Benjamin Moukandjo

1.1. Childhood and youth career

Benjamin Moukandjo Bilé was born in Douala, Cameroon. He began his football career in his hometown, joining the Kadji Sports Academy in 1998 at the age of 10. He spent nine years developing his skills within the club's youth setup. In 2007, he made the move to France, where he joined the youth system of Rennes.

1.2. Early professional career in France

Despite joining Rennes in 2007, Moukandjo primarily made appearances for the club's reserve team, Rennes B, featuring in 14 matches and scoring 2 goals. In September 2008, seeking more playing time, he was loaned out to L'Entente SSG, where he played 11 matches during the 2008-09 season. He returned to Rennes in June 2009 but subsequently rescinded his contract to pursue new opportunities.

2.1. Nîmes Olympique and AS Monaco FC (2009-2011)

On 31 August 2009, Moukandjo signed with Nîmes Olympique, where he became a regular player in Ligue 2. During his time at Nîmes, he made 46 appearances and scored 8 goals across two seasons. His performances caught the attention of larger clubs, leading to his transfer to Monaco on 31 January 2011. He played 16 matches for Monaco in Ligue 1, scoring 3 goals. Following Monaco's relegation to Ligue 2 in May 2011, there were reports linking him with a potential move to Liverpool.

2.2. AS Nancy Lorraine (2011-2014)

Despite the interest from Liverpool, Moukandjo ultimately joined AS Nancy Lorraine on 12 August 2011, signing a three-year contract. He played for Nancy for three seasons, two of which were in Ligue 1 and one in Ligue 2. Over his tenure at Nancy, he made 89 appearances, scoring 19 goals. His most prolific season with Nancy was the 2013-14 season, where he scored 9 goals in 27 appearances.

2.3. Stade de Reims and FC Lorient (2014-2017)

On 18 July 2014, Moukandjo transferred to Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims, agreeing to a two-year deal. He spent one season with Reims, appearing in 31 matches and scoring 8 goals. On 5 August 2015, he moved to another Ligue 1 club, FC Lorient. His time at Lorient was particularly successful, as he scored 13 goals in both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Ligue 1 seasons. A notable performance came on 8 April 2017, when he scored two goals and provided an assist for Sylvain Marveaux in Lorient's 4-1 away win against Lyon. In total, he made 56 appearances for Lorient, scoring 26 goals.

2.4. Chinese Super League (2017-2019)

On 13 July 2017, Moukandjo embarked on a new chapter in his career by moving to the Chinese Super League, signing a two-year contract with Jiangsu Suning. In his first season in China, he scored 7 goals in 10 appearances for Jiangsu Suning. On 28 February 2018, he was loaned to another Chinese Super League team, Beijing Renhe, until 31 December 2018, where he made 18 appearances and scored 7 goals. He left Jiangsu Suning by mutual consent in March 2019.

2.5. Later career in France and Greece (2019-2021)

Following his departure from China, Moukandjo returned to France, joining Ligue 2 side RC Lens on 11 September 2019. He played in 3 matches for Lens. On 23 January 2020, after being released by Lens, he moved to another Ligue 2 club, Valenciennes, but only managed to play two games there. His final professional club was the Greek side AEL, which he joined on 28 January 2021. He made 10 appearances for AEL before his contract was terminated on 14 May 2021.

3.1. National team debut and early goals

Moukandjo made his debut for the Cameroon national football team on 4 June 2011, starting in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Senegal which ended in a 0-0 draw. His first international goal came on 16 June 2012, scoring the winning goal against Guinea-Bissau.

3.2. 2014 FIFA World Cup

Moukandjo was selected for Cameroon's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He started in all three of Cameroon's group stage matches against Mexico, Croatia, and Brazil. The team's performance in the tournament was disappointing, as they finished at the bottom of their group. A notable incident occurred during the match against Croatia, where a conflict between teammates, including Benoît Assou-Ekotto, who headbutted Moukandjo, highlighted the team's internal struggles.

3.3. Africa Cup of Nations participations

Moukandjo participated in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored Cameroon's goal in a 1-1 draw with Guinea during the group stage. Two years later, he played a pivotal role in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. As the captain of the Cameroon national team, he led his side to their fifth Africa Cup of Nations title, defeating Egypt in the final. In the final match, he assisted Nicolas N'Koulou's equalizing goal. His outstanding performance in the final earned him the Man of the Match award. He was also selected as part of the "Team of the Tournament" for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

3.4. Retirement from international football

In September 2018, Benjamin Moukandjo announced his retirement from international duty. He concluded his career with the Cameroon national team having made 57 appearances and scoring 8 goals.

4.1. Club statistics

4.2. International statistics

Scores and results list Cameroon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Moukandjo goal.

International appearances by year:

5.1. National team honours

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2017

5.2. Individual honours

• 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Man of the Match (Final)
• 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament (Best 18)