Yeni Ngbakoto

Yeni Atito N'Gbakoto (born 23 January 1992 in Croix) is a footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers in the Football League Championship and the DR Congo national football team. He is a former France youth international having earned caps at under-17 and under-18 level. N'Gbakoto primarily plays as a winger, but is capable of playing as a striker. He is known for his speed, technical ability, and strength, which compensates for his small stature.

Metz

Ngbakoto began his football career at SC Clemenceau in the commune of Besançon. He excelled in the club's youth academy and eventually secured a move to the youth academy of professional club FC Metz. While at the academy, N'Gbakoto developed gracefully becoming one of the club's most sought after products. During his time at the academy, he drew interest from English clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, and Spanish club Barcelona. N'Gbakoto's play with the club's under-16 team saw him earn a call up to the France under-17 team by coach Philippe Bergeroo. On 25 June 2009, he agreed to his first professional contract signing a five-year deal until June 2014. Following the agreement, Ngbakoto was promoted to the senior team and assigned the number 15 shirt in preparation for the 2009–10 season.

Ngbakoto began the season playing on the club's amateur team in the Championnat de France amateur 2, the fifth level of French football, scoring on his debut in the team's opening match against CA Pontarlier on 15 August 2009. He consistently appeared in the amateur team for the next four months, adding another goal in a 1–0 victory over Thionville, before earning a call up to the senior team by manager Yvon Pouliquen for the club's Coupe de la Ligue match against Lyon on 13 January 2010. N’Gbakoto made his professional debut in the match appearing as a substitute in the 83rd minute for Julien Cardy. Metz lost the match 3–0. N’Gbakoto was relegated back to the amateur division shortly after and finished the campaign with 16 appearances and eight goals as the Metz reserve team were crowned champions of the league finishing with 107 points.

For the 2010–11 season, N’Gbakoto was reassigned the number 23 shirt by new manager Dominique Bijotat. He made league debut on 27 August 2010 in a league match against AC Ajaccio, which ended 0–0. N’Gbakoto started the match and played 90 minutes before being substituted out in injury time. On 18 December, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–0 victory over L'Entente SSG in the Coupe de France.

Queens Park Rangers

Ngbakoto signed for English club Queens Park Rangers on 7 August 2016. He scored his first goal for the club against Swindon Town in an EFL Cup tie on 10 August 2016.

N’Gbakoto was born in France and is of Congolese and Ivorian descent. N’Gbakoto has earned international youth caps with the under-17 and under-18 teams. With the under-17s, he was a regular appearing in 14 matches scoring 4 goals with his first two coming in a tournament in Austria against Slovakia and the hosts. N’Gbakoto scored both his other goals in the qualification process for the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. He scored one in the first qualifying round against Scotland and the other in the Elite Round against Belarus converting a penalty. The team later suffered group stage elimination in the tournament with N’Gbakoto appearing in all three matches.

With the under-18s, N’Gbakoto earned his first appearance in the yearly SBS Cup, held in Japan, against Mexico. He was one of the few underage players for France at the tournament. In the tournament, he scored his only two goals so far against the Shizuoka national team in the second group stage match and the hosts Japan in the final group stage match.

N’Gbakoto was called up to the DR Congo national football team in March 2017, eligilbe through heritage. N’Gbakoto made his first appearance for the DR Congo national football team in a friendly 2-1 loss to Kenya on 26 March 2017.

Club

(Correct as of 3 October 2012)