Denis Bouanga
Bouanga with Saint-Étienne in 2020
Personal information
Full name Denis Athanase Bouanga[1]
Date of birth (1994-11-11) 11 November 1994
Place of birth Le Mans, France
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Los Angeles FC
Number 99
Youth career
0000–2011 SO Maine
2011–2013 Le Mans
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Mulsanne-Téloché
2014–2015 Lorient B 25 (12)
2014–2018 Lorient 38 (10)
2016 → Strasbourg (loan) 18 (5)
2016–2017 → Tours (loan) 36 (16)
2018–2019 Nîmes 35 (8)
2019–2022 Saint-Étienne 97 (26)
2022– Los Angeles FC 38 (21)
International career‡
2017– Gabon 38 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:12, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:06, 19 November 2023 (UTC)

Denis Athanase Bouanga (born 11 November 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Born in France, he plays for the Gabon national team.

Bouanga began his career in France, making 136 Ligue 1 appearances for Lorient, Nîmes and Saint-Étienne and scoring 35 goals. In 2022, he signed for Los Angeles FC for a $5 million fee. In 2022, he helped the team win the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup, while in 2023 he won the MLS Golden Boot.

Bouanga made his international debut for Gabon in 2017 and was selected for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2021.

Club career

Lorient

Born in Le Mans, Bouanga played as a youth for Stade Olympique du Maine and for two years at Le Mans FC but was released after two years at the latter club. In 2013, he started his senior career in the sixth-tier Division d'Honneur for Mulsanne. He was the top scorer in the Ligue de Maine in 2013–14 with 26 goals, and was then signed by Ligue 1 club Lorient; manager Franck Haise signed his younger brother Didier Bouanga as well.[3]

Bouanga made his professional debut on 28 October 2014 in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 win at Evian.[4] Four days later he made his one top-flight appearance of the season, the last eight minutes as a substitute for Raphaël Guerreiro in a 2–1 home loss to Paris Saint-Germain.[5][6][7] On 29 August 2015, he scored his only Ligue 1 goal for Les Merlus, equalising in a 4–1 loss at Reims.[8]

Bouanga was loaned to Strasbourg in the third-tier Championnat National on 3 January 2016, for the remainder of the season.[9] He scored five goals, all in his first eight games, including two in a 3–0 win away to Alsace rivals Colmar on 11 March;[10] Strasbourg ended the season as league champions.[11]

In 2016–17, Bouanga was lent out again, this time to Tours in Ligue 2. He ranked third in the league with 16 goals.[12] In July 2017, he signed a new deal at Lorient for four years; despite his rare opportunities at the club, he cited his upcoming fatherhood as a reason to commit to the club. Saint-Étienne and Valencia had tracked him after his season at Tours.[13]

Representing Lorient in the 2017–18 Ligue 2 season, Bouanga scored nine goals in 34 games.[14] On 24 April, he was sent off in a 1–0 loss at Nîmes for a dangerous tackle, as were teammate Ibrahima Conte and opponent Téji Savanier.[15]

Nîmes and Saint-Étienne

In July 2018, Bouanga joined Nîmes in Ligue 1 on a three-year contract for a reported transfer fee of €3 million.[16][17] A year later, having scored eight goals in his one season at Nîmes, he joined Saint-Étienne for €4.5 million on a four-year deal.[18][19]

Bouanga scored 10 goals in 26 games in his first league season for ASSE, which was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] He also helped them to the Coupe de France final by scoring the only goal away to Monaco in the last 16,[21] and one more goal in a 2–1 win in the next round at Épinal.[22]

In Bouanga's final game for Saint-Étienne, a 2–1 loss to Dijon on the first day of the 2022–23 Ligue 2 season, he was sent off at the end for insulting the referee.[23]

Los Angeles FC

On 5 August 2022, Bouanga was acquired by Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer for a $5 million fee.[24] On 2 October, he scored the match-winning goal in the 95th minute against Portland Timbers to win 2–1, clinching LAFC's second Supporters' Shield and his first trophy with the club.[25] Eighteen days later, he netted twice in a 3–2 win at home to LA Galaxy in the Western Conference semi-finals of the MLS Cup playoffs.[26] On 5 November, his team won MLS Cup 2022 by beating Philadelphia Union 3–0 on penalties after a 3–3 extra-time draw; he was among the penalty scorers.[27]

In 2023, after scoring twice and tallying one assist in the club's 4–0 victory over New England Revolution, Bouanga was named to the league's Team of the Matchday for week three.[28]

On 9 March 2023, Bouanga scored his first hat-trick of his career with a 0–3 away victory over L.D. Alajuelense during the first leg in the two club's Round of 16 showdown in the CONCACAF Champions League.[29] Just under a month later on 8 April 2023, Bouanga scored his second hat-trick of his career in a 3–0 win at home over Austin FC.[30]

International career

Bouanga first received a call-up to the Gabon national team for a match against Mauritania on 28 May 2016.[31] He made the final squad for Gabon for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 December 2023[33]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lorient 2014–15 Ligue 1 100010——20
2015–16 410010——51
2017–18 Ligue 2 3494531——4115
Total 39104551——4816
Strasbourg (loan) 2015–16 Championnat National 185————185
Tours (loan) 2016–17 Ligue 2 36160010——3716
Nîmes 2018–19 Ligue 1 3581021——389
Saint-Étienne 2019–20 261042105[lower-alpha 3]0—3612
2020–21 36700———367
2021–22 34910——2[lower-alpha 4]0379
2022–23 Ligue 2 10————10
Total 97265210502011028
Los Angeles FC 2022 MLS 71—32——103
2023 3120—558[lower-alpha 5]74[lower-alpha 6]64838
Total 3821008787465841
Career total 2638610717913766309115
  1. ↑ Includes Coupe de France
  2. ↑ Includes Coupe de la Ligue and MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Appearances in Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-offs
  5. ↑ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
  6. ↑ Three appearances and six goals in Leagues Cup, one appearance in Campeones Cup

International

Scores and results list Gabon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bouanga goal.[34]
List of international goals scored by Denis Bouanga
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
124 March 2017Stade Océane, Le Havre, France Guinea1–12–2Friendly
210 June 2017Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali Mali1–01–22019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
312 October 2018Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville, Gabon South Sudan1–03–02019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
415 October 2019Stade Ibn Batouta, Tangier, Morocco Morocco2–13–2Friendly
517 November 2019Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon Angola2–02–12021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
612 November 2020Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon Gambia1–02–12021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
725 March 2021Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon DR Congo2–03–02021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
816 November 2023Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon Kenya1–12–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
919 November 2023National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Burundi2–02–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Strasbourg

Saint-Étienne

Los Angeles FC

Gabon

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Joueur".
  2. ↑ "Denis Bouanga". MLS. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Gendry, Antonin (6 August 2022). "Ce footballeur né au Mans, et passé par Mulsanne, va vivre le rêve américain à Los Angeles" [This footballer who was born in Le Mans, and who passed through Mulsanne, will live the American dream in Los Angeles]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Coupe de la Ligue : Lorient s'impose contre Evian et prend une bouffée d'air" [Coupe de la Ligue: Lorient impose themselves of Evian and take a breath of air] (in French). Ma Ville. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Rollinger, Mathieu (12 December 2019). "Denis Bouanga : « J'ai besoin de m'amuser dans mon métier »" [Denis Bouanga: "I need to have fun in my job"] (in French). So Foot. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Sévénac, Dominique (2 November 2014). "Paris bosse à mi-temps" [Paris work part-time]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Lorient. Les jeunes confirmés" [Lorient. Youngsters confirmed]. Le Télégramme (in French). 1 November 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Reims bounce back to beat Lorient, go top in Ligue 1 overnight". ESPN. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Racing : Bouanga arrive en prêt". L'Alsace-Le Pays (in French). 3 January 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Strasbourg. Le Lorientais Bouanga s'éclate !" [Strasbourg. Lorient's Bouanga is having a blast!]. Le Télégramme (in French). 1 April 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Football. Promu en Ligue 2, Strasbourg se sépare de Jacky Duguépéroux" [Football. Promoted to Ligue 2, Strasbourg separate from Jacky Duguépéroux]. Ouest-France (in French). 30 May 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Zabrodsky, Jean-Éric (7 May 2017). "Bien défendre pour mieux attaquer" [Defending well to attack better]. La Nouvelle République (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Dove, Ed (28 July 2017). "Fatherhood and Lorient future come hand in hand for Bouanga". ESPN. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "FC Lorient. Denis Bouanga officiellement Nîmois" [FC Lorient. Denis Bouanga officially a Nîmes player]. Ouest-France (in French). 17 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  15. ↑ Hobé, Lucas (25 April 2018). "Ligue 2 : soirée compliquée pour Lorient contre Nîmes, Brest assure à domicile face à Clermont" [Ligue 2: difficult evening for Lorient against Nîmes, Brest assure at home to Clermont] (in French). France 3. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Denis Bouanga arrive à Nîmes" [Denis Bouanga arrives at Nîmes]. L'Équipe (in French). 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "FC Lorient. Bouanga à Nîmes pour trois ans" [FC Lorient. Bouanga to Nîmes for three years]. Le Télégramme (in French). 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "Transferts : Denis Bouanga (Nîmes) arrive à Saint-Etienne" [Transfers: Denis Bouanga (Nîmes) arrives at Saint-Étienne]. L'Équipe (in French). 6 July 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "Mercato: le Gabonais Bouanga rejoint Saint-Étienne" [Transfer market: Gabonese Bouanga joins Saint-Étienne] (in French). Radio France Internationale. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "Saint-Etienne : Denis Bouanga n'a pas raté la marche" [Saint-Étienne: Denis Bouanga has not missed the march] (in French). Ligue 1. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "Coupe de France : Saint-Etienne pousse Monaco vers la sortie (1-0)" [Coupe de France: Saint-Étienne show Monaco to the door (1-0)]. Le Parisien (in French). 28 January 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  22. ↑ Dupont, Régis (13 February 2020). "Les tops-flops d'Épinal - Saint-Étienne : Bouanga inspiré, Tapé essoufflé" [The tops and flops of Épinal – Saint-Étienne: Bouanga inspired, Tapé exhausted]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  23. ↑ Huguen, Morgane (30 July 2022). "Ligue 2. L'AS Saint-Étienne battue d'entrée à Dijon, Bouanga sort par la petite porte" [Ligue 2. AS Saint-Étienne beaten in opener at Dijon, Bouanga leaves through the back door]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  24. ↑ "LAFC adds Denis Bouanga at the MLS deadline, creating a possible logjam in attack". The Athletic. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "LAFC defeats Portland to clinch its second Supporters' Shield in four years". Los Angeles Times. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  26. 1 2 Tenorio, Paul (21 October 2022). "LAFC down crosstown rival LA Galaxy to advance to MLS Western Conference final". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  27. 1 2 "Philadelphia Union lose to LAFC in 2022 MLS Cup". CBS News. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  28. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan (13 March 2023). "Team of the Matchday: Atlanta United, LAFC & St. Louis CITY own the moment". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Dénis Bouanga nets hat-trick, LAFC dominate Alajuelense in CCL opener". Major League Soccer. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  30. ↑ Gates, Billy (8 April 2023). "Bouanga's hat trick sinks Austin FC in Los Angeles". KXAN-TV. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  31. ↑ "Gabon: Denis Bouanga convoqué avec les Panthères". 20 May 2016.
  32. ↑ Okeleji, Oluwashina (27 December 2016). "Aubameyang leads cast as hosts Gabon name final Nations Cup squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  33. ↑ "D. Bouanga". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  34. ↑ "Bouanga, Denis". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  35. ↑ "Mbappé suffers ankle injury as PSG beat 10-man Saint-Étienne to lift French Cup". The Guardian. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  36. ↑ "Slovakia beat Thailand 3–2, win King's Cup". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  37. ↑ "Thailand face fearsome EPL threesome in King's Cup". 9 March 2018.
  38. ↑ "LAFC FW Bouanga earns Qatar Airways Top Scorer Award". CONCACAF. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  39. ↑ "Davila, Ambriz, Bouanga headline 2023 SCCL Best XI". CONCACAF. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  40. ↑ "2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  41. ↑ "2023 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  42. ↑ "LAFC's Dénis Bouanga wins 2023 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi". Major League Soccer. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  43. ↑ "LAFC forward Dénis Bouanga named MLS Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
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