Arthur Masuaku
Masuaku with Beşiktaş in 2023
Personal information
Full name Fuka-Arthur Masuaku Kawela[1]
Date of birth (1993-11-07) 7 November 1993 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Lille, France
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Beşiktaş
Number 26
Youth career
2001–2003 Lille OM.S. Fives
2003–2008 RC Lens
2008–2013 Valenciennes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Valenciennes 27 (1)
2014–2016 Olympiacos 51 (1)
2016–2023 West Ham United 105 (1)
2022–2023 → Beşiktaş (loan) 31 (2)
2023– Beşiktaş 14 (0)
International career‡
2011 France U18 3 (0)
2011 France U19 2 (0)
2018– DR Congo 26 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:31, 11 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 00:31, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

Fuka-Arthur Masuaku Kawela (born 7 November 1993), known as Arthur Masuaku, is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Süper Lig club Beşiktaş. Born in France, he plays for the DR Congo national team.

Masuaku began his senior career with Valenciennes, and has also played for Olympiacos. He represented France at youth level before switching his allegiance to DR Congo in 2017.

Early life

Masuaku was born in Lille, France, to DR Congolese parents.[4] He acquired French nationality on 20 April 2006, through the collective effect of his mother's naturalization.[5]

Club career

Valenciennes

Masuaku came through the youth system of Valenciennes. He made his Ligue 1 debut on the opening game of the 2013–14 season on 10 August 2013 against Toulouse. He was substituted after 75 minutes for Tongo Doumbia.[6] On 29 January 2014 Masuaku scored his first competitive goal for Valenciennes in a 2–1 away defeat against Marseille.[7]

Olympiacos

In July 2014, Masuaku signed for Olympiacos.[8][9] He made his Superleague debut against Niki Volos, and in his third league match he provided two assists against OFI Crete in a 3–0 home win.[10] Three days later he made his debut and scored in the UEFA Champions League competition against Atlético Madrid in a 3–2 home win.[11]

In April and May 2015, interest from Roma, Internazionale and Juventus was reported.[12][13] His agent, Roger Henrotay, however stated a renewal of Masuaku's contract was on the cards.[14] In July, a reported €4 million offer for Masuaku including former Olympiacos midfielder Giannis Fetfatzidis from Genoa was rejected by the club.[15]

West Ham United

Masuaku warming up before a match in 2019

On 8 August 2016, Masuaku joined West Ham United on a four-year contract for a £6.2 million fee.[16][17] He made his West Ham debut in a 2–1 away defeat to Chelsea on 15 August 2016. Masuaku admitted that he found his Premier League debut very tough due to the pace and physicality of the league.[18] He scored his first goal for West Ham in an EFL Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers on 19 September 2017.[19]

In the FA Cup fourth round game against Wigan Athletic on 27 January 2018, Masuaku was sent off for spitting at Wigan's Nick Powell following a challenge.[20] It was the first sending-off of Masuaku's career. Masuaku apologised for the sending off, saying the incident was "totally unacceptable and out of character".[21] He received a six match ban for the offence.[22]

In July 2019, having played 75 times for West Ham, Masuaku signed a contract extension with the club until 2024 with an option to further extend the contract for two years.[23]

On 4 December 2021, Masuaku scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over defending UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea. The goal, a mishit cross that caught out Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at his near post, was his only Premier League goal.[24][25]

Beşiktaş

On 2 August 2022, Masuaku joined Turkish team Beşiktaş on a season long loan with an option to buy in 2023.[26] On 17 April 2023, Masuaku completed a permanent transfer to Beşiktaş.[27] The fee was undisclosed by the clubs but was reported by some sources to be in the region of £2million.[28]

International career

Having represented France at under-18 and under-19 level,[4] Masuaku switched his allegiance to DR Congo in June 2017.[29][30] In August 2017, he was called into his first DR Congo squad, for two 2018 World Cup qualification games against Tunisia.[31] In March 2018, still yet to make his international debut, Masuaku travelled with the DR Congo squad for a friendly against Tanzania. He was one of four players to drop out before the game, amidst claims of organisational problems and travel disorder, and did not appear.[32] He made his debut on 13 October 2018, starting in a 1–2 home loss against Zimbabwe in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification game.[33] Masuaku scored his first goal for DR Congo, a free-kick, in a 1–1 away draw with Kenya on 15 June 2019.[34]

2023 Africa Cup of Nations

On 27 December 2023, Masuaku was included in the final 24-man squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[35] He started his nation's first match at the tournament, a 1–1 draw with Zambia on 17 January 2024.[36] He went on to score in his nation's 3–1 victory over Guinea in the quarter-finals on 2 February 2024. It booked DR Congo a place in the semi-finals of the AFCON for the first time since 2015.[37]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 February 2024[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Valenciennes 2012–13 Ligue 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
2013–14 Ligue 1 27 1 0 0 1 0 — 28 1
Total 27 1 1 0 1 0 — 29 1
Olympiacos 2014–15 Super League Greece 27 0 5 0 — 8[c] 1 40 1
2015–16 Super League Greece 24 1 2 0 — 7[d] 0 33 1
2016–17 Super League Greece 0 0 0 0 — 1[e] 0 1 0
Total 51 1 7 0 0 0 16 1 74 2
West Ham United 2016–17 Premier League 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 15 0
2017–18 Premier League 27 0 3 0 3 1 — 33 1
2018–19 Premier League 23 0 2 0 2 0 — 27 0
2019–20 Premier League 17 0 1 0 1 0 — 19 0
2020–21 Premier League 12 0 0 0 1 0 — 13 0
2021–22 Premier League 13 1 1 0 3 0 4[f] 0 21 1
Total 104 1 7 0 12 1 4 0 128 2
Beşiktaş (loan) 2022–23 Süper Lig 31 2 1 0 — — 32 2
Beşiktaş 2023–24 Süper Lig 12 0 1 0 — 7[g] 0 20 0
Total 43 2 2 0 0 0 7 0 52 2
Career total 225 5 17 0 13 1 27 1 282 7
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, Greek Football Cup, FA Cup, Turkish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
  3. ^ Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 7 February 2024[38]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
DR Congo 2018 1 0
2019 7 1
2021 2 0
2022 2 0
2023 6 1
2024 8 1
Total 26 3
As of match played 7 February 2024. Scores and results list DR Congo's goal tally first.[38]
List of international goals scored by Arthur Masuaku
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 June 2019 Centro Deportivo Santa Ana, Madrid, Spain  Kenya 1–1 1–1 Friendly
2 24 March 2023 Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon  Mauritania 3–1 3–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3 2 February 2024 Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast  Guinea 3–1 3–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

Olympiacos

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Arthur Masuaku: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b "A. Masuaku: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Arthur Masuaku". Fédération Française de Football. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  5. ^ "JORF n° 0095 du 22 avril 2006 - Légifrance" (PDF). legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). p. 6105. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  6. ^ "Valenciennes–Toulouse: 3–0". 10 August 2014. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Marseille–Valenciennes: 2–1". 29 January 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  8. ^ Παίκτης του Ολυμπιακού ο Μαζουακού (in Greek). Olympiacos.org. 22 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Info FM : Masuaku s'engage avec l'Olympiacos!" [Info FM: Masuaku signs for Olympiacos] (in French). Footmercato.net. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Ολυμπιακός–ΟΦΗ 3-0". Sport24. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Olympiakos gain surprise win over 2014 beaten finalists Atlético Madrid". The Guardian. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on September 19, 2014.
  12. ^ "Masuaku in Roma shortlist". www.sdna.gr. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  13. ^ "Inter enquire for Masuaku". www.football-italia.net. 29 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Masuaku set for new Olympiakos contract". www.sdna.gr. 16 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  15. ^ "Genoa su Masuaku: la trattativa". www.calciomercato.com. 15 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Hammers acquire Arthur". West Ham United F.C. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  17. ^ Lustig, Nick (8 August 2016). "West Ham sign Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Masuaku - This is a big week for the Club". West Ham United F.C. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  19. ^ "West Ham 3-0 Bolton". BBC. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Wigan Athletic 2-0 West Ham United". BBC Sport. 27 January 2018.
  21. ^ "West Ham: Arthur Masuaku apologises for spitting in FA Cup defeat". BBC Sport. 28 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Arthur Masuaku: West Ham defender gets six-game ban for spitting". BBC Sport. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  23. ^ "West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku signs contract extension to 2024". July 29, 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  24. ^ "West Ham 3-2 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 4 December 2021.
  25. ^ Law, Matt; Bagchi, Rob (December 4, 2021). "Arthur Masuaku's freakish late goal completes West Ham comeback to stun Chelsea" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  26. ^ "Arthur Masuaku joins Beşiktaş on loan | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com.
  27. ^ "Arthur Masuaku completes permanent Beşiktaş transfer". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  28. ^ Thomas, Oliver (17 April 2023). "West Ham United left-back Arthur Masuaku joins Besiktas on permanent deal". Sports Mole. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  29. ^ "West Ham: Arthur Masuaku peut jouer avec la RDC — FOOT.CD". foot.cd. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  30. ^ "CAN 2019 : la liste de la RDC contre le Congo". Afrik-foot.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  31. ^ "Masuaku receives first DR Congo call-up". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  32. ^ Benge, James (26 March 2018). "Masuaku leaves DR Congo squad early amid travel frustration claims". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  33. ^ "Masuaku makes DR Congo bow in Zimbabwe defeat - West Ham United". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  34. ^ "Masuaku scores first DR Congo goal in Kenya draw - West Ham United". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  35. ^ "ARDC : la liste de 24 pour la CAN 2023 dévoilée !". 27 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Congo DR 1-1 Zambia". CAF Online. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  37. ^ "Masuaku free-kick clinches AFCON semi-finals place for DR Congo". France24. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  38. ^ a b "Masuaku, Arthur". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  39. ^ "EPO – Hellenic Football Federation". www.epo.gr. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Βραβεία ΠΣΑΠ: "Τσόρι", Καλτσάς και Πετράκης οι κορυφαίοι". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  41. ^ "Η βράβευση των κορυφαίων από τον ΠΣΑΠ". ΠΣΑΠΠ | ΠΑΝΕΛΛΗΝΙΟΣ ΣΥΝΔΕΣΜΟΣ ΑΜΕΙΒΟΜΕΝΩΝ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΙΣΤΩΝ ΠΟΔΟΣΦΑΙΡΙΣΤΡΙΩΝ (in Greek). 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2022-01-11.

External links

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