Michy Batshuayi

Michy Batshuayi

Batshuayi playing for Standard Liège in 2014
Personal information
Full name Michy Batshuayi
Date of birth (1993-10-02) 2 October 1993
Place of birth Brussels, Belgium
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 23
Youth career
2003–2004 RFC Evere
2004–2005 RUSA Schaarbeek
2005–2006 Brussels
2006–2007 Anderlecht
2007–2008 Brussels
2008–2011 Standard Liège
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Standard Liège 97 (39)
2014–2016 Marseille 62 (26)
2016– Chelsea 9 (1)
National team‡
2012–2014 Belgium U21 13 (7)
2015– Belgium 7 (3)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 December 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 2 July 2016

Michy Batshuayi Tunga (born 2 October 1993) is a Belgian footballer who plays for English club Chelsea and the Belgian national team as a striker.

He began his professional career at Standard Liège in 2011, scoring 44 goals in 120 games across all competitions. His 21 goals in the 2013–14 Belgian Pro League made him the second-highest scorer, and contributed to his Ebony Shoe Award. He then transferred to Marseille for £4.5 million, helping them reach the 2016 Coupe de France Final. After that, he was signed by Chelsea for €33 million.

Batshuayi scored on his international debut for Belgium against Cyprus in March 2015. He was part of their side that reached the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2016.

Club career

Born in Brussels, Batshuayi had a nomadic youth career with spells at Evere, Schaarbeek, FC Brussels (twice) and Anderlecht before he joined Standard Liège.[1]

Standard Liège

Batshuayi made his debut for the senior team on 20 February 2011 in a 4–1 loss away to Gent, replacing Franck Berrier for the last seven minutes.[2] Six days later he made his only other appearance of the Belgian Pro League season, filling in for Aloys Nong in the last minute of a 3–0 victory against Mechelen at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.[3]

On 21 July, Batshuayi was an unused substitute in the 2011 Belgian Super Cup, a 1–0 loss to Gent.[4] On 15 December he scored his first professional goal, the only one away to F.C. Copenhagen in the last match of Group B during the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage, sending his team into the knockout stages.[5] Six days later he added two more in a 2–1 win at Lierse in the quarter-final first leg of the Belgian Cup, although his team lost 5–4 on aggregate.[6] He got his first league goal on 14 January 2012 to round off a 6–1 home win over Germinal Beerschot,[7] and ended the campaign with six. He was sent off as a substitute in a 3–2 loss at Genk on 22 April for stamping on the chest of Jeroen Simaeys, the Royal Belgian Football Association suspended him for four games.[8]

Batshuayi was again sent off on 25 September 2012 in a 3–2 win at Mouscron in the sixth round of the cup, having elbowed Benjamin Delacourt within the first half-hour; he was banned for the next two games of the competition and fined €200.[9] In an interview a month later, he said he felt "destroyed" by the suspension.[10] He recorded 12 goals in 26 games over the campaign, including two on 19 May 2013 to decide a 4–3 home win over Lokeren.[11]

In the 2013–14 season, Batshuayi contributed 21 goals in 34 games, putting him in second place for the league's top scorer behind Lokeren's Hamdi Harbaoui.[1] This tally included a first professional hat-trick on 15 September in a 4–2 win at Oostende.[12] He was awarded the Ebony Shoe Award for the season's best player of African origin, ahead of Tunisian Harbaoui.[13]

Marseille

Batshuayi and Frédéric Bulot prepare to kick off in a UEFA Europa League game against Red Bull Salzburg in October 2013

On 8 August 2014, Batshuayi signed with French team Marseille for £4.5 million.[14][15] He made his debut the next day, as they began the Ligue 1 season with a 3–2 win at Bastia, replacing Dmitri Payet with 11 minutes remaining. On 29 October he scored his first goal for the club to open a 2–1 defeat at Rennes in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue.[16] He scored 9 league goals for Marcelo Bielsa's team, despite rarely starting matches.[1] On 22 February 2015, within five minutes of coming on for André-Pierre Gignac, he scored twice away to Saint-Étienne in an eventual 2–2 draw.[17] In March, he added further braces in away victories at Toulouse and Lens (6–1 and 4–0 respectively), the latter after taking Gignac's place at half time.[18][19]

On 23 August 2015, Batshuayi scored his first goals of the season, a brace, in a 6–0 victory over Troyes.[20] Club president Vincent Lebrune said soon after "There is not a single top 15 world club that is not interested in Batshuayi. He is one of the most wanted players on the market. There were a lot of offers for him this summer, but he didn’t want to leave. He’s proving himself on the pitch, and if clubs want him then they are going to have to pay around €50m."[1] By the mid-season break he had 11 goals from 19 games, behind only arch-rival Paris Saint-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimović with Marseille in 10th and PSG in 1st,[1] and finished the league season with 17 goals. He added two more goals from five games in the Coupe de France, one being in the final, lost 4–2 to PSG on 21 May 2016.[21]

Chelsea

Wikinews has related news: Arsenal signs Japanese Takuma; Chelsea signs Batshuayi

In April 2016, English Premier League club West Ham United were reported as the favourites to sign Batshuayi, having offered a €35 million bid.[22] Two months later, their London neighbours Crystal Palace made a €38 million (£31.5 million) bid which would have made him their record signing, while Italian champions Juventus were also among the interested parties.[15] Although Palace's bid was accepted, Batshuayi did not want to make the move, instead engaging with a €40 million (£33.2 million) offer from Chelsea, for which he left the UEFA Euro 2016 squad to take a medical.[23] On 3 July, he signed a five-year deal at Chelsea.[24] He was the first signing by their new manager Antonio Conte, and said that his aim was to get the team back to winning the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League.[25] Batshuayi added that he was eager to work alongside their midfielder Oscar.[26] Batshuayi joined Chelsea for preseason in Austria, and on 20 July, he made his debut in a friendly against Wolfsberger AC.[27] A day later, he scored his first two goals in an 8–0 friendly victory against Atus Ferlach.[28]

On 15 August, Batshuayi made his competitive debut in Chelsea's opener l, coming off the bench to set up Diego Costa's late winner in a 2–1 win over West Ham United.[29] Five days later, after replacing Oscar, he went on to score his first Premier League goal in a 2-1 victory at Watford.[30] On 23 August, Batshuayi made his first start for Chelsea in the EFL Cup, scoring a brace in a 3-2 home victory against Bristol Rovers.[31]

International career

Batshuayi was eligible to play for the DR Congo national team through his parents, but in March 2015 he ruled out this option, stating that although his Congolese heritage is important to him, he would rather represent Belgium.[32]

Batshuayi made his international debut for Belgium on 28 March 2015 in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Cyprus. Replacing Christian Benteke in the 77th minute, he scored from outside the penalty area three minutes later to seal a 5–0 victory at home.[33] He was selected for the final tournament in France, making his competition debut in the last 16 against Hungary in Toulouse on 26 June. With his first touch, he finished Eden Hazard's assist for the second goal of a 4–0 victory.[34]

Style of play

A December 2015 profiling by FourFourTwo likened Batshuayi to Didier Drogba for his speed, strength, positioning and link-up play, despite being shorter than the former Marseille forward.[1]

Personal life

Batshuayi is nicknamed "Batsman", play on words of the name of the popular superhero Batman.[22] His younger brother Aaron Leya Iseka plays in the same position, coming through at Anderlecht and signing for Marseille after Batshuayi's exit.[35][36]

Career statistics

As of match played 3 December 2016.[37]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Standard Liège 2010–11 Belgian Pro League 2000———20
2011–12 23622—8[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]100339
2012–13 341220———3612
2013–14 382110—10[lower-alpha 2]2—4923
Total 973952—1830012044
Marseille 2014–15 Ligue 1 2691011——2810
2015–16 361752207[lower-alpha 2]4—5023
Total 6226623174—7833
Chelsea 2016–17 Premier League 910032——123
Career total 16866115632570021080
  1. ↑ One appearance in UEFA Champions League
  2. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League

International

As of 2 July 2016.[38]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Belgium U21 2012 4 3
2013 7 2
2014 2 2
Total 13 7
Belgium 2015 2 2
2016 5 1
Total 7 3

International goals

Scores and Results show Belgium's goal tally first
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1. 28 March 2015 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Cyprus
5–0
5–0
UEFA Euro 2016 qualification [39]
2. 13 November 2015 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Italy
3–1
3–1
Friendly [40]
3. 26 June 2016 Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France  Hungary
2–0
4–0
UEFA Euro 2016 [34]

Honours

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Michy Batshuayi: The SpongeBob-loving Spurs target tearing up Ligue 1". FourFourTwo. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "KAA Gent 4 Liege 1". ESPN Soccernet. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Standard Liege 3-0 KV Mechelen". ESPN. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "Genk edge Standard to win first Super Cup". UEFA. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  5. ↑ "Solid Standard march on unbeaten after FCK win". UEFA. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Standard: Batshuayi l'homme du match, au Lierse" [Standard:Batshuayi man of the match, at Lierse] (in French). Sud Info. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Standard vernedert zwak Beerschot" [Standard humiliate weak Beerschot] (in Dutch). Sporza. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Foot : Michy Batshuayi (Standard) convoqué devant le Comité sportif mardi" [Football: Michy Batshuayi (Standard) summoned before the Sports Committee on Monday]. Le Soir (in French). 22 April 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Le Standard accepte la suspension de Batshuayi" [Standard accept Batshuayi's suspension] (in French). 7sur7. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Batshuayi : "C'était très dur pour moi après Mouscron"" [Batshuayi: "It was very hard for me after Mouscron] (in French). DH. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Batshuayi redt Standard tegen Lokeren" [Batshuayi saves Standard against Lokeren] (in Dutch). Sporza. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Batshuayi consolida el liderato del Standard en Bélgica" [Batshuayi consolidates Standard's lead in Belgium]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 15 September 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  13. 1 2 "The Belgian Ebony Shoe 2014 goes to Standard Liège's Michy Batshuayi". Benefoot. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Batshuayi vers Marseille !" [Batshuayi to Marseille!] (in French). DHNET. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  15. 1 2 Trehan, Dev (28 June 2016). "Michy Batshuayi subject of £31.5m bid from Crystal Palace". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "L'OM éliminé à l'ultime seconde !" [OM eliminated in the last second!]. L'Equipe (in French). 19 October 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  17. ↑ "Match nul à suspense à Geoffroy-Guichard." [Suspenseful draw at Geoffroy-Guichard]. L'Equipe (in French). 22 February 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi leads rout as Marseille refind form at Toulouse". The Guardian. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "BATSHUAYI BAGS BRACE IN MARSEILLE ROMP". Ligue 1. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  20. ↑ Scott, A (23 August 2015). "MICHEL'S MARSEILLE HIT TROYES FOR SIX". Ligue 1. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  21. ↑ "Ibrahimovic nets brace in cup triumph". Goal.com. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  22. 1 2 Atchinson, Jack (28 June 2016). "Profile of West Ham transfer target Michy Batshuayi of Marseille". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Michy Batshuayi set for Chelsea medical before £33m move from Marseille". The Guardian. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "Batshuayi signs". Chelsea F.C. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  25. ↑ Spence, Liam (6 July 2016). "Chelsea new boy Michy Batshuayi opens up about Champions League hopes and Antonio Conte". Daily Express. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  26. ↑ Cannon, James (3 July 2016). "Michy Batshuayi "can't wait" to convert Oscar's assists following Chelsea transfer". Squawka. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  27. ↑ "Batshuayi's debut, Chelsea's bid for Morata and Costa staying – Conte wants firepower". Goal.com. 20 July 2016.
  28. ↑ "Blues cruise". Chelsea F.C. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  29. ↑ "Diego Costa's late winner helps Chelsea defeat West Ham in opener". ESPN. 15 August 2016.
  30. ↑ "Watford 1-2 Chelsea: Diego Costa scored the winner for the second game". BBC Sport. 20 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "Chelsea 3-2 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  32. ↑ "Olympique Marseille's Michy Batshuayi Chooses Belgium Over DR Congo". Caught Offside. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  33. ↑ Scholten, Berend (28 March 2015). "Classy Belgium too strong for Cyprus". UEFA. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  34. 1 2 "Euro 2016: Hungary 0 Belgium 4 - Alderweireld, Hazard, Batshuayi and Carrasco goals set up quarter final against Wales". The Daily Telegraph. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  35. ↑ "Aaron Leya Iseka – Belgium's latest prodigy". UEFA. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  36. ↑ "Le petit frère de Batshuayi, Aaron Leya Iseka, prêté à l'OM" [Batshuayi's younger brother, Aaron Leya Iseka, loaned to OM]. L'Equipe (in French). 23 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  37. ↑ "M. Batshuayi". Soccerway.
  38. ↑ Michy Batshuayi stats at the Royal Belgian Football Association.
  39. ↑ "Belgium vs. Cyprus - 28 March 2015 - Soccerway". soccerway.com.
  40. ↑ "Belgium vs. Italy (3:1)". National Football Teams.

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