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DR Congo – collage photo by PiotrMig –

10 Best Football Players from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The Congolese Association Football Federation oversees the Democratic Republic of the Congo national football team, known by FIFA as Congo DR (previously known as Zaire). They are nicknamed Leopards. The team is a FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) member.

Congo DR has reached the 28th position in its highest FIFA rankings. They won the Africa Cup of Nations twice as Zaire and were the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Morocco defeated DR Congo 4-1 in the second leg of their playoff tie at the Stade Mohamed V to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a sleeping powerhouse in African football, but it hasn’t stopped the African country from generating excellent players.

With significant legacy ties to Belgium and France, several promising players have leveraged these cultural ties to get into European football.  That is why numerous of their top stars have finally relocated to Europe and play in the top leagues.

More than 20 DR Congo internationals have played in Europe’s top-flight divisions with varying degrees of success over the last three decades forging their way into becoming some of the most famous people hailing from DRC. Here are the 10 best football players from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

1. Claude Makélélé

Claude Makelele photo by Liondartois –

Makélélé, regarded as one of the best players in his position, has been credited for reinventing the defensive midfield role in English football, particularly during the 2004-05 FA Premier League season, when he helped Chelsea win the title with 95 points.

In honour, the defensive midfield position is frequently referred to as the “Makelele Role.” Claude Makélélé Sinda was born in Kinshasa, Zaire, on February 18, 1973.

He is a French football manager and former professional player who was a defensive midfielder in his day. Makélélé played for Nantes, Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid, and Chelsea before completing his career at Â鶹APP Saint-Germain.

He won league titles in France, Spain and England, as well as the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League during his time with Real Madrid.

2. Mwepu Ilunga

Joseph Mwepu Ilunga was a Zaire football defender. His name is sometimes pronounced Alunga Mwepu. Mwepu played club football with Englebert TP Mazembe in his native Zaire, where he won the 1967 and 1968 African Cup of Champions.

Mwepu represented his country, then known as Zaire, in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Zaire was the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the World Cup finals at the time.

He ran out of his team’s defensive wall during their group match against Brazil and blasted away a free kick before the ball was in play.

He was later warned, but some observers said he seemed unaware of what he had done wrong. Mwepu, on the other hand, stated that he was well aware of the rules – as one would expect from an experienced player on a winning team – and was expecting that the referee would send him out.

The intended red card would have been a protest against the authorities of his country, who were accused of depriving the players of their proper pay.

3. Benik Afobe

Benik Afobe in action for Bournemouth photo by @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London –

Despite being born in England, Benik Afobe chose to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where his family originated.

After failing to make an impression at Arsenal, Afobe was given a second shot at Wolves, where he scored 23 goals in two seasons in the EFL Championship. This resulted in a move to Bournemouth, where Afobe established himself as a starter throughout the 2015/16 season.

The following season, Afobe impressed with his quickness and strength, scoring 7 goals in 31 appearances to assist The Cherries to avoid relegation. Afobe was voted Bournemouth Player of the Year in 2017 as a result of his efforts.

After falling out of favour at Dean Court in 2018, Afobe moved to Stoke City in the Championship, where he was a strong contributor to his sides. Afobe returned to fellow Championship club Millwall on a season-long loan contract on 2 July 2021, eight years after his previous loan stay with the club.

Following the success of his loan stay with the club during the 2021-22 season, Afobe signed a one-year contract with the club on 28 June 2022 for an undisclosed fee.

4. Issama Mpeko

Djo Issama Mpeko is a footballer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is a defender for Kabuscorp S.C.P and plays in the Angolan top league Girabola. He previously represented AS Vita Club Kinshasa.

In the 2011 African Nations Championship, he represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He scored one goal during the Africa Cup of Nations qualification in 2013 and advanced to Casablanca.

5. Yoane Wissa

Yoane Wissa before the match RC Lens / FC Lorient photo by Supporterhéninois –

Yoane Wissa is a professional football player who competes for the DR Congo national team and Premier League side Brentford as a forward and winger.

Wissa, a graduate of the Châteauroux academy, started his senior career with the team in 2015, and in 2018, after a brief stint with Angers, he moved to Lorient.

He played for the Lorient club that won Ligue 2 at the end of the 2019–20 campaign, and in 2021, after playing in Ligue 1, he moved to Brentford. Wissa, a French native, competes internationally for the DR Congo national team.

For a pair of friendly games in October 2020, Wissa received his first call to the DR Congo squad. In his second and third appearances against Morocco in friendlies and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying games, respectively, he scored his first two goals for his country.

Wissa can communicate in Lingala. He played rugby union before deciding to focus on football at the age of 15. He underwent emergency eye surgery after becoming the target of an alleged acid attack in July 2021 and fully recovered.

6. Ben Malango

Ben Malango Ngita is an Al-Sharjah football player who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is a Forward who has played a total of 1618 minutes in 22 matches this season for the Arabian Gulf League.

Every 90 minutes that Ben Malango Ngita is on the field, he scores an average of 0.5 goals. Out of 306 players that have participated in at least three matches in the Arabian Gulf League, their attacking performance presently positions them in 14th place.

This player is second on the Al Sharjah team’s Top Scorers list with a total of 9 goals scored so far this league season.

7. Christian Benteke

Christian Benteke 17-12-2016 photo by https://www.flickr.com/photos/cfcunofficial/ –

Christian Benteke Liolo was born on December 3, 1990, in Kinshasa, Zaire. He is a Belgian professional footballer who now plays for Major League Soccer club D.C. United as well as the Belgium national team.

Benteke’s goal celebration, in which he beats his chest, is inspired by LeBron James. The celebration can be seen in the video game FIFA 18 by EA Sports.

8. Dieumerci Mbokani

Dieumerci Mbokani photo by Football.ua –

“Dieumerci” Dieudonné Mbokani Bezua is a striker for Beveren and a professional footballer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is the captain of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national football team.

TP Mazembe, Anderlecht, VfL Wolfsburg, Monaco, Standard Liège, Norwich City, Hull City, Dynamo Kyiv, and Kuwait SC are among his previous clubs.

In French, the name “Dieumerci” means “Thank God.” Mbokani, along with his international teammate Cédric Bakambu, was caught up in the 2016 Brussels bombings. Though both were unharmed, Mbokani was said to be “shaken.” He was a top scorer at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

9. Aristote Nsiala

Toto Nsiala on his Ipswich Town debut against Rotherham United on 11 August 2018 photo by Ncadc2004 –

Aristote Nsiala, a centre-back for Fleetwood Town, is a professional football player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Additionally, he has represented DR Congo abroad.

Nsiala was first called up by Wales to their under-19 training squad in July 2009. He is qualified to play for DR Congo, England, Scotland, and Wales.

On June 15, 2012, against Seychelles in a qualifier for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, he made his DR Congo debut, replacing Diego Kazadi Mutombo in the team’s 3-0 triumph.

10. Cédric Bakambu

Cédric Bakambu participating in a MONUSCO Child Protection Unit campaign against recruitment of Child soldiers photo by Michael Ali / MONUSCO –

Professional footballer Cédric Bakambu represents Olympiacos of the Super League of Greece as a forward. He played 107 games in five seasons with Sochaux, where he made his professional debut in 2010. During that time, he scored 21 goals.

His next stop was Bursaspor, where he ended up with the most goals as his club finished second in the Turkish Cup. A year later, he signed with Villarreal.

He was born in France and played for them internationally up till the under-20s, winning the 2010 UEFA European Championship for the under-19s and scoring eight goals in 38 appearances.

He made his senior team debut for DR Congo in 2015. Following DR Congo’s defeat to Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification round on April 1, 2022, Bakambu announced that he was retiring from the team.

When terror attacks occurred at Brussels Airport in March 2016, Bakambu and his international teammate Dieumerci Mbokani were there; fortunately, both players escaped unscathed.

Also, check out the best soccer players from Tanzania.