genkse U19 openen Youth League met 3-1 winst tegen CSKA Sofia". KRC Genk (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 22 October 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Genkse U19 uitgeschakeld na strafschoppen". KRC Genk Talent (in Flemish). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ De Schrijver, Jimmy (14 March 2025). "Kloof tussen Club NXT en Jong Genk te groot: "Geen schande, maar wel pijnlijk"". Het Belang van Limburg (in Flemish). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ Agada, Salomon (1 November 2024). "Elie Mbavu signe pro avec le KRC Genk". AfricaFoot (in French). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
- ↑ "Voici la sélection des nos U17 pour l'Euro en Albanie". Royal Belgian FA (in French). 9 May 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "Exploit belge à l'Euro U17: les Diablotins s'offrent la France et accèdent à la finale !". La Dernière Heure/Les Sports (in French). 4 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Jean-Baptiste Maître (4 June 2026). "Euro U17. Malgré leur domination, les Bleuets éliminés en demi-finale par la Belgique". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ Lizin, Cédric (4 June 2026). "Euro U17 : la Belgique élimine la France et s'offre une première finale européenne". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "Exploit à l'Euro U17 : la Belgique bat la France et se hisse en finale pour la première fois". Le Soir (in French). Belga. 4 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Under-17 EURO final highlights: Belgium 1-1 Italy (Italy win 4-3 on penalties)". uefa.com. 7 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
External links
[edit]- Elie Mbavu at Soccerway.com
- 2009 births
- Living people
- Belgian people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
- Sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
- Footballers from Brussels
- Belgian men's footballers
- Men's association football central defenders
- Jong Genk players
- Challenger Pro League players
- Belgium men's youth international footballers
- 21st-century Belgian sportsmen