Dieu-Merci Michel
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dieu-Merci Ndembo Michel | ||
| Date of birth | February 9, 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
União de Leiria (on loan from Vitória de Guimarães) | ||
| Number | 86 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2018 | Edmonton BTB | ||
| 2019 | St. Albert Impact | ||
| 2019–2021 | Victoria Highlanders | ||
| 2022–2023 | Vitória de Guimarães | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2025 | Vitória de Guimarães B | 43 | (11) |
| 2024– | Vitória de Guimarães | 9 | (2) |
| 2025– | → União de Leiria (loan) | 28 | (4) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 31, 2026 | |||
Dieu-Merci Ndembo Michel (born February 9, 2004) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Liga Portugal 2 club União de Leiria, on loan from Primeira Liga side Vitória de Guimarães.
Early life
[edit]Michel moved from Montréal to Calgary as a child with his family, where they were homeless and sleeping on the floors of boxing gyms, later moving to Edmonton in 2014.[1][2]
Michel played youth soccer in Canada with Edmonton BTB SC.[3] In 2019, he was named to the Team Alberta squad for the Western Canada Summer Games.[4] He later played with the St. Albert Impact[5] and Victoria Highlanders.[1] He later trained with Canadian clubs FC Edmonton and Pacific FC,[1][6] and then 14 European sides including Belgian club Club Brugge and German club Bayern Munich.[1] In 2022, he joined the U19 side of Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães.[7][2]
Club career
[edit]In April 2022, he signed a professional contract with Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães until 2024, where he would first play with the second team.[8][9] He made his professional debut and scored his first goal on April 1, 2023.[10] In September 2024, he re-signed through 2027.[7][11] He scored his first goal for the first team, in his second appearance on January 3, 2025, in a 4–4 draw against Sporting CP.[12] In August 2025, he was loaned to União de Leiria in Liga Portugal 2 for the 2025-26 season, with Leiria holding a purchase option.[13]
International career
[edit]Born in Canada, Michel is of Angolan descent.[2] In May 2022, he was named to the Canada U20 provisional roster for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[14] In June 2023, he participated in training sessions with the Canada senior team.[1]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of May 31, 2026[15]
| Club | Season | League | Taça de Portugal | Taça da Liga | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vitória de Guimarães B | 2022–23 | Liga 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | Campeonato de Portugal | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | 22 | 5 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 16 | 5 | — | — | — | 16 | 5 | |||||
| Total | 43 | 11 | — | — | — | 43 | 11 | |||||
| Vitória de Guimarães | 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| União de Leiria (loan) | 2025–26 | Liga Portugal 2 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| Career total | 79 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 86 | 19 | ||
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Sandor, Steven (July 28, 2023). "Here's Why Edmonton Has to Get to Know Dieu-Merci Michel". Urban Affairs.
- 1 2 3 Huncar, Andrea (December 1, 2022). "Alphonso Davies-backed soccer club inspires Edmonton kids to achieve their goals". CBC News.
- ↑ "Team KidSport: Dieu-Merci Michel". Team KidSport. July 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Squad announcement for Western Canada Summer Games". Alberta Soccer Association. June 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ↑ Hansen, Jeff (October 16, 2019). "Impact golden at nationals". St. Albert Gazette.
- ↑ Jacques, John (October 26, 2021). "Pacific Adds Amedume On Developmental Deal". Northern Tribune.
- 1 2 ""Sou muito grato pela oportunidade que me estão a dar"" [“I am very grateful for the opportunity they are giving me”]. Vitória de Guimarães (in Portuguese). September 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Prodígio canadiano assina contrato profissional com o Vitória" [Canadian prodigy signs professional contract with Vitória]. Record (in Portuguese). April 12, 2022.
- ↑ "Michel é aposta de futuro" [Michel is a bet for the future]. Mais Guimarães (in Portuguese). April 13, 2022.
- ↑ @btb_soccer (April 1, 2023). "Professional debut" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "V. Guimarães renova com avançado: «Grato pela oportunidade»" [V. Guimarães renews contract with forward: «Grateful for the opportunity»]. A Bola (in Portuguese). September 11, 2024.
- ↑ Martins, Steve (January 3, 2025). "Le but de Dieu face au Sporting CP" [Dieu's goal against Sporting CP]. As Quinas (in French).
- ↑ Martins, Hugo Filipe (September 1, 2025). "Oficial: Vitória SC empresta avançado Dieu-Merci Michel à UD Leiria" [Official: Vitória SC loans forward Dieu-Merci Michel to UD Leiria]. Flashscore (in Portuguese).
- ↑ "Canada Soccer's Provisional List for the CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Championship". Canadian Soccer Association. May 18, 2022.
- ↑ Dieu-Merci Michel at Soccerway
External links
[edit]- Dieu-Merci Michel at Soccerway
- 2004 births
- Living people
- Soccer players from Montreal
- Canadian people of Angolan descent
- Sportspeople of Angolan descent
- 21st-century Canadian sportsmen
- Canadian men's soccer players
- Black Canadian men's soccer players
- Men's association football forwards
- Vitória S.C. B players
- Vitória S.C. players
- U.D. Leiria players
- Primeira Liga players
- Liga Portugal 2 players
- Liga 3 (Portugal) players
- Campeonato de Portugal (league) players
- Canadian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
- Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal