Hama Juvhel Fred Tsoumou (born 27 December 1990) is a Congolese 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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

]. Tsoumou started his professional career in Germany with

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...

, and has since played for various sides in England, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, China, Morocco, and Vietnam. Born in the Republic of the Congo, Tsoumou represented

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 ...

at youth international level and changed his allegiance to Congo at senior level.

Club career

Early career

Tsoumou was raised in the Congolese capital

Brazzaville Brazzaville () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo. Administratively, it is a Departments of the Republic of the Congo, department and a Communes of the Republic of the Congo, commune. Constituting t ...

where he showed his talent on sand pitches. As a 10-year-old, Tsoumou came with his mother, who was studying economics, to

Zwickau Zwickau (; ) is the fourth-largest city of Saxony, Germany, after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, with around 88,000 inhabitants,. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ''Zwickauer Mulde''; progression: ), ...

, where he began to play in the youth system of

FSV Zwickau FSV Zwickau is a Football in Germany, German association football club located in Zwickau, Saxony. Today's club claims as part of its complex heritage sides that were East Germany's first champions: 1948 Ostzone winners SG Planitz and 1950 DDR-Ob ...

. In 2003,

Charly Körbel Karl-Heinz "Charly" Körbel (born 1 December 1954) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is currently a member of Eintracht Frankfurt's directors of football and runs their football academy. Career Playing c ...

led him to the

football academy. Here he played until July 2006 before moving to the academy of

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

Eintracht Frankfurt

After a season in England he returned to Eintracht because he saw a better future for himself at Frankfurt. On 4 September 2007, due to call-ups for the national youth team, Eintracht manager

Friedhelm Funkel Friedhelm Funkel (born 10 December 1953) is a German football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach Bundesliga club of 1. FC Köln. Coaching career MSV Duisburg Funkel was manager of MSV Duisburg between 13 May 1996 and ...

gave Tsoumou the chance to train with the first squad. For the Bundesliga match on 10 November 2007 against

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

the striker was in the squad for the first time. Youth Coordinator, Holger Mueller gave an interview on him and compared Tsoumou to

Jermaine Jones Jermaine Junior Jones (born November 3, 1981) is a former professional soccer player who played as a defensive midfielder. Jones was last the head coach of Central Valley Fuego FC in USL League One. Born in Germany to an American father an ...

due to his athleticism and ball-winning ability. Tsoumou debuted in the Bundesliga on 28 September 2008 against

Arminia Bielefeld DSC Arminia Bielefeld (; full name: ; commonly known as Arminia Bielefeld (), also known as ''Die Arminen'' or ''Die Blauen'' ), or just Arminia (), is a German sports club from Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. Arminia is most well known as ...

, when he was substituted in the 74th minute for

Nikos Liberopoulos Nikolaos "Nikos" Liberopoulos (; born on 4 August 1975) is a retired Greek former professional international footballer who played as a forward. He is famous for his aim-to-goal shot, his innate in-play instincts, and his technical attacking sk ...

. Since making his debut, Tsoumou moved to the reserves where he was able to get more playing time and scored 5 in 29 appearances or spent time on the bench when he joined the first-team squad. On 20 March 2010, Tsuomou scored his first goal for Frankfurt in the 87th minute to equalise against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

but Martin Fenin scored a winning goal in a 2–1 win.

Alemannia Aachen

He signed a contract with

Alemannia Aachen Aachener Turn- und Sportverein Alemannia 1900 e. V., short Alemannia Aachen (), is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long-term fixture of the country's second division, Alemannia enjoyed a three- ...

on 4 August 2010. On 20 August 2010, Tsoumou made his debut for the club in a 2–2 draw against

Union Berlin 1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as Union Berlin (), is a professional Football in Germany, German football club based in Berlin. The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was fo ...

. However, Tsoumou, once again, was not able as he spent time on the bench when he joined the first-team squad or moved to the reserves. In 2011, he had a trial spell at

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

Preston North End

After a successful trial, Tsoumou signed a two-year deal with

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

. On 4 October 2011, he scored his first goal for Preston against

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...

in the Johnstones Paint Trophy. Preston went on to win 7–6 on penalties after the game had finished 2–2. He scored his first goal in English football against

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...

with a tap in from

Iain Hume Iain Edward Hume (born 30 October 1983) is a Canadian soccer manager and former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers in 2000, and six years later moved to Leicester City for an initial £50 ...

's cross. He then scored in Preston's next two fixtures against

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

and AFC Bournemouth respectively. However under new manager

Graham Westley Graham Neil Westley (born 4 March 1968) is an English professional football manager and former professional footballer. Westley's playing career, spent mostly as a striker in non-League football, was curtailed due to injury whilst playing for ...

, Tsoumou struggled to get playing time. He was transfer listed by the club along with six other player in May 2012 in order for Westley to strengthen the Preston squad. On 3 July 2012, his contract was cancelled by mutual consent despite having one year left on his contract.

Plymouth Argyle (loan)

On 31 January 2012, Tsoumou joined League Two side

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

on loan along with Alex MacDonald, until the end of the season. His move to Plymouth delighted manager Carl Fletcher. On 4 February 2012, Tsoumou made his debut for the club in a 2–2 draw against

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth level of English football. The team are known as "The Shrimpers", a reference ...

. On 31 March 2012, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 win over

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

which was a winning goal. On 5 May 2012, in the last game of the season, Tsoumou scored Plymouth's only goal in the match against

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

which Plymouth lost.

TSV Hartburg

On 13 September 2012, Tsoumou signed with Austrian club

TSV Hartberg TSV Hartberg, currently known as TSV Egger Glas Hartberg for sponsorship reasons, is an association football club based in Hartberg, Styria, Austria. Founded in 1946, the club competes in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, the top tier of the Aust ...

FK Senica

On 29 August 2013, he signed a two-year contract with

FK Senica FK Senica () is a Slovakia, Slovak football (soccer), football team, based in the town of Senica. The club was founded in 1921. History FK Senica was founded in 1921. Newly created partition was rapidly progressed, but the boom dampened dark per ...

, following a free transfer. However his contract was cancelled and Tsoumou was released as a free agent on 1 January 2014.

Waldhof Mannheim

Tsoumou remained unattached until 14 November 2014 when he joined

SV Waldhof Mannheim SV Waldhof Mannheim is a multi-sports club, located in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg. It is most known for its association football team; however, there are also professional handball and table-tennis sides. The club today has a membership of ov ...

. He made 17 appearances, almost all from the bench, scoring 1 goal. He was released at the end of the

2014–15 Regionalliga The 2014–15 Regionalliga was the seventh season of the Regionalliga, the third under the new format, as the fourth tier of the German football league system. The champions of Regionalliga West – Fortuna Köln – and the winner – SG Sonnenh ...

season.

Wacker Burghausen

Tsoumou joined

SV Wacker Burghausen SV Wacker Burghausen is a German football club based in Burghausen, Bavaria and is part of one of the nation's largest sports clubs with some 6,000 members participating in two dozen different sports. History The club was founded on 13 Novemb ...

on 3 September 2015.

FCSB

Tsoumou joined

FCSB Fotbal Club FCSB (), formerly named and still sometimes referred to as FC Steaua București, is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest. It has spent its entire history in the Liga I, the top flight of the Romanian football le ...

on 12 September 2019.

Hanoi Police FC

Tsoumou joined

V.League 1 The V.League 1 (), also called LPBank V.League 1 for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football league in Vietnam, controlled by the Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company (VPF). It is contested by 14 clubs who play each ...

side

Hanoi Police FC Cong An Hanoi Football Club () or simply CAHN is a Vietnamese professional football club based in Hanoi and is controlled by the Ministry of Public Security. The team competed in V.League 1, the highest division of Vietnamese football. Its prede ...

on 9 January 2023. He scored a hat-trick on his league debut against

Binh Dinh FC Quy Nhon Binh Dinh Football Club (), or Binh Dinh, is a Vietnamese professional association football club based in Quy Nhơn, Bình Định Province that plays in the top tier of Vietnamese football, the V.League 1. Their home stadium is Quy Nhơ ...

on the opening day of the 2023 season.

International career

Juvhel Tsoumou has been capped by Germany at under-18 and under-19 level. He made two appearances for the under-18s against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in March 2008. Tsoumou made his under-19 debut against

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 November 2008, replacing

Taner Yalçın Taner Yalçın (, born 18 February 1990) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He manages SC 1960 Hanau. Club career 1. FC Köln In 2003, Yalçın moved from SC Fortuna Köln to 1. FC Köln. There, he won the 20 ...

as a second-half substitute. He was pre-selected by Congo on 19 May 2017. Tsoumou made his debut for the

Congo national football team The Congo national football team ( Kikongo: ''Ekipe ya nkweso ya nsi ya Kongo'') represents the Republic of the Congo in men's association football and is governed by the Congolese Football Federation. They have never qualified for the World C ...

in a 1-1

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA FIFA#Structure, confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia national football team, Rus ...

tie with

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

on 1 September 2017.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Wydad AC *

Botola Pro The Botola Pro (), officially known as the Botola Pro Inwi for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Morocco and the top tier of the Moroccan football league system. Organized by the Ligue Nationale de Football Pro ...

: 2021–22 *

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...

: 2021-22 *

Moroccan Throne Cup The Moroccan Throne Cup or the Throne Cup () is a knockout football tournament in Moroccan football, organized by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.The first club to win this cup was Mouloudia Oujda. Since the inception of the cup, the sy ...

runner-up: 2021–22 Hanoi Police *

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

References

External links