Eliaquim Mangala

Early career

Mangala was born in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, to Congolese parents. He acquired French nationality on 5 December 1995, through the collective effect of his mother's naturalization. He moved to Belgium at the age of five to live in the French-speaking city of Namur. At the same age, he joined local club Athletic Club Lustin as a youth player and spent six years at the club before moving to CS Wépionnais in nearby Wépion. After two years in Wépion, Mangala joined the biggest club in the city, UR Namur, and quickly impressed. While at Namur, Mangala was utilised as a striker and his positive displays at youth level led to interest from Standard Liège. In 2007, Mangala and Standard reached an agreement on a three-year youth contract.

Standard Liège

Mangala joined Standard Liège and, upon his arrival, was converted into a left back and inserted into the club's under-17 team for the 2007–08 season. Mangala's admirable play with the team led to the player being promoted to Standard's under-19 team in January 2008, where he again switched positions, this time moving into central defence. During his time with the under-19 team, Mangala made the bench several times for Standard's under-21 team, despite being only 17 years old. For the 2008–09 season, Mangala was given the opportunity to train and play with the first team. On 23 October 2008, he signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a five-year deal with…

Due to being raised in Belgium, Mangala did not feature with any of France's youth football teams. In 2008, he was approached by the Royal Belgian Football Association who called the player up to the country's under-18 national team. However, due to not possessing a passport at the time, the call up was deemed futile. After excelling with Standard Liège's senior team, Mangala drew the interest of the French Football Federation with France under-21 manager Erick Mombaerts attending a match between Liège and Mouscron at the Stade Le Canonnier in November. On 5 November 2009, Mangala was selected, for the first time, to the under-21 team for a friendly match against Tunisia on 13 November and a 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Slovenia on 17 November. Mangala made his under-21 debut in the Tunisia match, but missed the match against Slovenia after withdrawing from the team due to an injury suffered the previous day in training. On 2 March 2010, he earned his second straight selection to the under-21 team and started in central defence alongside captain Mamadou Sakho in the team's 3–1 win over Croatia. Mangala made his debut with the France senior team in a 1–0 loss to Uruguay on 6 June 2013. He was included in France's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup but did not make an appearance during the tournament, in which Les Bleus reached the quarter-finals. Mangala was also included in France's squad that finished runners-up at UEFA Euro 2016 on…

Club

As of 10 June 2025

International

Standard Liège

Belgian First Division: 2008–09 Belgian Cup: 2010–11 Belgian Super Cup: 2009 Porto

Primeira Liga: 2011–12, 2012–13 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2012, 2013 Manchester City

Premier League: 2017–18 Individual

O Jogo Team of the Year: 2013 UEFA Europa League Squad of the season: 2013–14