Albert Sambi Lokonga

Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga (born 22 October 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the Belgium national team. Sambi Lokonga came through Anderlecht's youth academy and made his senior debut with the club in 2017.

In this Congolese name, the surname is Sambi and the post-surname is Lokonga.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Personal information
Full name Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga[1]
Date of birth (1999-10-22) 22 October 1999
Place of birth Verviers, Liège, Belgium
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 23
Youth career
2010–2017 Anderlecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Anderlecht 69 (3)
2021– Arsenal 18 (0)
National team‡
2016 Belgium U17 1 (0)
2018 Belgium U19 1 (0)
2019–2020 Belgium U21 6 (2)
2021– Belgium 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:19, 1 May 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:55, 2 September 2021 (UTC)

Club career

Anderlecht

Having first joined their youth academy in 2010,[2] Sambi Lokonga signed his first professional contract with Anderlecht on 10 November 2017.[3] He made his professional debut for Anderlecht in a 1–0 Belgian First Division A win over Eupen on 22 December 2017.[4] In November 2019, Sambi Lokonga extended his contract with the club until 2023. On 27 September 2020, he scored the first goal of his senior career as Anderlecht drew 1–1 with Eupen.[5]

Arsenal

On 19 July 2021, Sambi Lokonga signed a long-term contract contract with English club Arsenal after completing an approximately £17.2 million transfer, subject to the completion of regulatory processes.[6][7][8] Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was impressed with Sambi Lokonga, citing his intelligence and maturity for a young player.[8] Sambi Lokonga made his debut in a 2−0 away loss against Brentford.[9]

International career

Having previously played for Belgium at Belgium U17, Belgium U19 and Belgium U21 levels,[10] Sambi Lokonga was called up to the senior Belgium squad in March 2021.[11] He made his debut on 2 September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Estonia, a 5–2 away victory. He substituted Eden Hazard in the 74th minute.[12]

Personal life

Sambi Lokonga was born in Belgium and is of Congolese descent, and his brother Paul-José M'Poku is also a professional footballer.[13] He grew up in Verviers.[2]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 1 May 2022
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Anderlecht 2017–18[14] Belgian Pro League 7000—000070
2018–19[14] Belgian Pro League 6000—2[lower-alpha 1]0—80
2019–20[14] Belgian Pro League 23030———260
2020–21[14] Belgian Pro League 33340———373
Total 69370—20—783
Arsenal 2021–22 Premier League 1801040——230
Career total 873804020001013
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 2 September 2021[15]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium 202110
Total10

References
  1. "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. "Albert Sambi Lokonga: "Je porte le 48 en hommage à Verviers"". vedia.be (in French). 1 December 2019.
  3. "Albert Sambi Lokonga verlengt zijn contract" (in Flemish). Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht. 10 November 2017.
  4. "Anderlecht boekt glansloze overwinning dankzij debuterende Amuzu" (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  5. "Albert Sambi Lokonga, un baptême du feu à l'arrière-goût amer pour le buteur d'un soir". RTBF Sport (in French). 28 September 2020.
  6. Smith, George (24 July 2021). "Albert Sambi Lokonga described as a 'quality baller' following Arsenal move". Football.London. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. "Welcome Sambi! | Lokonga joins Arsenal". arsenal.com. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "Arsenal sign Lokonga from Anderlecht". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  9. "Brentford beat Arsenal on opening day". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  10. "Albert Sambi Lokonga". static.belgianfootball.be (in Dutch).
  11. "Lukaku in Belgium squad despite Inter Covid-19 issues". egypttoday.com. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  12. "Estonia v Belgium game report". FIFA. 2 September 2021.
  13. "Mpoku suit l'évolution de son petit frère: "Je lui souhaite de percer à Anderlecht"" (in French). 27 November 2017.
  14. "A. Lokonga: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  15. "Albert Sambi Lokonga". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
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