Chancel Mangulu Mbemba (born 8 August 1994) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Lille and the DR Congo national team, of which he is the captain.
Mbemba began his professional career Anderlecht, where he won the Belgian Pro League in his debut season of 2013âÂÂ14. A year later, he moved to Newcastle United, where he played in the Premier League and won the Championship in 2017. In four years at Porto, he won the Primeira Liga and Taça de Portugal double in 2020 and 2022.
A full international for DR Congo since 2012, Mbemba is the national teamâÂÂs most capped player and represented the country at six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing third in 2015.
Mbemba was born and raised in Kinshasa. He is one of nine children. His mother, Antoinette, is a former basketball player who represented the DR Congo women's national basketball team.
A 2013 report by CNN found conflicting documents that support four different dates of birth for Mbemba ranging from 1988 to 1994, with the player saying himself that he was born in 1990; an anonymous member of the Congolese Association Football Federation said that his date of birth was changed to 1991 so that he could be eligible for the 2012 Olympics where players must be under 23. Upon signing for Newcastle, he said that he was born in 1994 and that there was forensic proof.
After playing youth football for several clubs including E.S. La Grace and FC MK Etanchéité in Kinshasa, Mbemba joined Belgian club Anderlecht in 2012. Upon moving, he mainly played with Anderlecht reserve and youth teams, and requested to have a bone scan to dispel rumours that he was older than he actually was.
On 21 July 2013, Mbemba was an unused substitute as Anderlecht won the Belgian Super Cup 1âÂÂ0 against Genk. He made his debut a week later in their opening match of the Belgian Pro League season, a 3âÂÂ2 home defeat to Lokeren. He scored five goals in 35 games of a league-winning campaign, starting by concluding a 2âÂÂ0 win at Mons on 18 October, a contribution to becoming the league's Player of the Month.
Mbemba played in the 2014 Belgian Super Cup, a 2âÂÂ1 win over Lokeren. he made 28 appearances during the 2014âÂÂ15 season as they finished in third spot in the league, and runners-up in the 2014âÂÂ15 Belgian Cup, losing 1âÂÂ2 to Club Brugge in the final.
On 26 July 2015, Premier League side Newcastle United announced the signing of Mbemba. Four days later, he signed a five-year contract with the club. He made his debut on 9 August on the first day of the Premier League season, starting in a 2âÂÂ2 home draw with Southampton.
He scored his only goal for the club on 7 May 2017 against Barnsley in a 3âÂÂ0 home win, on the same day that Newcastle clinched the EFL Championship title a year after relegation.
On 23 July 2018, Primeira Liga side Porto signed Mbemba for a reported ã7.14 million fee. He made his debut on 31 October in a 4âÂÂ2 home win over Varzim in the group stage of the Taça da Liga, with manager Sérgio Conceição sending out a completely different team to the previous league game. Four days later he made his Primeira Liga bow as an 80th-minute substitute for striker Yacine Brahimi in a 2âÂÂ0 victory at MarÃÂtimo; he played only two more league games that season, one of which was a start in a 3âÂÂ1 win over Nacional at the Estádio do Dragão on 7 January 2019. He also played two matches for the reserve team in LigaPro.
Mbemba scored his first goal for the Dragons on 24 November 2019, opening a 4âÂÂ0 home win over Vitória de Setúbal that qualified his team to the last 16 of the Taça de Portugal. The following 7 March, he was on the scoreboard for the first time in the league, in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Rio Ave at the same venue; his team ended the season as champions. On 1 August 2020, Mbemba scored both goals of a 2âÂÂ1 win over Benfica in the Taça de Portugal Final.
On 15 July 2022, Mbemba signed a three-year contract with Marseille on a free transfer. He made his debut on 7 August as the Ligue 1 season began with a 4âÂÂ1 home win over Reims, and scored his first goal in his third game on 20 August to open a 2âÂÂ1 win over Nantes also at the Stade Vélodrome. On 7 September, he was sent off in a 2âÂÂ0 Champions League loss at Tottenham Hotspur for a professional foul on Son Heung-min.
In August 2024, Mbemba was left out of the MarseilleâÂÂs squad by newly appointed head coach Roberto De Zerbi. He didnâÂÂt play a single match during the 2024âÂÂ25 season. His contract with Marseille expired on 30 June 2025.
On 1st September 2025, he signed a one year contract with Lille OSC.
Mbemba made his debut for the DR Congo on 17 June 2012, in a 3âÂÂ0 home win over the Seychelles at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, in 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. He was an unused member of Claude Le Roy's squad for the finals. He was part of the squad that came third at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, and scored a penalty in the shootout win over the hosts for the bronze medal.
On 13 October 2015, Mbemba scored his first international goal, a late long-distance winner in a 2âÂÂ1 friendly against Gabon in Visé, Belgium. He also went to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 and 2019; in the latter in Egypt he scored a late header in a 2âÂÂ2 draw with Madagascar in the last 16, though his team lost in a shootout.
On 13 November 2025, Mbemba earned his 100th international cap, becoming the first Congolese player to reach the milestone, and marked the occasion by scoring a stoppage-time winner in a 1âÂÂ0 victory over Cameroon during the 2026 World Cup qualification second round. Three days later, he scored the decisive penalty in a 4âÂÂ3 shootout victory over Nigeria after a 1âÂÂ1 draw, sending his nation to the inter-confederation play-offs.
Anderlecht
Newcastle United
Porto
DR Congo
Individual