Denis Bouanga

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. 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. 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. On 29 August 2015, he scored his only Ligue 1 goal for Les Merlus, equalising in a 4–1 loss at Reims. Bouanga was loaned to Strasbourg in the third-tier Championnat National on 3 January 2016, for the remainder of the season. 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; Strasbourg ended the season as league champions. In 2016–17, Bouanga was lent out again, this time to Tours in Ligue 2. He ranked third in the league with 16 goals. 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…

Bouanga first received a call-up to the Gabon national team for a match against Mauritania on 28 May 2016. He made the final squad for Gabon for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. In January 2017, he was selected by Gabonese coach José Antonio Camacho to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations held in Gabon during which he took part in all the matches of his selection in the competition. Even though Gabon failed to pass the group stage, Bouanga's fine performances did not go unappreciated, as he won two consecutive "Total Man of the Match" trophies for his performances against Burkina Faso and Cameroon. Bouanga scored his first international goal for Gabon in a friendly match on 24 March 2017 against Guinea. On 3 September 2025, Bouanga scored a first half hat-trick for Gabon in a 4–0 win over Seychelles to help bring the team to the top of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group. In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon finished bottom of their group without earning a single point. The Gabonese sports ministry reacted to the national team's performance in the tournament by suspending the national team indefinitely and banning Bruno Ecuele Manga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. During the tournament, Bouanga scored one goal as Gabon tried and failed to come back against the Ivory Coast in the final group stage match, ultimately losing 3–2.

Club

As of match played 5 September 2026

International

As of match played 31 December 2025

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

Bouanga was born in France to a Gabonese father and a French mother. His brother Didier is also a footballer.