East Bengal: A look into the career of Congolese midfielder Jacques Maghoma

Congolese international Jacques Maghoma is all to feature for East Bengal who are all set to make their debut in the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL).

The 33-year-old midfielder is a graduate from Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy and has a vast experience of playing in the League Two and Championship in England. He has also represented Congo DR in two editions of the African Cup of Nations.

Maghoma brings the much needed experience and solidity in the East Bengal midfield and he will partner former Hamburger SV midfielder Matti Steinmann in the centre of the park.

Debut

After graduating from Tottenham’s youth system, Maghoma had joined Burton Albion FC ahead of the 2009-10 season. Burton were plying their trade in the League Two at that time. He made his professional debut against Shrewsbury Town. He had scored just one goal in his maiden season which came against Dagenham & Redbridge FC.

Experience in England

Maghoma remained at Burton for four seasons and had appeared 157 League Two matches where he scored five goals. Ahead of the 2013-14 season, he joined Sheffield Wednesday on a two-year deal in the Championship.

During his second season at Sheffield, Maghoma got the opportunity to play against Manchester City twice, once in the League Cup and once in the FA Cup. Unfortunately, Sheffield lost the League Cup tie 7-0 and FA Cup tie 2-1.

In the 2015-16 season, he joined Birmingham City initially on a two-year deal and later extended his stay for three more years. At Birmingham, Maghoma scored 16 goals in 166 Championship matches. He also got the opportunity to play under managers like Chelsea great Gianfranco Zola and Harry Redknapp.

International football

Jacques Maghoma made his international debut for Congo DR at the age of 28 in an international friendly match against Nigeria which they won 2-0. He was also selected in the national side for the 2017 African Cup of Nations where he played two group stage matches against Ivory Coast and Morocco. Congo had topped the group table but where knocked out of the quarterfinals after losing 1-2 against Ghana.

In the 2019 edition of the Cup of Nations, Maghoma was once again a part of Congo’s squad and this time he had played all four matches in the competition. They were yet again ousted from the quarterfinals this time losing to Madagascar.

He has played 17 international matches for Congo DR so far in his career in which he has scored two goals which came against Burundi and Guinea.

Last stint

The 2019-20 season was the last year of Maghoma’s contract with Birmingham City. He played 18 matches in the Championship and had scored one goal which came against Wigan Athletic. Maghoma joined East Bengal after that stint.