Igor Vetokele

Igor Vetokele
Vetokele with Copenhagen in 2013
Personal information
Full name Igor Mavuba Vetokele[1]
Date of birth (1992-03-23) 23 March 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Ostend, Belgium
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Lommel
Number 10
Youth career
2006–2007 Oostende
2007–2010 Gent
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Gent 0 (0)
2011–2012 Cercle Brugge 38 (9)
2012–2014 Copenhagen 45 (16)
2014–2019 Charlton Athletic 80 (15)
2016–2017 → Zulte Waregem (loan) 15 (0)
2017–2018 → Sint-Truiden (loan) 43 (11)
2019–2023 Westerlo 87 (18)
2023– Lommel 16 (6)
International career‡
2009 Belgium U17 8 (3)
2009–2010 Belgium U18 9 (3)
2010–2011 Belgium U19 17 (2)
2012–2013 Belgium U21 14 (4)
2014– Angola 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:40, 23 March 2019 (UTC)

Igor Mavuba Vetokele (born 23 March 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Challenger Pro League club Lommel. Born in Belgium, he represents the Angola national team.

Club career

Cercle Brugge

Vetokele started his youth career at Oostende in 2006 and after a year at the youth club he joined Gent. There, manager Bob Peeters saw him play and was impressed with his playing style. Vetokele appeared as an unused substitute in the last game of the season.

On 31 August 2011 Vetokele joined Cercle Brugge on a permanent transfer, where he rejoined Peeters.[2] Vetokele made his Cercle Brugge debut, coming on as a substitute for Kevin Janssens in the 87th minute, in a 0–0 draw against Lierse on 17 September 2011.[3] On 5 October 2011 Vetokele scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over Mechelen.[4] In his first season at Cercle Brugge Vetokele made thirty-six appearances and scored eight goals in all competitions. In the opening game of the season Vetokele scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw against Genk[5] and went on to make four more appearances before leaving Cercle Brugge for Copenhagen.

Copenhagen

On 20 August 2012, Vetokele joined Copenhagen on a four-year contract with a fee of DKK 7,500,000.[6] Prior the move, Danish newspapers reported that the club were linked to Vetoleke after finding a replacement for Dame N'Doye, who left for Lokomotiv Moscow.[7]

He made his debut for F.C. Copenhagen in the last minutes of extra time in a Champions League playoff match against French side Lille OSC at Grand Stade Lille Métropole.[8] Vetokele later recalled playing in the Champions League as a "nice experience".[9] Vetokele scored on his league debut, on 15 September 2012, just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, in a 2–1 win over Nordsjælland.[10] Vetokele scored his first European goal in the last game of the group stage, in a 1–1 draw against Steaua București, which saw Copenhagen eliminated from the Europa League tournament.[11] However, his first season was poor as he made only fifteen appearances and scored only three times. Despite this, the club ended up winning the Danish Superliga, in a season where he had been struggling with muscle injury.[12]

After a poor first season, Vetokele's goal drought continued, until it came to an end on 1 September 2013, in a 4–1 win over Viborg.[13] Vetokele then scored three braces during the season against Nordsjælland on 2 November 2013,[14] then against Viborg on 24 November 2013[15] and Brøndby on 1 December 2013.[16] Two days after the Danish Cup Final, Vetokele scored the opener, in a 3–2 victory against OB, to ensure second place and earning the club a place in the Champions League. The goal also confirmed Vetokele as the club's top goalscorer with thirteen goals.[17] Vetokele previously stated he hoped to score more goals throughout the season.[18]

On 17 June 2014, F.C. Copenhagen accepted a bid from Championship side Charlton Athletic. Copenhagen agreed to the sale after the club purchased Steve De Ridder as they could no longer guarantee him first team football.[19]

Charlton Athletic

On 24 June 2014, Charlton Athletic completed the signing of Vetokele from Copenhagen for £2.4 million on a five-year deal.[20] Upon joining Charlton, Vetokele spoke of the move as a new challenge.[9]

Vetokele made his competitive debut in a friendly match, a 0–0 draw against Sint-Truiden on 6 July 2014.[21] After three goals in the pre-season friendlies, Vetokele scored on his Championship debut, putting Charlton ahead in a 1–1 draw away to League new-boys Brentford.[22] He scored his second against Derby County,[23] his third against Huddersfield Town[24] and then scored twice against Brighton & Hove Albion.[25] On 5 September, he was named Championship player of the month for August.[26][27] Vetokele then scored in a 1–1 draw against Birmingham City on 4 October 2014, ending his five-game goal drought.[28] After missing two games due to fitness concerned during a match against Bournemouth,[29] Vetokele scored on his return on 1 November 2014, in a 1–1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday[30] and scored seven days later, in a 1–0 win over Reading.[31] He then scored three goals in three matches against Norwich City,[32] Brentford[33] and Wigan Athletic[34] In his first season at Charlton Athletic Vetokele went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 times.

On 24 June 2016, Vetokele joined Zulte Waregem on a season long loan deal.[35]

He was released by Charlton at the end of the 2018–19 season.[36]

Westerlo

On 26 June 2019, Vetokele joined Westerlo.[37]

In June 2023, Vetokele joined Challenger Pro League side Lommel.[38]

International career

Vetokele has represented Belgium at various youth levels, from under 16 to under 21.[39] In May 2014, Vetokele pledged his commitment to play for Angola.[40]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 January 2024
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cercle Brugge 2011–12[41] Belgian Pro League 34 8 2 0 — 0 0 36 8
2012–13[42] Belgian Pro League 4 1 0 0 — 0 0 4 1
Total 38 9 2 0 — 0 0 40 9
Copenhagen 2012–13[42] Danish Superliga 15 3 0 0 — 2[c] 1 17 4
2013–14[43] Danish Superliga 30 13 3 1 — 1[d] 0 34 14
Total 45 16 3 1 — 3 1 51 18
Charlton Athletic 2014–15[44] Championship 41 11 0 0 2 0 — 43 11
2015–16[45] Championship 16 1 1 0 1 1 — 18 2
2016–17[46] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017–18[47] League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018–19[48] League One 23 3 0 0 0 0 2[e] 2 25 5
Total 80 15 1 0 3 1 2 2 86 18
Zulte Waregem (loan) 2016–17[46] Belgian First Division A 15 0 3 1 — — 18 1
Sint-Truiden (loan) 2016–17[46] Belgian First Division A 17 8 0 0 — — 17 8
2017–18[47] Belgian First Division A 26 3 1 2 — — 27 5
Total 43 11 1 2 — — 44 13
Westerlo 2019–20[49] Belgian First Division B 18 4 1 0 — — 19 4
2020–21[49] Belgian First Division B 26 8 1 0 — — 27 8
2021–22[49] Belgian First Division B 16 1 2 0 — — 18 1
2022–23[49] Belgian Pro League 27 5 1 0 — — 28 5
Total 87 18 5 0 — — 92 18
Lommel 2023–24[50] Challenger Pro League 14 4 0 0 — — 14 4
Career total 322 73 15 4 3 1 5 3 345 81
  1. ^ Includes Belgian Cup, Danish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Copenhagen

Westerlo

References

  1. ^ "List of players under written contract registered between 01/06/2016 and 30/06/2016" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 33. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Niet Genk maar Gent strikt Brüls" (in Dutch). HLN.be. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  3. ^ "CERCLE BRUGGE VS. LIERSE 0–0". Soccerway. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Debutant Vetokele stort Mechelen in crisis: 0 op 15" (in Dutch). HLN.be. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Ook Genk Kan Niet Winnen" (in Dutch). Sporting Telenet. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Igor Vetokele til F.C. København". Copenhagen Official Website. 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Avis: FC København jagter Brugge-duo" (in Danish). BT.dk. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Lille need extra time to cut down København". UEFA Official Website. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Vetokele: I'm ready for the challenge". Charlton Athletic F.C. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  10. ^ "FCK satte FCN til vægs" (in Danish). BT.dk. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Ten-man Steaua sneak past dogged København". UEFA Official Website. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  12. ^ "FCK må undvære Jørgensen og Vetokele" (in Danish). BT.dk. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  13. ^ "Americans Abroad: Cameron's Stoke win again, Boyd on the scoresheet". NBC Sports. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Klasseforskel i Parken: FCK knuste FCN" (in Danish). BT.dk. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  15. ^ "Ståle efter 4–1: Vi var gode i otte minutter" (in Danish). Politiken. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  16. ^ "Bred enighed i Brøndby: FCK viste klassen" (in Danish). Politiken. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  17. ^ "FCK får sølv og en ny CL-chance" (in Danish). Politiken. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  18. ^ "Vetokele: Jeg vil score flere mål" (in Danish). BT.dk. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  19. ^ "FCK sælger Igor Vetokele". Copenhagen Official Website. 17 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  20. ^ "Igor Vetokele completes Charlton move". Charlton Athletic F.C. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  21. ^ "REPORT: Sint-Truiden 0 Charlton 0". Charlton Athletic F.C. 6 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-04-04. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  22. ^ "Brentford 1–1 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Charlton Athletic 3–2 Derby County". BBC Sport. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  24. ^ "Huddersfield Town 1–1 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  25. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 2–2 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  26. ^ "Vetokele nominated for player of the month". Charlton Athletic F.C. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  27. ^ "Vetokele named player of the month". Charlton Athletic F.C. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  28. ^ "Charlton Athletic 1 – 1 Birmingham City". BBC Sport. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  29. ^ "PREVIEW: Charlton vs Bolton Wanderers". Charlton Athletic F.C. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  30. ^ "Charlton Athletic 1 – 1 Sheffield Wednesday". BBC Sport. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  31. ^ "Reading 0 – 1 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  32. ^ "Charlton Athletic 2 – 3 Norwich City". BBC Sport. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  33. ^ "Charlton Athletic 3 – 0 Brentford". BBC Sport. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  34. ^ "Wigan Athletic 0 – 3 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  35. ^ "Igor Vetokele joins Zulte-Waregem on season-long loan". Charlton Athletic Official Site. 17 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  36. ^ "Charlton Athletic offer Patrick Bauer and Joe Aribo new contracts". BBC Sport. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  37. ^ "Igor Vetokele joins Belgian outfit Westerlo as Charlton deal expires". News Shopper. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  38. ^ "FORMER CHARLTON AND ANGOLA STRIKER IGOR VETOKELE DEPARTS WESTERLO TO CONTINUE CAREER WITH CITY GROUP'S LOMMEL". getfootballnewsbene.com. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  39. ^ "Igor Vetokele National Career". e-kickoff.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  40. ^ "FCK-topscorer tørner ud for Angola" (in Danish). Bold.dk. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  41. ^ "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  42. ^ a b "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  43. ^ "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  44. ^ "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  45. ^ "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  46. ^ a b c "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  47. ^ a b "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  48. ^ "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  49. ^ a b c d "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  50. ^ "Games played by Igor Vetokele in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  51. ^ "Welcome back les Campinois" (in French). Belgian Pro League. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
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