Bruno Ecuele Manga

Bruno Ecuele Manga (born 16 July 1988 in Libreville) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays for Welsh club Cardiff City. In Ligue 1, Ecuele Manga is known for being a tough tackler.

Early career

Manga began his career in his homeland at FC 105 Libreville, before being spotted by scouts from French Ligue 1 side Girondins de Bordeaux. Manga made his competitive debut for Bordeaux, making his first start, in the Matchday Six, in a 3-2 win over Panionios. However, He never played a league game for the club, and spent time on loan at Rodez.

At the end of his contract, he was signed on a free contract with Angers on a three-year contract, keeping him until 2011. There, Manga will be joined by two compatriot Arsène Do Marcolino and Fabrice Do Marcolino. Manga then made his Angers' debut in the opening game, with a 0-0 draw against Bastia. Manga then scored his first goal of the season on 24 October 2008, in a 2-0 win over Tours. Then on 3 March 2009, Manga signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2012. This came after Manga's impressive display at Angers caught an eye from other clubs linked to sign him. In his first season at Angers, Manga made thirty appearance and scoring twice.

Ahead of the 2009-10 season, Manga was on the verge of joining Rennes for worth €4 million. However, the move never happened. Manga was absence at the start of the season and his first appearance came in a 0-0 draw against Strasbourg onThen in his second game of the season against Strasbourg on 5 March 2010, Manga scored his first brace of his career, in a 2-1 win. In his second season at Angers, Manga made twenty-eight appearance and scoring three times. While at Angers, Manga became an integral part of their defence set up, establishing himself in the first team. Manga later explained his departure from Angers.

Lorient

In summer transfer window of 2010, he joined FC Lorient for worth €2.5 million, and became a first team regular in Ligue 1 as a replacement for Laurent Koscielny who left Lorient for Arsenal.

Manga made his Lorient debut in the opening game of the season, making his first start, in a 2-2 draw against Auxerre. Soon after making his first team appearance, Manga was soon sidelined after injuring his hamstring in training that caused him to miss two matches in late-November. That soon happen again in mid-February when he injured his thigh. After making his return in a 3-3 draw against Arles-Avignon on 12 March 2011, Manga then scored his first Lorient goal, in a 3-1 loss against Montpellier on 11 May 2011. In his first season at Lorient, Manga scored once in thirty-one appearance for the club.

Manga's second season with the club started when Manga played as center-back in the first-twelve (including scoring his first goal of the season against Brest on 29 October 2011) until he was absence through injury and suspension. While on the sidelined, Manga signed a contract with the club, keeping him until 2015. Manga then made his return in early-December, in a 4-0 loss against Montpellier. On 17 March 2012, Manga scored his second goal of the season, in a 2-1 win over Brest. Though scoring twice in thirty-two appearance in his second season, Manga's agent announced that Manga will stay at the club following a re–ignited interests from clubs around Europe.

At the start of the 2012-13 season, Manga was appointed as the new captain of Lorient after replacing Fabien Audard. However, in the opening game of the season in a 2-2 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, Manga injured his ligament, and he had to come off, as second half had just started and then it was announced that Manga would be out for six months. After six months absence, Manga made his return on 26 January 2013, in a 2-1 loss against Nancy. Manga then scored his first goal of the season, in the Round of 16 of Coupe de France, in a 3-0 win over Brest. Manga's captaincy came in question after Lorient lost 5-0 against Lille on 7 April 2013. In response, Manga reminded himself to take responsibilities as a captain. With the sideline kept Manga for a long time, Manga made seventeen appearance and scored once.

In 2013-14 season, Manga continued to remain Lorient captain throughout the season and captained thirty-three matches out of thirty-five appearances he made. Manga scored his first goal for the club on 1 March 2014, in a 1-1 draw against Bastia. Manga was absence for three matches, due to a knee injury occurring in late-February and a red card in May, which saw him suspended for one match. During the season, Manga "won 119 aerial duels more than any other player".

Having received a red card in his second final game for Lorient, Manga was suspended for the opening game of the 2014–15 season for Lorient and after making his return, Manga captained once in his three appearance by the end of August. After Monaco announced their interest signing Manga, Manga hinted leaving Lorient, quoting: "I want to see something else, to have other challenges." With a one-year contract left at Lorient, there is slim chance for Manga leave at the end of the transfer window.

Cardiff City

Manga playing for Cardiff City in 2014

On 1 September 2014, Bruno Ecuele Manga signed for Welsh club Cardiff City for €5 million, keeping him until 2017.

Ecuele Manga then made his Cardiff City debut, making his first start, in a 1-0 loss against Middlesbrough on 16 September 2014. Ecuele Manga scored his first Cardiff City, in a 3-1 win over Leeds United two months later on 1 November 2014. However, Ecuele Manga was on the sideline after injuring his knee during a match against Bolton Wanderers and his international commitment and made his return for his thirteenth start of the season, in a 3-2 loss against Brentford on 20 December 2014.

Ecuele Manga was on the sideline again for his international commitment after being included for the Africa Cup of Nations. Ecuele Manga made his return, on 7 February 2015, in a 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. Ecuele Manga then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3-1 win over Rotherham United on 3 March 2015 and then his third goal came, a week later on 17 March 2015, in a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. Ecuele Manga's impressive in his first season led calls for him to be named "Cardiff City's player of the season" by Wales Online.

During the pre-season, Manga picked up a knee injury resulting in him missing out on the start of the season. Making his first appearance in the League Cup win over AFC Wimbledon and then being dropped back to the bench for the league games that followed. Whilst on international duty in September, he picked up a groin injury and was ruled out for two months. Manga made his return to the first team coming on as a substitute for the injured, Sean Morrison against Birmingham City.

Born in Libreville, Gabon, Manga was called up by Gabon in 2006. In July 2012, Ecuele Manga represented Gabon at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London. However, they were eliminated in the group stage.

As of match played 2 January 2017

Individual

• Cardiff City Player of the Year: 2014–15