| Intro | Democratic Republic of the Congo footballer |
| Is |
Athlete Football player Association football player |
| From | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth |
4 April 1989, Kinshasa |
| Age | 31 years |
Junior Kabananga Kalonji (born 4 April 1989) is a Congolese international footballer who plays for Kazakh team Astana, as a striker.
Career
Club
Born in Kinshasa, Kabananga began his early career with FC MK Etanchéité. He made his senior debut for Belgian club Anderlecht in the 2010-11 season, although Anderlecht later admitted negligence when transferring the player from Democratic Republic of the Congo after a forged document was used. He moved on loan to Germinal Beerschot in January 2011, and also spent the 2012–13 season on loan at Roeselare. He signed a permanent two-year contract with Cercle Brugge in July 2013.
In June 2015 he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Kazakhstan Premier League side FC Astana. He scored five goals in 13 games of the second stage of the championship of Kazakhstan and became the champion of the country with FC Astana. In the same season he played in the UEFA Champions League in 12 matches for the “Astana”, including all six group stage games. But, coming on as a substitute in most games, unable to realize their moments.
On 1 February 2016, Kabananga joined Kardemir Karabükspor on loan until the end of the 2015–16 Turkish season.
In June 2016 he was returned from the rent and at the second stage of the championship helped “Astana” to make a golden double, scoring 5 goals in 12 championship games and three goals in the semi-final and final of the Cup of Kazakhstan. In the qualification of the Champions League and the Europa League group stage he played in all 12 games and scored Belarusian BATE and Greek “Olympiacos”.
International
He made his international debut for DR Congo in 2014. In January 2015 he was named in the final squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
At the African Cup of Nations 2015 in Equatorial Guinea he played 4 matches for the national team of DR Congo, everytime on replacement, and won a bronze medal with the team.
Honours
- Astana
- Kazakhstan Premier League (2): 2015 2016
- 2016 Kazakhstan Cup
- “Астана” стала чемпионом страны
- «Астана» — обладатель Кубка Казахстана 2016!
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 9 December 2016
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cercle Brugge | 2013–14 | Belgian Pro League | 34 | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 37 | 7 | ||
| 2014–15 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 13 | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 69 | 15 | ||
| Astana | 2015 | Kazakhstan Premier League | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
| 2016 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 10 | ||
| Total | 25 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 15 | ||
| Kardemir Karabükspor (loan) | 2015–16 | TFF First League | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 96 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 32 | ||
International
- As of match played 29 January 2017
| DR Congo | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2014 | 3 | 1 |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 4 | 3 |
| Total | 15 | 4 |
International goals
- Scores and results list DR Congo’s goal tally first.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 October 2014 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | Ivory Coast | 2–1 | 4–3 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 16 January 2017 | Stade d’Oyem, Oyem, Gabon | Morocco | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 3. | 20 January 2017 | Stade d’Oyem, Oyem, Gabon | Ivory Coast | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 4. | 24 January 2017 | Stade de Port-Gentil, Port-Gentil, Gabon | Togo | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations |