Chris Mavinga (born 26 May 1991) is a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
. A
French youth international, who was a part of the team that won the
2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
The 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was the ninth edition of UEFA's European Under-19 Championship since it was renamed from the original under-18 event, in 2001. France hosted the championship during July. Ukraine were the title holders ...
on home soil, he has chosen to represent
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
at senior level.
Mavinga joined
Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan (; ) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–2 ...
in 2013 after spending two years at French club
Rennes
Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
. Prior to joining Rennes, he spent three years at the
Camp des Loges
The Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre Training Center (), commonly known as the Camp des Loges, is a sports facility in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. Since October 2024, it has served as the training facility of rugby union club Stade França ...
, the training center of French club
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
and also two years with
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
.
Club career
Early career

Mavinga was born in
Meaux
Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...
, Greater Paris, to an Angolan mother and a DR Congolese father. He began his football career at CA Combs-la-Ville, a local club in nearby
Combs-la-Ville
Combs-la-Ville () is a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located from the center of Paris, in the " new town" of Sénart, created in the 1970s. ...
. He spent seven years at the club and, in 2004, departed for amateur outfit
US Sénart-Moissy
US Sénart-Moissy is a French football club based in Moissy-Cramayel, France.
History
It was founded on 24 September 1932 and plays at the Stade André Trémet, which has a capacity of 2,500. The club colour is blue.
Notable former players
* ...
. The following year, Mavinga joined
ES Viry-Châtillon
L'Entente Sportive Viry-Châtillon is a French football team, based in Viry-Châtillon, Paris. It plays in Regional 1, Île-de-France, the sixth tier in the French football league system, holding home games at the ''Stade Henri Longuet'', which ...
and played on the club's under-16 team.
While playing at Viry-Châtillon, Mavinga played in an under-16 league match against the
youth academy
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show en ...
of
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
in Paris. He impressed the professional club's scouts and, following the season, was offered a deal to join the club on an ''aspirant'' (youth) contract.
Mavinga agreed to the move and joined the club in June 2006. Prior to signing with Paris Saint-Germain, he was approached by English club
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
.
Mavinga was inserted onto the club's under-18 team and helped the squad reach the
Championnat National
The Championnat National (), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, is the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of ...
under-18 championship match where they were defeated by the under-18 team of
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
.
[
]
Liverpool
During the 2008–09 season, Mavinga began training with the senior team of Paris Saint-Germain. However, during his stint with the team, he grew frustrated at the lack of guidance from the club's youth structure, as well as the unapproachable attitude of a few senior team players.[ In June 2009, Mavinga was again contacted by Liverpool, who stated their interest in the player without offering a contract. While waiting on Liverpool's offer, Mavinga also awaited an offer from Paris Saint-Germain, however the latter's offer did not meet the player's expectations. On 7 July 2009, Mavinga signed with Liverpool after agreeing to a three-year deal. Prior to the agreement, he was also coveted by Liverpool's league rival ]Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. Many supporters and members of Paris Saint-Germain attributed Mavinga's move to Liverpool solely for financial reasons, however, Mavinga denounced the notion by stating that he joined the English club simply for sporting reasons.[ He also blamed his departure on the firing of Paris Saint-Germain's former manager ]Paul Le Guen
Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen (, ; born 1 March 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of French club Le Havre.
During his playing career, Le Guen played as a midfielder, and enjoyed a suc ...
with whom he shared a good relationship.[ Upon his arrival at Liverpool, Mavinga was placed onto the club's ]reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
and played in the Premier Reserve League
The Premier Reserve League (officially known as The Barclays Premier Reserve League for sponsorship reasons) was the reserve team league for the top English football teams in the Premier League. The league was split into a northern and a southern ...
. During the latter part of the 2009–10 season, he began training with the club's senior team.
On 23 August 2010, Mavinga admitted that he was frustrated at his lack of playing time on the senior team stating that, following the firing of Rafa Benítez, he was relegated back to training full-time with the reserve team by new manager Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is an English former football manager and player.
He has managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstad in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to t ...
.
Loan to Genk
On 21 December 2010, the Belgian media reported that Belgian Pro League
The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...
club Genk
Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...
had acquired Mavinga on loan for the rest of the season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
. Despite initial speculation of Mavinga verbally agreeing to join Turkish club Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional multi-sport club based in Antalya, southern Turkey. The club's colours are red and white.
The association football, football side play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the cl ...
, the move to Genk was completed on 11 January 2011. On 13 February, Mavinga made his professional debut appearing as a substitute in a 2–0 victory over Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...
. On 17 May, Mavinga broke the jaw and fractured the nose of Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...
player Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez after accidentally kicking him in the face during the match.
Rennes
On 19 July 2011, Mavinga returned to France signing a four-year contract with Rennes
Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
. The transfer fee was priced at £1 million and Mavinga was assigned the number 3 shirt. On the opening game of the season, Mavinga made his debut for Rennes in a 4–0 loss against Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
. He since would be often used in first team in and out in his first season, having his playing time reduced and would be unused substitute in the matches. At the end of the season, Mavinga soon had a falling out with manager Frédéric Antonetti
Frédéric Antonetti (born 19 August 1961) is a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of French club Strasbourg. He previously managed Bastia, Gamba Osaka, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Rennes and Lille. ...
after taking exception to being made to train separately from the group.
The following season, Belgian Pro League
The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...
club Racing Genk
Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk or Racing Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four championship title ...
, his former club he played whilst on loan, renewed their interests signing him and made a bid on him. However, Rennes rejected a bid for Mavinga, insisting Genk increase their bid for worth about four or six million euros for him. Instead, Genk ended their interest signing Mavinga, by signing Brian Hamalainen. Shortly after this, Mavinga would soon be more often, with his increased of playing time, playing in the left-back position. After his suspension from the national team, Mavinga, along with Rennes teammate Yann M'Vila
Yann Gérard M'Vila (born 29 June 1990) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Stade Malherbe Caen, Caen.
M'Vila is a France national football team, French international, having played ...
, was suspended until further notice on 19 October and ordered to train with the youth team. Their action was even threatened by Antonetti, with sidelined the pair until the end of the season. Among criticised the duo are general manager Pierre Dréossi
Pierre Dréossi (born 12 October 1959) is a French football manager and former player.
He played as a defender for Lille OSC, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, OGC Nice, Paris Saint-Germain and AS Cannes.
He was head coach of Stade Rennais until he re ...
, believing they disrespect football. Mavinga would make his return until 3 November 2012, as Rennes win 1–0 against Stade Reims
Stade de Reims () is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1931 and plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of football in France. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Auguste Delaune.
Reims is one of the mos ...
and since retain his first team place in defense. On 15 February 2013, Mavinga made a mistake, scoring the own-goal, as Rennes lose 2–0 against Lille
Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
.
Rubin Kazan
On 7 August 2013, Mavinga agreed to join Russian side Rubin Kazan
FC Rubin Kazan (; ) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–2 ...
, for a reported fee of €5 million. He joined on a four-year contract, where he played with former Rennes teammate Yann M'Vila.
He made his full league debut in an away match at Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast on 31 August 2013. Rubin won the game 3–0, in which Chris put in a man of the match display at left back, breaking up Ural attacks and setting up Rubin ones. He limped off injured late on.
Toronto FC
On 30 January 2017, Mavinga agreed to join Canadian MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
side Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
. He agreed to a three-year contract.
On 8 March 2018, Toronto re-signed Mavinga to a multi-year contract extension.
LA Galaxy
On 5 January 2023, Mavinga joined Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
side LA Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
on a deal through 2024.
International career
Mavinga was a French youth international and have earned caps with both the under-18 and under-19 teams. He made his youth international debut on 25 March 2009 in the under-18 team's friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in Markranstädt
Markranstädt () is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. It is situated 11 km southwest of the city of Leipzig and has close to 15,000 inhabitants.
Geography Location
Markranstädt is located about south-west of Leipzig ci ...
. France won the match 4–3. On 13 June, Mavinga was a part of the team that contested England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in a 4–2 victory. The match was played at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
in front of 15,000 spectators and the victory resulted in the team being presented the Fallenhero Trophy by The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
chairman Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking (born 2 October 1948) is a former England national football team, England international Association football, footballer, manager, pundit and football administrator; he now works as director of football development in En ...
. With the under-19 team, Mavinga was a regular call up of coach Francis Smerecki
Francis Smerecki (25 July 1949 – 7 June 2018) was a French football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, foot ...
often starting in the centre back position alongside Johan Martial
Johan Martial (born 30 May 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. He was a France youth international for the under-19 and under-20 teams.
Club career
Martial was born in Massy. He joined SC Bastia after leavi ...
or Sébastien Faure
Sébastien Faure (; 6 January 1858 – 14 July 1942) was a French anarchist, convicted sex offender, freethought and secularist activist and a principal proponent of synthesis anarchism.
Biography
Before becoming a free-thinker, Faure w ...
. He made his under-19 debut on 9 October 2009 in 4–2 defeat to the Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. After consistently appearing with the team for the campaign, on 7 June 2010, he was named to coach Smerecki's 18-man squad to participate in the 2010 European Under-19 Football Championship. He featured in four of the team's five matches including the final match against Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, which France won 2–1. The title is the country's second UEFA Under-19 championship.
Due to France's victory at the UEFA Under-19 championship, the nation qualified for the 2011 U-20 World Cup, which merited under-20 team appearances for Mavinga. He made his debut with the team on 7 October 2010 in a friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...
against Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, which ended 3–3. Mavinga, subsequently, appeared in three matches for the team during the 2010–11 campaign and, on 10 June 2011, was named to the 21-man squad to participate in the U-20 World Cup. During the week leading up to the team's first match, Mavinga suffered an ankle injury during a training session. The injury was deemed serious and Mavinga was forced to drop out of the squad, which resulted in the player missing the competition.
In November 2012, Mavinga was suspended from national teams until 31 December 2013 for disciplinary reasons.
Later, he decided to not to represent France, but the DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
instead. He made his in 2015 and has appeared in five games for his country since.
Career statistics
Club
Honours
Club
Genk
* Belgian Pro League
The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...
: 2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
Toronto FC
* MLS Cup
MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...
: 2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
* Supporters' Shield
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...
: 2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
* Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...
: 2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
* Trillium Cup: 2017, 2019
International
France
* UEFA European Under-19 Championship
The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations.
Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...
: 2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mavinga, Chris
1991 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Meaux
French sportspeople of Angolan descent
French sportspeople of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
Footballers from Seine-et-Marne
Men's association football defenders
French men's footballers
Democratic Republic of the Congo men's footballers
US Sénart-Moissy players
ES Viry-Châtillon players
Paris Saint-Germain FC players
K.R.C. Genk players
Liverpool F.C. players
Stade Rennais FC players
FC Rubin Kazan players
Stade de Reims players
ES Troyes AC players
Toronto FC players
LA Galaxy players
Ligue 1 players
Belgian Pro League players
Russian Premier League players
Major League Soccer players
France men's under-21 international footballers
France men's youth international footballers
Democratic Republic of the Congo men's international footballers
French expatriate men's footballers
French expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate men's footballers in England
French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
French expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Expatriate men's footballers in Russia
Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in Canada
French expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada
Black French sportspeople
21st-century French sportsmen