- Rio Mavuba
Football player infobox
playername = Rio Antonio Mavuba
fullname = Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba
height = height|m=1.71
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1984|3|8
cityofbirth = "Born at sea" cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/3742472.stm |title=Mavuba: born without a nation |author=James Copnall |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2004-10-14 |accessdate=2008-01-06]
countryofbirth = ofAngola
currentclub = Lille
clubnumber = 24
position =Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2003–2007 2007–2008
2008
2008–
clubs =Girondins Bordeaux
Villarreal
→ Lille "(loan)"
Lille
caps(goals) = 127 (1)
005 (0)
017 (1)
001 (0)
nationalyears = 2004–2006
2004–
nationalteam = France U-21 France
nationalcaps(goals) =
006 (0)
pcupdate =August 9 , 2008
ntupdate =April 1 , 2007Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba (born
March 8 ,1984 at sea) is a French football player ofAngola n and Congolese descent who plays forLille O.S.C. in the FrenchLigue 1 . He is a defensive midfielder well known for his agility.Biography
Mavuba's father was Mafuila "Ricky" Mavuba (nicknamed "The Black Sorcerer"), a football player, who appeared at the
1974 World Cup for Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo ) national football team, while Rio Antonio's mother was anAngola n national.He was born on board of a boat in
international waters , far away from the Angolan coast, during the period of the civil war. Mavuba has stated that his passport does not have a nationality on it, it just reads "born at sea", however, as he grew up inFrance he considers himself French. He finally got the French nationality in September 2004.Football career
Club career
Mavuba's mother died when he was two, and his father when he was just 14 years old. He threw himself into football to help deal with his grief.Fact|date=January 2008 After breaking through from the reserve team, the youngster made his debut for Bordeaux against
Olympique Lyonnais , in January 2004. From that moment on, he would become a mainstay in the team, eventually leading to his international debut with France.On July 3, 2007, he signed a five-year deal with
La Liga sideVillarreal CF , who had lostAlessio Tacchinardi , who returned toJuventus after his two-year loan. He found it hard to break into the first team, even though he had some good performances, in January 2008 he joinedLille OSC on loan until the end of the season. [ [http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=soc-spa/news/ckn4124855.htm The Sports Network - International Soccer (Spain) ] ] Following the season, Lille opted to sign Mavuba permanently and reached an agreement on the transfer with both Villarreal and Mavuba. Mavuba agreed to a four-year deal and the transfer fee is estimated to be 7 million euros. [ [http://www.losc.fr/?r=0,0,2,974 Rio Mavuba: "Très content de revenir" ] ]International career
He made his senior team debut for France on
August 18 ,2004 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 1-1 draw.While an Under-21 player, he almost played for Congo DR, but it never materialized.Fact|date=January 2008
He also won a place in the Under-21 UEFA Championship's Team of the Tournament in centre midfield with Dutchman Ismail Aissati.
Honors
*2006-07
Coupe de la Ligue (Bordeaux)References
External links
* [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=37437&cc=5739 Profile on ESPN]
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