Simon Banza
Banza with Lens in 2019
Personal information
Full name Simon Bokoté Banza
Date of birth (1996-08-13) 13 August 1996
Place of birth Creil, France
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Braga
Number 23
Youth career
US Chantilly
Liévin
Lens
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2019 Lens B 56 (10)
2015–2022 Lens 86 (15)
2017 → Béziers (loan) 11 (0)
2017–2018 → UT Pétange (loan) 21 (13)
2021–2022 → Famalicão (loan) 29 (14)
2022– Braga 44 (24)
International career‡
2023– DR Congo 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:14, 17 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:14, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

Simon Bokoté Banza (born 13 August 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Primeira Liga club Braga. Born in France, he plays for the DR Congo national team.

Formed at Lens, where he played 98 games and scored 16 goals including in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, he went on to play in Portugal's Primeira Liga for Famalicão and Braga.

Club career

Lens

Born in Creil, Oise, Banza began his senior career with Lens, first with its reserve team in the fourth tier. He scored his first Ligue 2 goal on 6 May 2016, as consolation at the end of a 2–1 loss at Bourg-en-Bresse.[1]

In January 2017, Banza was loaned to Championnat National club Béziers until the end of the season.[2] That August, he moved to UT Pétange of the Luxembourg National Division in the same manner.[3] He was the season's sixth highest scorer with 13 goals, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 home win over US Esch on 15 April 2018.[4]

On 24 May 2019, Banza scored the extra-time winner as Lens won 2–1 at Troyes in the second leg of the play-off semi-finals.[5] The following season, he scored seven times as Lens won promotion as runners-up, including two on 3 December 2019 in a 3–0 home win over his local side Chambly.[6] He was sent off 18 days later in a 1–0 win over Niort also at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.[7]

Famalicão

On 31 August 2021, Banza joined Famalicão in Portugal on loan for the 2021–22 season.[8] On his Primeira Liga debut 12 days later, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at Moreirense;[9] he added both goals of a win at Santa Clara on 23 October, though he was also sent off.[10] He finished the season as joint seventh top scorer with 14 goals in 29 games,[11] including two on the final day in a 3–2 home comeback win over neighbours Braga to ensure a top-half finish.[12]

Braga

On 19 July 2022, Banza signed a five-year deal with Braga for a €3 million fee, complete with a buyout clause of €30 million.[13][14] He made his debut on 7 August in the season opener at home to Sporting CP, scoring his club's first goal of a 3–3 draw;[15] five days later he added two more goals in a 3–0 win on his return to Famalicão.[16]

International career

Banza was born in France to DR Congolese parents.[17] On 2 October 2023, he was called up to the DR Congo national team for a set of friendlies.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 December 2023[19]
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
Lens II 2014–15 CFA 26 1 — — — — 26 1
2015–16 13 5 — — — — 13 5
2016–17 10 2 — — — — 10 2
2018–19 Championnat National 2 7 2 — — — — 7 2
Total 56 10 — — — — 56 10
Lens 2015–16 Ligue 2 181————181
2016–17 102120——51
2018–19 510000—4[lower-alpha 3]192
2019–20 2471031——288
2020–21 Ligue 1 34510———355
2021–22 4100———41
Total 86154151—419918
Béziers (loan) 2016–17 Championnat National 110————110
UT Pétange (loan) 2017–18 Luxembourg National Division 211345———2518
Famalicão (loan) 2021–22 Primeira Liga 29143211——3317
Braga 2022–23 301172317[lower-alpha 4]0—4714
2023–24 151400209[lower-alpha 5]0—2614
Total 45257251160—7328
Career total 2487718101131604129791

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Simon Banza, de l'AFC Creil au RC Lens" [Simon Banza, from AFC Creil to RC Lens]. Courrier Picard (in French). 4 December 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Football / National : Béziers recrute l'attaquant du RC Lens Simon Banza" [Football / National: Béziers recruit RC Lens attacker Simon Banza]. Midi Libre (in French). 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Simon Banza no Union Titus Pétange por empréstimo do Lens" [Simon Banza to Union Titus Pétange on loan from Lens]. Luxemburger Wort (in Portuguese). 1 August 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Triplé pour Simon Banza contre l'US Esch" [Hat-trick for Simon Banza against US Esch] (in French). Made in Lens. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Noé, Sébastien (24 May 2019). "Ligue 2 Lens résiste à tout et s'offre une semaine de tous les rêves" [Ligue 2 Lens resist everything and offer themselves a dream week]. La Voix du Nord (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  6. ↑ Melosci, Vincent (3 December 2019). "Ligue 2 : Chambly corrigé à Lens" [Ligue 2: Chambly put right at Lens]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "Le RC Lens champion d'automne après sa victoire face à Niort" [RC Lens autumn champions after their victory against Niort] (in French). France 3. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Simon Banza reforça ataque do Famalicão" [Simon Banza bolsters Famalicão's attack]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 31 August 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Banza estreia-se com dois golos no empate do Famalicão em Moreira de Cónegos" [Banza debuts with two goals in Famalicão's draw in Moreira de Cónegos]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "'Bis' de Banza dá primeiro triunfo ao Famalicão na Liga" [Banza brace gives Famalicão first triumph of Liga season]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 23 October 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Darwin Núñez é o melhor marcador da Liga, Taremi em segundo" [Darwin Núñez is the Liga top scorer, Taremi in second] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Farr, Jamie (16 May 2022). "PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Banza brace fires Famalicão to top eight finish". PortuGOAL. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "Avançado Simon Banza reforça Sp. Braga" [Forward Simon Banza bolsters Sp. Braga]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  14. ↑ Pereira, Sérgio (19 July 2022). "Sp. Braga garante Simon Banza por três milhões de euros" [Sp. Braga confirm Simon Banza for three million euros] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  15. ↑ Antunes, Inês (7 August 2020). "SC Braga e Sporting empataram, mas o futebol saiu vencedor" [SC Braga and Sporting drew, but football emerged the winner] (in Portuguese). SAPO. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Banza bisa no regresso a Famalicão e dá primeira vitória ao Braga" [Banza scores brace on return to Famalicão and gives first victory to Braga] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  17. ↑ Enyimo, Martin (3 August 2016). "Ligue 2 française : des RD-Congolais de souche titulaires en clubs en première journée" [French Ligue 1: players of DR Congolese origin start for clubs on opening day] (in French). Agence d'Information d'Afrique Centrale. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  18. ↑ "RDC : la liste d'octobre avec un ancien Lensois, un nouveau de L1 et un ex-international Espoirs anglais !". www.afrik-foot.com. 2 October 2023.
  19. ↑ Simon Banza at Soccerway
  20. ↑ "Best of August: Banza wins Player of the Month in Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "Best of August: Banza wins Forward of the Month in Liga Portugal bwin". Liga Portugal. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
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