Hérita Ilunga
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Nkongolo Hérita Ilunga | ||
Date of birth | 25 February 1982 | ||
Place of birth | Kinshasa, Zaire | ||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Left-back | ||
Youth career | |||
1999–2002 | Rennes | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2002–2003 | Espanyol B | 19 | (1) |
2003–2007 | Saint-Étienne | 136 | (2) |
2007–2009 |
Toulouse | 35 | (0) |
2008–2009 | → West Ham United (loan) | 35 | (0) |
2009–2012 | West Ham United | 31 | (0) |
2011–2012 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 15 | (0) |
2012 | Doncaster Rovers | 4 | (0) |
2013 | Rennes | 5 | (0) |
2014 | Carquefou | 10 | (0) |
2014–2016 | Creteil | 64 | (0) |
Total | 335 | (2) | |
International career | |||
2004–2011 | DR Congo | 32 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Nkongolo Hérita Ilunga (born 25 February 1982) is a retired Congolese
Career
Early career
Aged 13, Ilunga started training with Amiens SC, staying with the Somme-based club for four years before moving to Stade Rennais.
Ilunga moved to Spain, aged 20, where he joined
Ilunga spent four seasons at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, making 135 appearances for Les Verts and winning the club's player of the season award.
Toulouse
The summer of 2007 saw Ilunga move to
Toulouse dropped into the
The following season (2008–09), Ilunga seems out of favor with new coach Alain Casanova, the latter preferring Jérémy Mathieu as a left back. After two months without playing a single minute and approaches from different European clubs (including Mallorca and Newcastle), Ilunga was linked interests from English Premier League side West Ham United.
West Ham United
On 2 September 2008,
Ilunga made his Hammers debut away at
On 15 April 2009, Ilunga agreed to turn his loan move into a permanent four-year contract with West Ham. The deal was completed when the 2009 summer transfer window opened.[7] His first game as a permanent signing came in a 2–0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on 15 August 2009 and after a clash of heads between Ilunga and Kevin Foley on 65 minutes, Ilunga and Foley needed treatment. Foley was able to return while Ilunga was substituted for Jonathan Spector.[8] Ilunga suffered a jaw injury not returning until 19 September playing 90 minutes in a 3–2 loss against Liverpool.[9] On 31 October 2009, Ilunga was involved in an incident with Kenwyne Jones. After a foul Jones retaliated by pushing Ilunga in the face; Jones was sent off and received a three match ban and Ilunga was booked.[10][11] The match finished 2–2.[12] Ilunga made 17 appearances for West Ham during season 2009–10 but only one in the period from January until the end of the season. Injured in a game on 11 February 2010 against Birmingham City, Ilunga did not play again that season.[13][14]
Ilunga returned on 14 August 2010 in a 3–0 defeat by
On 27 January 2012, West Ham United mutually agreed with Ilunga to terminate his contract with immediate effect. He made 73 appearances for West Ham in all competitions scoring three goals.[17]
Doncaster Rovers
On 4 October 2011, he joined
Stade Rennais
After being released by Doncaster Rovers, Ilunga made a return to France by going on trial with clubs like
Later years
Following his departure from Rennes, Ilunga went on trial at
International career
Ilunga was part of the Congolese
Ilunga helped DR Congo reach the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations in Egypt in 2006. The Leopards beat Togo and drew with Angola before being eliminated by the host nation in the last-eight.
Ilunga scored his first goal for his country in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Egypt in Cairo on 1 June 2008, but it was not enough to prevent the DR Congo being eliminated from the competition at the second qualifying round stage.
International goals
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 1 June 2008 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo | Egypt | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2010 World Cup qualifier |
Appearances in major competitions
Year | Competition | Category | Appearances | Goals | Team Record | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | Sub | |||||
2004–05 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | Senior | 5 | 0 | 0 | Did not Qualify |
2008 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | Senior | 4 | 0 | 0 | Did not Qualify |
References
- ^ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ "Player Profiles Herita Ilunga". Whufc.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ "Di Michele and Ilunga sign". Whufc.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ "Keen hails new recruits". Whufc.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ "West Ham 3–0 Barnsley". BBC News. 3 January 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ "West Ham 1–1 Middlesbrough". BBC. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
- ^ "Ilunga commits future to West Ham". BBC Sport. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- ^ "Wolverhampton 0 – 2 West Ham". WHUFC.com. 15 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Match Report: West Ham United 2 – 3 Liverpool". WHUFC.com. 19 September 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Sunderland 2–2 West Ham: Jones and Kovac sent off as Hammers make it nine league games without a win". Mirror Football. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Sunderland fine Kenwyne Jones for West Ham red card". Metro. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Sunderland 2 – 2 West Ham United". WHUFC.com. 31 October 2009. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Games played by Hérita Ilunga in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ "West Ham 2 Birmingham 0". wharf.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ "Games played by Hérita Ilunga in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ "Games played by Hérita Ilunga in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ "Herita departs". whufc.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ^ "Rovers land Hammers' Ilunga". doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ "Doncaster 0 – 3 Leeds". BBC Sport. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ^ "Rovers Re-Sign Ilunga". DRFC. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ "Doncaster 3–4 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ "Rovers release a dozen players". www.southyorkshiretimes.co.ik. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^ "Guingamp tests Ilunga" [Guingamp teste Ilunga] (in French). L'Equipe. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Ilunga tested in Brest" [Ilunga à l'essai à Brest] (in French). L'Equipe. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "RENNES RECRUIT ILUNGA". Ligue 1. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Ligue 1: Rennes defender Herita Ilunga faces another spell on the sidelines". Sky Sports. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Former West Ham defender Ilunga on trial at Nancy". talkSPORT. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Foot-Transfert: le Congolais Ilunga Hérita signe deux ans avec l'US Créteil (L2)". Radio Okapi. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ H. Ilunga at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ Billebault, Alexis (19 October 2017). "Hérita Ilunga: "L'Afrique doit améliorer la formation des jeunes footballeurs"" [Hérita Ilunga: "Africa must improve the training of young footballers"]. JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Hérita Ilunga". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Nkongolo Ilunga". FIFA. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012.
External links
- Hérita Ilunga – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
- Herita Ilunga at Soccerbase
- Herita Ilunga at Soccerway
- Herita Nkongolo Ilunga at ESPN FC