Aaron Salem Boupendza Pozzi (born 7 August 1996) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga I club Rapid București and the Gabon national team.
 Boupendza with Gazélec Ajaccio in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron Salem Boupendza Pozzi | ||
| Date of birth | 7 August 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Moanda, Gabon[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rapid București | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | CF Mounana | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | CF Mounana | 6 | (6) |
| 2016–2017 | Bordeaux B | 20 | (8) |
| 2017–2020 | Bordeaux | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Pau (loan) | 21 | (15) |
| 2017–2018 | → Pau B (loan) | 3 | (2) |
| 2018 | → Gazélec Ajaccio (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Tours (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2019 | → Tours B (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Feirense (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Hatayspor | 36 | (22) |
| 2021–2022 | Al-Arabi | 17 | (8) |
| 2022–2023 | Al-Shabab | 17 | (11) |
| 2023–2024 | FC Cincinnati | 24 | (7) |
| 2024– | Rapid București | 4 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016– | Gabon | 35 | (8) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 October 2023 | |||
Formed at CF Mounana, where he won the Gabon Championnat National D1 in 2015–16, he signed for Bordeaux in 2016. He played only for the reserve team and out on loan, finishing as top scorer of the Championnat National for Pau in 2017–18. In 2020 he signed for Hatayspor, and was top scorer in the Süper Lig in 2020–21. He then had one season each with Al Arabi of the Qatar Stars League and Al Shabab of the Saudi Pro League, winning a Qatar FA Cup with the former in 2022.
A full international for Gabon since 2016, Boupendza represented the country at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Club career
editBordeaux
editBorn in Moanda, Boupendza came through the youth ranks of CF Mounana, where he won the Gabon Championnat National D1 in 2015–16. He had a trial at Tours of the French Ligue 2 in February 2016.[2]
In August 2016, Boupendza signed for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux to play for the club's reserve team in fifth-tier Championnat National 3.[2] A year later, he joined Championnat National side Pau FC on loan.[3] He was the top scorer of the 2017–18 Championnat National with 15 goals.[4]
Boupendza signed a new contract in July 2018 to keep himself at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux until 2021, while also being loaned out to Gazélec Ajaccio of Ligue 2.[5] On 9 December, his loan was terminated by mutual agreement of both clubs, after he did not score in 11 total appearances. He was then loaned to Tours in the division below.[6]
In July 2019, Boupendza was loaned to Feirense in the Portuguese LigaPro.[7] Having not scored in 11 total matches for Filó's team, his contract was rescinded in March for refusing to join the reserve team.[8]
Hatayspor
editIn August 2020, after being released by Bordeaux, Boupendza signed a two-year deal at Hatayspor, newly promoted to the Turkish Süper Lig.[9] He was the top scorer in his first season with 22 goals in 36 games as the team from Antakya came sixth; teammate Mame Biram Diouf was second with 19 goals.[10] He scored four times on 29 December in a 6–0 win at Antalyaspor,[11] and twice on 10 January 2021 in a 2–2 draw with eventual winners Beşiktaş J.K. at the Antakya Atatürk Stadyumu.[12]
Middle East
editIn August 2021, Boupendza joined Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi SC for €4.5 million.[13] On 8 May 2022, he scored after three minutes in a 3–2 win over Lusail SC to lift the Qatar FA Cup.[14]
Boupendza signed a three-year deal at Al Shabab FC of the Saudi Pro League in August 2022.[15] He scored 11 goals in 17 games in his one league season in Riyadh, including four on 31 May as the campaign concluded with a 4–1 win at Damac FC.[16]
FC Cincinnati
editIn June 2023, Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati announced they had signed Boupendza from Al-Shabab on a transfer, with the striker signing a Designated Player deal through 2025, with options for 2026 and 2027. He arrived after the club had sold leading striker Brenner to Udinese Calcio.[17] His five regular-season goals helped the team win the Eastern Conference and Supporters' Shield, and on 4 November he equalised in a 1–1 draw away to the New York Red Bulls before netting in a penalty shootout win in the first round of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.[18]
Boupendza's contract was terminated early by Major League Soccer on 8 August 2024. He had been absent from club training sessions for several weeks prior to the termination. Boupendza had also missed several weeks of practice and play after a fight in April 2024 in which he broke his jaw.[19]
Rapid București
editIn September 2024, Boupendza signed a two-year contract for Liga I club Rapid București.[20]
International career
editBoupendza was first called up for Gabon in January 2016 for the African Nations Championship.[21] He made his debut on 10 January in a 1–1 friendly draw away to Uganda, and scored his first goal as consolation in a 2–1 loss to hosts Rwanda in the group stage.[22]
Boupendza was called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, where he scored the only goal of the opening group win against the Comoros, who were making their tournament debut.[23] In the last 16 against Burkina Faso, he netted his attempt in a penalty shootout defeat.[24]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 9 November 2024[25]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bordeaux B | 2016–17 | CFA 2 | 20 | 8 | – | – | – | – | 20 | 8 | ||||
| Pau (loan) | 2017–18 | Championnat National | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 21 | 15 | |||
| Pau B (loan) | 2017–18 | Championnat National 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Gazélec Ajaccio (loan) | 2018–19 | Ligue 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 0 | ||
| Tours (loan) | 2018–19 | Championnat National | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 13 | 4 | |||
| Tours B (loan) | 2018–19 | Championnat National 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Feirense (loan) | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 12 | 0 | ||
| Hatayspor | 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 36 | 22 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 38 | 22 | |||
| Al-Arabi | 2021–22 | Qatar Stars League | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 3[c] | 1 | 22 | 10 | |
| 2022–23 | Qatar Stars League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | 24 | 10 | |||
| Al Shabab | 2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 17 | 11 | ||
| FC Cincinnati | 2023 | MLS | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | 3[d] | 0 | 18 | 6 | |
| 2024 | 14 | 2 | — | – | 3[e] | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 9 | ||
| Rapid București | 2024–25 | Liga I | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 174 | 77 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 199 | 83 | ||
- ^ Includes Turkish Cup, Emir Cup, U.S. Open Cup
- ^ Includes Qatar FA Cup, MLS Cup Playoffs
- ^ Appearances in Qatari Stars Cup
- ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup
- ^ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
International
edit- As of match played 17 October 2023[26]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabon | 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 35 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Gabon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Boupendza goal.[27]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 January 2016 | Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda |  Rwanda |
1–2 | 1–2 | 2016 African Nations Championship |
| 2 | 15 October 2019 | Stade Ibn Batouta, Tangier, Morocco |  Morocco |
1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 17 November 2019 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon |  Angola |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 25 March 2021 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon |  DR Congo |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5 | 10 January 2022 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Comoros |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 6 | 17 November 2022 | Atilla Vehbi Konuk Tesisleri, Antalya, Turkey |  Guinea-Bissau |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2–1 | |||||
| 8 | 17 October 2023 | Estádio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal |  Guinea |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Honours
editCF Mounana
- Gabon Championnat National D1: 2015–16[2]
Al-Arabi
FC Cincinnati
Individual
References
edit- ^ a b "Aaron BOUPENDZA - Football : la fiche de Aaron BOUPENDZA (Pau)". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "Aaron Boupendza: une pépite gabonaise débarque à Bordeaux" [Aaron Boupendza: a Gabonese gem lands in Bordeaux]. Africa Top Sports (in French). 5 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Bordeaux prête Aaron Boupendza à Pau" [Bordeaux loan Aaron Boupendza to Pau]. L'Équipe (in French). 11 August 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Ligue 1 : Bordeaux, l'heure de la rentrée a sonné" [Ligue 1: Bordeaux, the bell has rung for the new season]. Sud-Ouest (in French). 29 June 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Girondins : Boupendza prolonge et part en prêt au Gazélec Ajaccio" [Girondins: Boupendza extends and leaves on loan to Gazélec Ajaccio]. Sud-Ouest (in French). 19 July 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Bordeaux: le prêt de Boupendza au Gazélec rompu, direction Tours" [Bordeaux: Boupendza's loan to Gazélec terminated, heading to Tours]. Le Figaro (in French). 9 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Tavares, Ruben (6 July 2019). "Boupendza é o 10° reforço do Feirense" [Boupendza is Feirense's 10th addition]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Malouana, Biggie (11 March 2020). "Football : Une procédure disciplinaire contre Aaron Boupendza" [Football: A disciplinary procedure against Aaron Boupendza] (in French). Gabon Review. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Transferts : Aaron Boupendza (ex-Bordeaux) rebondit en Turquie" [Transfers: Aaron Boupendza (ex-Bordeaux) rebounds in Turkey]. L'Équipe (in French). 6 August 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Taiwo, Taiye (15 May 2021). "Cameroon's Aboubakar and Ghana's Mensah win Super Lig title with Besiktas in final day drama". Goal. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Gabon's Aaron Boupendza wows Turkish Super League". The Maravi Post. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Adewoye, Gbenga (10 January 2021). "Aboubakar, Boupendza score, Akintola and Ghezzal grab assists as Hatayspor hold Besiktas". Goal. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Pemba, Lauris (30 August 2021). "Football: Al Arabi SC officialise l'arrivée d'Aaron Boupendza pour 4,5 millions d'euros" [Football: Al Arabi SC confirm the arrival of Aaron Boupendza for 4.5 million euros] (in French). Gabon Media Time. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ a b Malouana, Biggie (10 May 2022). "Football : Boupendza soulève son premier trophée hors du Gabon" [Football: Boupendza lifts his first trophy outside Gabon]. Gabon Review (in French). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Mbeng Essone, Lyonnel (9 August 2022). "Transfert: Boupendza signe en Arabie Saoudite pour 3 ans avec Al Shabab" [Transfer: Boupendza signs in Saudi Arabia for 3 years with Al Shabab] (in French). Gabon Media Time. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Football : un quadruplé pour Aaron Boupendza en fin de Saudi Pro League" [Football: a quadruple for Aaron Boupendza at the end of the Saudi Pro League season] (in French). Trust Gabon. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Weldon, Casey (13 June 2023). "Forward Aaron Boupendza coming to FC Cincinnati after transfer with Saudi club Al-Shabab FC". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "FC Cincinnati eliminate New York Red Bulls from MLS playoffs". The Guardian. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Brennan, Pat (8 August 2024). "FC Cincinnati: Aaron Boupendza's MLS contract terminated for failing to meet obligations". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ Sport, Digi (13 September 2024). "Oficial Aaron Boupendza a semnat cu Rapid: "Marius Șumudică este ca un tată pentru mine"". digisport.ro. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Isabirye, David (5 January 2016). "Coach Bounguendza names Gabon 23 man squad". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "CHAN 2016: Rwanda 2 - 1 Gabon". Radio France Internationale. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Comoros 0-1 Gabon: Boupendza ends opening day debut dream". Diario AS. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Afcon last 16: Tunisia stun 10-man Nigeria after Burkina Faso beat Gabon". The Guardian. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Aaron Boupendza at Soccerway
- ^ "Aaron Boupendza". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Aaron Boupendza". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Turkish Süper Lig Gol Krallığı". TFF. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
External links
edit- Aaron Boupendza at Soccerway