Aaron Boupendza
.jpg) Boupendza in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Aaron Salem Boupendza Pozzi | ||
| Date of birth | 7 August 1996[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Moanda, Gabon[1] | ||
| Date of death | 16 April 2025 (aged 28) | ||
| Place of death | Hangzhou, China | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | CF Mounana | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | CF Mounana | 6 | (6) |
| 2016–2017 | Bordeaux B | 20 | (8) |
| 2017–2020 | Bordeaux | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Pau (loan) | 21 | (15) |
| 2017–2018 | → Pau B (loan) | 3 | (2) |
| 2018 | → Gazélec Ajaccio (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Tours (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2019 | → Tours B (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Feirense (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Hatayspor | 36 | (22) |
| 2021–2022 | Al-Arabi | 17 | (8) |
| 2022–2023 | Al-Shabab | 17 | (11) |
| 2023–2024 | FC Cincinnati | 24 | (7) |
| 2024–2025 | Rapid București | 9 | (3) |
| 2025 | Zhejiang FC | 6 | (4) |
| Total | 191 | (89) | |
| International career | |||
| 2016–2023 | Gabon | 35 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Aaron Salem Boupendza Pozzi (7 August 1996 – 16 April 2025) was a Gabonese footballer. He played as a forward for teams in Gabon, France, Portugal, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Romania, and China. He notably won the Gabon Championnat National D1 with CF Mounana, the Qatar FA Cup with Al Arabi and the MLS Supporters' Shield with FC Cincinnati, and was also the top goalscorer in the 2020–21 Süper Lig.
He was capped 35 times for Gabon, scoring eight goals. Boupendza scored Gabon's only goal at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, in a 1–0 win against Comoros,[2] and also scored in their penalty shootout loss against Burkina Faso in the round of 16.[3] He also played for Gabon's A team at the 2016 African Nations Championship.[4]
Boupendza died on 16 April 2025, at the age of 28, after falling from the 11th floor of a building in Hangzhou, China. Gabonese president Brice Oligui Nguema paid tribute to him shortly after his death.[5] Chinese police investigations found that the fall was an accident, and ruled out criminal activity.[6]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| CF Mounana | 2015–16[8] | Gabon Championnat National D1 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | ||||
| Bordeaux B | 2016–17 | CFA 2 | 20 | 8 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 8 | ||||
| Pau (loan) | 2017–18 | Championnat National | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 15 | |||
| Pau B (loan) | 2017–18 | Championnat National 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Gazélec Ajaccio (loan) | 2018–19 | Ligue 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| Tours (loan) | 2018–19 | Championnat National | 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 13 | 4 | |||
| Tours B (loan) | 2018–19 | Championnat National 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Feirense (loan) | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Hatayspor | 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 36 | 22 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 22 | |||
| Al-Arabi | 2021–22 | Qatar Stars League | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 3[c] | 1 | 22 | 10 | |
| 2022–23 | Qatar Stars League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 24 | 10 | |||
| Al Shabab | 2022–23 | Saudi Pro League | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 11 | ||
| FC Cincinnati | 2023 | MLS | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7[d] | 1 | 18 | 6 | ||
| 2024 | MLS | 14 | 2 | — | — | 3[e] | 1 | — | 17 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 35 | 9 | ||
| Rapid București | 2024–25 | Liga I | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 11 | 5 | |||
| Zhejiang FC | 2025 | Chinese Super League | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 191 | 89 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 218 | 96 | ||
- ↑ Includes Coupe de France, Taça de Portugal, Turkish Cup, Emir Cup, U.S. Open Cup, Cupa României
- ↑ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, Taça da Liga, Qatar FA Cup
- ↑ Appearances in Qatari Stars Cup
- ↑ Four appearances and one goal in MLS Cup playoffs, three appearances in Leagues Cup
- ↑ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabon | 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 35 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Gabon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Boupendza goal.[9]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 January 2016 | Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda |  Rwanda | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2016 African Nations Championship |
| 2 | 15 October 2019 | Stade Ibn Batouta, Tangier, Morocco |  Morocco | 1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 17 November 2019 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon |  Angola | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 25 March 2021 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon |  DR Congo | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5 | 10 January 2022 | Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon |  Comoros | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 6 | 17 November 2022 | Atilla Vehbi Konuk Tesisleri, Antalya, Turkey |  Guinea-Bissau | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2–1 | |||||
| 8 | 17 October 2023 | Estádio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal |  Guinea | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Honours
- CF Mounana
- Gabon Championnat National D1: 2015–16
- Al-Arabi
- Qatar FA Cup: 2022
- FC Cincinnati
- Supporters' Shield: 2023
- Individual
References
- 1 2 3 "Aaron BOUPENDZA - Football : la fiche de Aaron BOUPENDZA (Pau)". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ↑ "Comoros 0-1 Gabon: Boupendza ends opening day debut dream". Diario AS. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ↑ "Afcon last 16: Tunisia stun 10-man Nigeria after Burkina Faso beat Gabon". The Guardian. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ↑ Isabirye, David (5 January 2016). "Coach Bounguendza names Gabon 23 man squad". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ↑ "Aaron Boupendza est décédé" [Aaron Boupendza has died]. Foot Mercato (in French). 16 April 2025.
- ↑ "Chinese police say Aaron Boupendza dies after accidental fall". Türkiye Today. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ↑ Aaron Boupendza at Soccerway
- 1 2 "Aaron Boupendza". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ↑ Aaron Boupendza at National-Football-Teams.com
- ↑ "Turkish Süper Lig Gol Krallığı". TFF. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
Other websites
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aaron Boupendza.
- Aaron Boupendza on IMDb
- Aaron Boupendza at Soccerway
Gabon squad – 2021 Africa Cup of Nations | ||
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