Eduardo Celmi Camavinga (born 10 November 2002) is a professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. He is known for his tackling, versatility, and mobility. His usual positions are central or defensive midfielder[4] and left-back.[5][6]

Eduardo Camavinga
Camavinga in 2022
Personal information
Full name Eduardo Celmi Camavinga[1]
Date of birth (2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 21)[2]
Place of birth Cabinda, Angola
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder, left-back
Team information
Current team
Real Madrid
Number 6
Youth career
2009–2013 Drapeau-Fougères
2013–2018 Rennes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Rennes II 13 (4)
2019–2021 Rennes 71 (2)
2021– Real Madrid 97 (2)
International career
2019–2022 France U21 13 (2)
2020– France 23 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2022
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:55, 26 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:54, 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Camavinga began his career in Ligue 1 with Rennes, making his senior debut at the age of 16, and quickly established himself as a regular first-team player. In 2021, he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of €31 million, winning a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double in his first season.

Born in Angola, Camavinga moved to France at a young age, eventually representing the country at under-21 level. He made his first senior appearance for the France national team in 2020 at the age of 17, becoming the nation's youngest debutant in over a century. He was part of the French squad that finished runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

edit

Camavinga was born in a refugee camp in Cabinda, Angola in 2002. His parents, Celestino Camavinga [7] Angolan-Congolese born in Cabinda[8]) and Sofia Simão (also born in Cabinda[9]), had fled the civil war in DR Congo before his birth to a refugee camp in Miconge.[10][11][12] He has five siblings. His family moved to France when he was two.[13] They eventually settled in Fougères, where he grew up. He did judo for a time before giving it up to focus solely on football. In 2013, the Camavingas' house was burnt down, destroying most of the family's property. Camavinga stated that this was a source of motivation that pushed him to pursue a career in football and help his family.[14]

On 7 July 2020, he obtained the Baccalauréat ES (Economic and Social) without mention.[15][16]

Club career

edit

Rennes

edit
 
Camavinga in 2019

Camavinga joined Rennes' youth system when he was 11. He signed his first professional contract on 14 December 2018, at the age of 16 years and one month, becoming the youngest ever professional for the club at that time.[17] He made his professional debut for Rennes in a 3–3 Ligue 1 tie with Angers on 6 April 2019,[18] becoming the youngest player to ever play for Rennes' first team,[19] at 16 years and six months old.

On 18 August 2019, Camavinga recorded an assist and was awarded the man of the match award in a 2–1 win against Paris Saint-Germain.[20] Hence, he became the youngest player to make an assist in Ligue 1, aged 16 years and 281 days.[21] He then won the UNFP Player of the Month award that month, to be the youngest player to achieve this feat.[22] He scored his first goal for Rennes in a 1–0 win against Lyon on 15 December 2019, in the 89th minute of the game.[23]

In the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, he featured in four matches for Rennes against Krasnodar, Chelsea and Sevilla.[24]

Real Madrid

edit

On 31 August 2021, Real Madrid announced the signing of Camavinga until 30 June 2027.[25] He made his debut in a 5–2 win over Celta Vigo on 12 September, in which he scored a goal shortly after coming off the bench.[26] Three days later, he made his Champions League debut for Real Madrid, coming on as a substitute for Luka Modrić in the 80th minute and assisting Rodrygo for the winner against Inter Milan.[27]

Camavinga made a substitute appearance in the 85th minute of the 2022 UEFA Champions League final on 28 May, helping Real Madrid win 1–0 over Liverpool to earn the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League title with his team.[28] On 9 May 2023, he provided an assist to Vinícius Júnior to take the lead in a 1–1 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, to be the youngest in the competition's semi-finals to do so, aged 20 years and 180 days.[29]

On 7 November 2023, Real Madrid announced the extension of Camavinga's contract, which is to remain effective until 30 June 2029.[30]

He missed the first official match of the 2024–25 season, the 2024 UEFA Super Cup, after injuring his left knee in training on the eve of the match and was expected to be out for several weeks with an internal sprain to the knee.[31][32] On 2 October 2024, Camavinga returned to action against Lille in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League.[citation needed]

International career

edit

On 31 October 2019, Camavinga obtained French nationality, benefiting from the collective effect connected to the naturalization of his father.[33][34] Until then, Camavinga had been a national of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[35] Six days later, he was selected to represent France's under-21 team for games against Georgia and Switzerland, after Matteo Guendouzi was called up to the senior team.[36]

On 27 August 2020, Camavinga was called up to play on France's senior team after Paul Pogba was sidelined by a positive COVID-19 test. He became, in the process, the youngest player to be called up to the French senior team since René Gérard in 1932, who was only 17 years, nine months and 17 days old.[37] On 8 September, he debuted in a 4–2 win against Croatia in the UEFA Nations League, replacing N'Golo Kanté midway through the second half.[38] In doing so he became the youngest player to play for the France national team, following Maurice Gastiger in 1914 at 17 years, nine months, and 29 days old.[39]

On 7 October 2020, Camavinga made his first start for France in a 7–1 win against Ukraine where he scored his first international goal, opening the scoring with an overhead kick. This made him the youngest goalscorer for France since Maurice Gastiger in 1914.[40]

On 25 June 2021, Camavinga was named in Sylvain Ripoll's 18-man France squad for the Summer Olympics in 2021.[41] However he was later removed from the squad after his club, Rennes, objected.[42]

Camavinga played twice at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in which reigning champions France finished as runners-up in Qatar. He played as a left-back in the final group game, a 1–0 loss to Tunisia in which manager Didier Deschamps rested his regular players ahead of the knockout stage.[43] In the final, he came on after 71 minutes in place of Théo Hernandez as the French were losing 2–0 to Argentina; the game ended 2–2 after 90 minutes and 3–3 after extra time, as France lost on penalties.[44]

Career statistics

edit

Club

edit
As of match played 5 November 2024[45]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Rennes II 2018–19 National 3 13 4 13 4
Rennes 2018–19 Ligue 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
2019–20 Ligue 1 25 1 5 0 1 0 4[c] 0 1[d] 0 36 1
2020–21 Ligue 1 35 1 0 0 4[e] 0 39 1
2021–22 Ligue 1 4 0 0 0 2[f] 0 6 0
Total 71 2 5 0 1 0 10 0 1 0 88 2
Real Madrid 2021–22 La Liga 26 2 3 0 10[e] 0 1[g] 0 40 2
2022–23 La Liga 37 0 6 0 11[e] 0 5[h] 0 59 0
2023–24 La Liga 31 0 2 0 11[e] 0 2[g] 0 46 0
2024–25 La Liga 3 0 0 0 3[e] 0 0 0 6 0
Total 97 2 11 0 35 0 8 0 151 2
Career total 181 8 16 0 1 0 45 0 9 0 252 8
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, Copa del Rey
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in Trophée des Champions
  5. ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
  8. ^ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International

edit
As of match played 14 October 2024[45]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
France 2020 3 1
2022 3 0
2023 7 0
2024 10 1
Total 23 2
As of match played 14 October 2024
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Camavinga goal
List of international goals scored by Eduardo Camavinga
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 7 October 2020 Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France 2   Ukraine 1–0 7–1 Friendly [46]
2 10 October 2024 Bozsik Aréna, Budapest, Hungary 22   Israel 1–0 4–1 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A [47]

Honours

edit

Real Madrid

France

Individual

References

edit
  1. ^ "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: France (FRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 12. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga: Overview". ESPN. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Camavinga". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Casemiro, Rodri, Partey: Who is the world's best defensive midfielder?". GiveMeSport. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  5. ^ Cheval, Bastien (23 March 2023). "Eduardo Camavinga on his left-back role: "It's a different way of defending."". OneFootball. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Didier Deschamps confirms Eduardo Camavinga as a left-back for France". Get French Football News. 16 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  7. ^ Nieto, Sébastien; Quarez, Benjamin (8 May 2024). "Coiffeur et Corcovado : entre Camavinga et Vinicius, le roman d'une belle amitié franco-brésilienne". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  8. ^ JORF n° 0256 du 3 novembre 2019
  9. ^ JORF n° 0188 du 1 août 2020
  10. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga, des camps de réfugiés au Real Madrid – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 11 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Camavinga: Seiner Zeit voraus" (in German). FIFA. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  12. ^ "VIDÉO. Football : Eduardo Camavinga, la pépite de Fougères qui vient de signer pro au Stade Rennais". actu.fr. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga: 'People think Madrid are dead, but Madrid are never, never dead'". Guardian. 20 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga is only 16 but his form for Rennes has top European scouts circling". ESPN. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Rennes : Eduardo Camavinga a eu son bac". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Rennes : Eduardo Camavinga nouveau bachelier". Francetvsport (in French). Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Premier contract Professionnel pour Eduardo Camavinga". staderennais.com (in French). Stade Rennais F.C. 14 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Angers SCO vs. Rennes – 6 April 2019". Soccerway. 6 April 2019. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Rennes Sensation Eduardo Camavinga Is a New Kind of 16-Year-Old Footballer". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga: Angola youngster reacts after helping Rennes stun PSG". Goal (website). 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Youngest player to make an assist in Ligue 1". Guinness World Records.
  22. ^ "17 fun facts about Eduardo Camavinga". Goal.com. 24 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Rennes Beat Lyon". Bleacher Report. 15 December 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  24. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga: You've heard the name, here's why Europe's top clubs want him". The Athletic. 25 April 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Announcement: Camavinga | Real Madrid CF". Real Madrid C.F. – Web Oficial. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  26. ^ "Real Madrid teenage star Camavinga scores six minutes into debut | Goal.com". www.goal.com. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Real Madrid: Eduardo Camavinga's assist for the winner against Inter shows wisdom beyond his years". therealchamps.com. 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Camavinga labels Real Madrid's Champions League triumph a 'dream come true'". uk.sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga after 1–1 draw against Manchester City: "It's not necessarily a bad result… It's 50–50."". OneFootball. 9 May 2023.
  30. ^ "Camavinga extends Real Madrid contract until 2029". BBC Sport. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Real Madrid : Inquiétude pour Camavinga, forfait pour la Supercoupe d'Europe". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Real Madrid : Eduardo Camavinga éloigné des terrains plusieurs semaines après sa blessure au genou". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  33. ^ Journal Officiel de la République française (JORF), 3 novembre 2019, Texte 69.
  34. ^ "Rennes : Eduardo Camavinga a été naturalisé français". L'Équipe (in French). 5 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Eduardo CAMAVINGA –". www.unfp.org. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  36. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes) officiellement convoqué en équipe de France Espoirs". L'Équipe (in French). 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  37. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga devient le plus jeune joueur appelé en équipe de France depuis l'après-guerre..." France Football (in French). 27 August 2020. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  38. ^ "France 4–2 Croatia". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  39. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga plus jeune international français depuis 1945". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  40. ^ "Eduardo Camavinga plus jeune buteur des Bleus depuis 1914". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  41. ^ "THE LIST FOR THE TOKYO GAMES". French Football Federation (in French). 25 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  42. ^ De Cosemo, Harry (21 July 2021). "Tokyo 2020: Olympic men's football players to watch". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  43. ^ Johnson, Jonathan (30 November 2022). "FIFA World Cup 2022: France lose to Tunisia to wrap up group as Deschamps tests Camavinga at left back". CBS Sports. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  44. ^ Menzies, John (21 December 2022). "Eduardo Camavinga's World Cup final performance will give Carlo Ancelotti food for thought". Football España. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  45. ^ a b Eduardo Camavinga at Soccerway
  46. ^ "France vs. Ukraine 7–1: Summary". Soccerway.
  47. ^ "Israel vs. France 1–4: Summary". Soccerway.
  48. ^ Westwood, James (30 April 2022). "Real Madrid clinch 35th La Liga title with four games to spare after victory over Espanyol". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  49. ^ "Real Madrid crowned champions after Barca's defeat at Girona". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  50. ^ "Real Madrid 2–1 Osasuna: Rodrygo scores twice as Madrid win Copa del Rey". BBC. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  51. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 16 de enero de 2022, en Prince Bandar Ibn Abd Al Aziz, Riad, 13233, Arabia Saudí" [Minutes of the Match held on 16 January 2022, in Prince Bandar Ibn Abd Al Aziz, 13233, Saudi Arabia] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  52. ^ "Real Madrid win back their Super Cup crown (4–1)". Real Federación Española de Fútbol. 14 January 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  53. ^ "Champions League final: Vinícius Júnior scores only goal as Real Madrid deny Liverpool again". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  54. ^ "Champions League: Real Madrid beat Dortmund for 15th title". espn.co.uk. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  55. ^ "Real Madrid 2–0 Eintracht Frankfurt: Five-star Madrid triumph in Helsinki". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 August 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  56. ^ Sutcliffe, Steven (14 August 2024). "Real Madrid 2–0 Atalanta". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  57. ^ "Vinicius and Valverde dazzle as five-star Madrid conquer". FIFA. 11 February 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  58. ^ McNulty, Phil (18 December 2022). "Argentina 3–3 France". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  59. ^ "EDUARDO CAMAVINGA, JOUEUR DU MOIS D'AOÛT DE LA LIGUE 1 CONFORAMA !" (in French). UNFP. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  60. ^ "GAVI WINS GOLDEN BOY 2022 AWARD COMPLETING KOPA TROPHY DOUBLE, BEATING EDUARDO CAMAVINGA AND JUDE BELLINGHAM". Eurosport. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  61. ^ "IFFHS". www.iffhs.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  62. ^ "IFFHS MEN'S YOUTH (U20) WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR 2021". iffhs.com. International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  63. ^ "IFFHS MEN'S YOUTH (U20) WORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR 2022". iffhs.com. International Federation of Football History & Statistics. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
edit