Bruno Ecuele Manga

Bruno Ecuele Manga is a serious professional footballer. He has deliberately maintained a low profile on social media. He does not reveal much about himself, except giving information about his football career. Manga has made it clear that he will always be available to play for his country.

Bruno Ecuele Manga was born on July 16, 1988, in Libreville, Gabon, on the west coast of Africa. While in school, he actively participated in sports and played football in his neighborhood. In his teens, he started playing football for the club ‘FC 105 Libreville.’ He played an impressive game as a back and in the midfield, as a result of which he was soon picked up by scouts from the French professional football club ‘Girondins de Bordeaux.’ He relocated to France and was still in his teens when he made his debut in a 3–2 win over ‘Panionios.’ Manga was later loaned to ‘Rodez’ at no cost but did not play any league matches at that stage.

Bruno Ecuele Manga was just 20 years old when he signed a three-year contract with ‘Angers’ in 2008 and made his debut in a draw against ‘Bastia.’ He scored his first goal of the season against ‘Tours,’ in October 2008, and went on to make 30 appearances during the season, in which he scored twice. In his second season with the club, he scored three goals, including his first brace in a 2–1 win over ‘Strasbourg.’ This was commendable for someone playing in the midfield.

Bruno was being considered as a rising star of French football. He was acquired by ‘FC Lorient’ in 2010, for a contract worth €2.5 million. He made his debut of the season in a 2–2 draw against ‘Auxerre.’ He was forced to sit out for a major part of the season due to a lot of injuries. However, he continued playing for the club and finally scored his first goal for ‘Lorient’ in a 3–1 loss against ‘Montpellier.’ By then, he had gained the reputation of being one of the best tacklers in French football.

During his second season with ‘Lorient,’ he played as a center-back and signed a contract to continue with the club till 2015. He was appointed as the captain of the team in the 2012–13 season. However, he had to be taken off the field for six months due to a knee injury.

Manga made a comeback with his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win over ‘Brest’ in the ‘Round of 16 of Coupe de France.’ His captaincy was questioned when the club suffered a 5–0 defeat against ‘Lille,’ in April 2013. As the leader of his team, he took full responsibility for this defeat.

The management retained him as the captain of the team for the 2013–2014 season, during which he played 33 matches. He missed three matches due to an injury and was suspended for a month due to a red card shown to him while he was tackling an opponent. He continued playing for the club for the rest of the season but started looking for a change.

During the course of his career, he has played for ‘FC 105 Librevilie’ in 2006, for ‘Bordeaux B’ from 2006 to 2007, for ‘Bordeaux’ from 2007 to 2008, for ‘Rodez’ (on loan) in 2008, for ‘Angers’ from 2008 to 2010, for ‘Lorient’ from 2010 to 2014, and for ‘Cardiff City’ from 2014 to date.

He played for his country, Gabon, in 2006 and at the 2012 ‘Olympic Games.’