Junior Mapuku

Junior M'Pia Mapuku (born 7 January 1990) is a Congolese professional footballer who most recently played as a forward for Bangladesh Premier League club Sheikh Russel KC.^[1][2]

Junior Mapuku

Personal information
Full name	Junior M'Pia Mapuku
Date of birth	(1990-01-07) 7 January 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2011	Troyes B	14	(4)
2011	Sainte-Geneviève	5	(2)
2012–2013	Panachaiki	31	(5)
2013–2014	Compiègne	8	(0)
2014–2015	Beroe Stara Zagora	43	(16)
2015–2016	Wadi Degla	22	(3)
2016	Bandırmaspor	2	(0)
2016–2017	Beroe Stara Zagora	25	(12)
2017–2018	Levski Sofia	19	(6)
2018–2019	Shijiazhuang Ever Bright	0	(0)
2019	Dunărea Călărași	4	(0)
2019–2020	Al-Shorta	4	(0)
2020	Al-Shoulla	9	(1)
2021	Ratchaburi Mitr Phol	0	(0)
2021–2022	Slavia Sofia	5	(0)
2022–2023	Sheikh Russel KC	10	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 February 2023

Career

On 1 September 2016, Mapuku signed a contract with Turkish club Bandırmaspor, but ended up playing only two league games.^[3]

On 11 October 2016, he returned to Beroe Stara Zagora.^[4]

Levski Sofia

On 22 May 2017, Mapuku signed a two-year contract with Levski Sofia, joining the team from the 2017–18 season.^[5] He soon claimed himself "The Black Power".^[6] On his debut for the club, Mapuku scored two goals in an eventual 3–1 win against Sutjeska in the Europa League 1st qualifying round.^[7] In the same match he scored the quickest goal ever for Levski in European tournaments, finding the net after just 13 seconds. On 18 August 2017, Mapuku scored his debut goals in the league against Pirin Blagoevgrad, scoring a hattrick for the 3:0 win.^[8] It was the quickest hattrick scored by a foreigner in the club history after just 18 minutes (between the 74th and 92nd minute).^[9]

Shijiazhuang Ever Bright

After being deemed surplus to the requirements by Levski Sofia manager Delio Rossi, Mapuku signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Chinese club Shijiazhuang Ever Bright on 30 January 2018.^[10]

Al Shorta

In 2019 Mapuku joined Iraqi club Al-Shorta.^[11]

Slavia Sofia

In October 2021, Mapuku returned to Bulgaria, agreeing terms with Slavia Sofia for two seasons.^[12] However, he made only a few appearances for the team without managing to score and was released in February 2022 after falling out of favor with the manager Zlatomir Zagorčić.^[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of 3 November 2018

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	Division	League		Cup		Europe		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Troyes B	2010–11	National 3	14	4	–		–		14	4
Sainte-Geneviève	2011–12	National 3	5	2	–		–		5	2
Panachaiki	2011–12	Beta Ethniki	20	5	0	0	–		20	5
	2012–13		11	0	0	0	–		11	0
	Total		31	5	0	0	0	0	31	5
Compiègne	2013–14	National 3	8	0	–		–		8	0
Beroe Stara Zagora	2013–14	A Group	12	8	0	0	0	0	12	8
	2014–15		26	7	2	1	–		28	8
	2015–16		5	1	0	0	4	0	9	1
	Total		43	16	2	1	4	0	49	17
Wadi Degla	2015–16	Egyptian Premier League	22	3	–		–		22	3
Bandırmaspor	2016–17	1. Lig	2	0	–		–		2	0
Beroe Stara Zagora	2016–17	Bulgarian First League	25	12	0	0	–		25	12
Levski Sofia	2017–18	Bulgarian First League	19	6	3	1	4	2	26	9
Shijiazhuang	2018	China League One	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
Career total			169	48	5	2	8	2	183	52

Honours

Al-Shorta

• Iraqi Super Cup: 2019^[14]

References

1. "Junior Mapuku Facts". footballdatabase.eu.
2. O să fie cel mai tatuat jucător din Liga 1 » Vine "The Black Power", atacantul care vrea să facă spectacol în România!. gsp.ro (in Romanian)
3. "Bandırmaspor'da Mapuku'yla yollar ayrıldı" (in Turkish). haberturk.com. 1 September 2016.
4. ""Берое" привлече Мапуку" (in Bulgarian). beroe.bg. 11 October 2016.
5. "Жуниор Мапуку подписа за две години с Левски" (in Bulgarian). levski.bg. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
6. Новият нападател на Левски - Черна сила или стойкаджия от Инстаграм
7. "Levski 3-1 Sutjeska". uefa.com. 29 June 2017.
8. Черната сила изригна и счупи нулите на Левски
9. Мапуку с най-бързия чуждестранен хеттрик в историята на Левски
10. Tobo, Michel (30 January 2018). "Transfert: Junior Mapuku au Shijiazhuang Ever Bright Fc" (in French). foot.cd. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
11. Ngandu, Josue (11 April 2020). "Foot-RDC: Junior M'pia Mapuku, le seul footballeur congolais evoluant en irak" (in French). voila.cd. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
12. "Oфициално: Жуниор Мапуку подписа договор със Славия" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
13. "Славия освободи Жуниор Мапуко и взе нов нападател" (in Bulgarian). bnr.bg. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
14. 2019 Iraqi Super Cup, AZL Sport

External links

• Junior Mapuku at Soccerway
• Profile at Levskisofia.info