1. Early Life and Background
Alexander N'Doumbou was born on January 4, 1992, in Port-Gentil, Gabon. His father, Dieudonné N'Doumbou, is Gabonese, and his mother is a Hakka Chinese from Zhejiang province. His parents met in China while his father was studying there.
As a child, N'Doumbou initially held Chinese nationality before later renouncing it to acquire Gabonese citizenship through his father's lineage. At the age of six, he began his football career by joining the youth team of AS Sogara in Port-Gentil. When he was 12, N'Doumbou moved to France to join the youth team of FC Carpentras. His father, recognizing his son's football potential, entrusted him to a friend in France to support his continued development in football.
1.1. Youth Career
After his time at FC Carpentras, N'Doumbou joined the youth team of FC Martigues in 2005. A year later, in 2006, he was invited by a scout from Olympique de Marseille for a trial, which he successfully passed, leading to his enrollment in Marseille's youth academy. During his time in the academy, he served as captain of the Marseille under-17 team, leading them to victory in the 2008-09 Championnat National Under-17 league title.
2. Club Career
Alexander N'Doumbou's professional career began at Olympique de Marseille before he moved to various European clubs and eventually established himself in the Chinese Super League.
2.1. Olympique de Marseille
On November 18, 2009, N'Doumbou signed his first professional contract with Olympique de Marseille. This contract officially took effect on July 1, 2011, after he completed the remaining two years of his youth contract. He made his professional debut for Marseille's first team on January 9, 2010, just five days after his 18th birthday. This debut occurred in a Coupe de France Round of 64 match against amateur club Trélissac FC, which Marseille won 2-0. N'Doumbou was substituted into the game in the 88th minute, replacing Mathieu Valbuena. Despite signing a professional contract, he did not make any Ligue 1 appearances for the first team during his tenure. After various loan spells, he returned to play for the Olympique de Marseille B team, which competed in the French fifth tier, Championnat National 3. He was occasionally included on the bench for the first team in August 2016 but ultimately left Marseille in the summer of 2015.
2.2. Loans and European Clubs
On August 10, 2011, N'Doumbou was loaned to US Orléans, a club then competing in the French third tier, Championnat National, for a one-year spell. After returning to Marseille, he was loaned out to Orléans again on June 30, 2013. Following the conclusion of his second loan, he rejoined the Marseille B team. In the summer of 2016, N'Doumbou moved to Belgium, signing with F.C.V. Dender E.H., a club in the Belgian First Amateur Division. In July 2018, he transferred to FC Vereya in the Bulgarian first division.
2.3. Chinese Super League Career
In February 2019, N'Doumbou made a significant move to the Chinese Super League, joining Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. This transfer coincided with his re-acquisition of Chinese nationality. On December 6, 2019, N'Doumbou achieved a major career milestone by lifting the Chinese FA Cup with Shanghai Shenhua, marking his first major trophy as a professional player. After spending four seasons with Shanghai Shenhua, he transferred to another Chinese Super League club, Zhejiang FC, on January 17, 2023.
3. International Career
Alexander N'Doumbou represented the Gabon national football team at various levels before his nationality change. His first call-up to the senior Gabon national team came in November 2009, under then-coach Alain Giresse, even before he had made his professional club debut. He made his official international debut for Gabon in a friendly match against the Democratic Republic of Congo in February 2011.
Later that year, in November, he was part of the Gabon U-23 national team that participated in and won the 2011 CAF U-23 Championship held in Morocco. The following year, in 2012, he was selected to represent Gabon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he competed with the Olympic football squad. He also participated in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with the senior national team. Throughout his international career with Gabon, N'Doumbou accumulated 11 appearances.
4. Nationality Change and Eligibility
In February 2019, Alexander N'Doumbou made the decision to renounce his Gabonese citizenship and acquire Chinese nationality. This change was facilitated by his maternal heritage, as his mother is Chinese. However, despite obtaining Chinese citizenship, N'Doumbou is not eligible to represent the China national football team according to FIFA regulations. This rule applies because he had already appeared in official competitive matches for the Gabon national team prior to his change of nationality, thus binding him to his original national association for international football purposes. His case is a notable example within the context of naturalized footballers in international football.
5. Career Statistics
As of November 15, 2024
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Marseille | 2009-10 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012-13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013-14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014-15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Orléans (loan) | 2011-12 | Championnat National | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 3 | ||
| 2012-13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 3 | ||
| Marseille B | 2012-13 | Championnat National 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2013-14 | 25 | 2 | - | - | - | 25 | 2 | |||||
| 2014-15 | 14 | 2 | - | - | - | 14 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 42 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| FCV Dender EH | 2016-17 | Belgian First Amateur Division | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2017-18 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| FC Vereya | 2018-19 | First Professional Football League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 0 | ||
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2019 | Chinese Super League | 24 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 27 | 2 | ||
| 2020 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 29 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 81 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 95 | 4 | ||
| Zhejiang FC | 2023 | Chinese Super League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 53 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 226 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 251 | 13 | ||
6. Honours
Shanghai Shenhua
- Chinese FA Cup: 2019