Jacques Maghoma: Who is Jacques Maghoma?

Jacques Maghoma (born 27 March 1987) is a Congolese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for EFL Championship club Birmingham City.

Maghoma began his career in the Democratic Republic of Congo with AS Vita Club, before moving to England in 2006 to join Tottenham Hotspur. He spent four years at Spurs without making a first-team appearance, and had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Southend United, Burton Albion and Sheffield Wednesday. In 2010, he joined Barnet, where he made over 100 appearances in all competitions.

In 2013, Maghoma signed for Burton Albion on a free transfer. He helped the club win promotion to League One in his first season, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two. He spent two more seasons with Burton, before joining Birmingham City in 2016.

Maghoma has also represented Congo at international level.

Jacques Maghoma Early life

Maghoma was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire). His father, Jacques Sr., was a professional footballer who played for TP Mazembe and AS Vita Club, and later became a coach. His mother is Jeanine Maghoma. He has three brothers and two sisters.

Club career

Tottenham Hotspur

Maghoma began his career with AS Vita Club in his native Democratic Republic of Congo, before moving to England in 2006 to join Tottenham Hotspur. He spent four years at Spurs without making a first-team appearance, and had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Southend United, Burton Albion and Sheffield Wednesday. In 2010, he joined Barnet, where he made over 100 appearances in all competitions.

Leyton Orient

Maghoma joined League One club Leyton Orient on loan in March 2009. He made his professional debut on 4 April 2009, coming on as a second-half substitute for Scott McGleish in a 2–1 victory over Walsall. He made five appearances for Orient before returning to Tottenham at the end of the season.

Southend United

Maghoma joined League Two club Southend United on loan in November 2009. He made his debut for the club on 28 November 2009, coming on as a second-half substitute for Peter Clarke in a 2–1 defeat to Macclesfield Town. His loan was extended until January 2010, but he failed to make any further appearances and returned to Tottenham at the end of the month.

Burton Albion

Maghoma joined League Two club Burton Albion on loan in March 2010. He made four appearances for Burton before returning to Tottenham at the end of the season.

Sheffield Wednesday

Maghoma joined Championship club Sheffield Wednesday on loan in August 2010. He made his debut for the club on 21 August 2010, starting in a 1–0 victory over Scunthorpe United. He made 11 appearances for Wednesday before returning to Tottenham in January 2011.

Barnet

Maghoma joined League Two club Barnet on a free transfer in June 2010. He made his debut for the club on 7 August 2010, starting in a 2–1 defeat to Accrington Stanley. He scored his first goal for Barnet on 28 August 2010, opening the scoring in a 2–1 victory over Morecambe. He scored eight goals in 45 appearances in all competitions during his first season with the club.

In May 2011, Maghoma was voted as Barnet’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters. In September 2011, he signed a new two-year contract with the club.

In his second season with Barnet, Maghoma scored 10 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions. He was voted as the League Two Player of the Month for February 2012 after scoring three goals in five league games. In May 2012, he was once again voted as the club’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters.

Maghoma scored eight goals in 40 appearances during his third season with Barnet. In January 2013, he signed a new contract with the club, keeping him at The Hive until June 2014.

Burton Albion (second spell)

Maghoma rejoined Burton Albion on a free transfer in June 2013. He made his second debut for the club on 3 August 2013, starting in a 1–0 victory over Morecambe. He scored his first goal for Burton on 24 August 2013, opening the scoring in a 2–2 draw with York City.

Maghoma scored eight goals in 42 appearances during his first season back at Burton. In May 2014, he was voted as the club’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters.

In his second season with Burton, Maghoma scored 10 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions. In February 2015, he signed a new contract with the club, keeping him at the Pirelli Stadium until June 2016. In April 2015, he was once again voted as the club’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters.

Maghoma scored 12 goals in 50 appearances during his third season with Burton. In May 2016, he was voted as the club’s Player of the Year for a third consecutive season, becoming the first player to do so in the history of the club.

Sheffield Wednesday (second spell)

Maghoma rejoined Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer in June 2016. He made his second debut for the club on 6 August 2016, starting in a 1–0 victory over Aston Villa in the opening game of the season. He scored his first goal for Wednesday on 27 August 2016, opening the scoring in a 3–2 win over Fulham. On 2 April 2017, Maghoma scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 6–0 win over Barnsley.

Maghoma scored nine goals in 45 appearances during his first season back at Sheffield Wednesday. In May 2017, he was voted as the club’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters.

In his second season with Wednesday, Maghoma scored eight goals in 42 appearances in all competitions. In April 2018, he signed a new three-year contract with the club, keeping him at Hillsborough until June 2021. In May 2018, he was once again voted as the club’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters.

Maghoma scored 10 goals in 47 appearances during his third season with Sheffield Wednesday. On 29 April 2019, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Fulham, which ensured that Wednesday avoided relegation to League One. In May 2019, he was once again voted as the club’s Player of the Year by both the players and supporters.

Maghoma scored eight goals in 40 appearances during his fourth season with Sheffield Wednesday. In May 2020, he was voted as the club’s Player of the Year for a fourth consecutive season, becoming the first player to do so in the history of the club.

International career

Maghoma made his international debut for Congo DR on 7 June 2009, starting in a 1–0 friendly win over Mozambique. He has represented Congo DR at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2012 and 2015.

In May 2018, Maghoma was named in Congo DR’s 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He made one appearance at the tournament, starting in a 2–1 group stage loss to Brazil on 22 June 2018.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Barnet’Player of the Year (2): 2011–12, 2012–13”Burton Albion”PFA League Two Team of the Year (1): 2013–14”Sheffield Wednesday’Player of the Year (4): 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20

External links

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo footballers

Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo international footballers

Category:Association football midfielders

Category:Association football wingers

Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players

Category:Barnet F.C. players

Category:Leicester City F.C. players

Category:Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players

Category:Southend United F.C. players

Category:Birmingham City F.C. players

Category:Burton Albion F.C. players

Category:Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players

Category:Premier League players

Category:English Football League players

Category:2012 Africa Cup of Nations players

Category:2015 Africa Cup of Nations players

Category:2018 FIFA World Cup players

Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate footballers

Category:Expatriate footballers in England

Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate sportspeople in England

Category:Footballers from Kinshasa} } | club1 = Tottenham Hotspur | year1 = 2007–2010 | apps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | club2 = Barnet (loan) | year2 = 2008–2009 | apps2 = 14 | goals2= 1| club3= Hounslow Borough (loan)| year3= 2009-2010| apps3= 0| goals3= 0 | club4 = Leicester City | year4 = 2010–2011 | apps4 = 14 | goals4 = 1

Category:Association footballers not categorized by position