Kalombo N'Kongolo (17 July 1961 – 10 March 1993) was a Congolese professional footballer who played as a central defender.

Kalombo N'Kongolo
Personal information
Full name Kalombo N'Kongolo
Date of birth (1961-07-17)17 July 1961
Place of birth Kinshasa, Zaire
Date of death 10 March 1993(1993-03-10) (aged 31)
Place of death Lisbon, Portugal
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1987 FC Liège 24 (1)
1987–1988 Espinho 31 (2)
1988–1989 Porto 17 (0)
1989–1992 Espinho 65 (6)
1992–1993 Atlético 8 (0)
Total 145 (9)
International career
1985–1991 Zaire 12 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Blessed with a powerful physique, N'Kongolo was born in Kinshasa, and spent most of his professional career in Portugal, where he arrived at the age of 26 signing for modest S.C. Espinho in the Primeira Liga.[1] His solid performances attracted the attention of FC Porto.

In his sole season at Porto, N'Kongolo appeared in 17 matches – 16 starts – as his team finished second to S.L. Benfica. He returned to Espinho for three further campaigns,[2] with the club now in the Segunda Liga. On 10 March 1993, after spending a few months with Atlético Clube de Portugal in the third division, the player died from a brain embolism; he was only 31 years old.[3]

International career

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N'Kongolo was part of the Zaire squad at the 1988 African Cup of Nations held in Morocco, playing two games in an eventual group-stage exit.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Guimarães, 0 – Espinho, 1" (PDF). Maré Viva (in Portuguese). 5 May 1988. p. 7. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  2. ^ Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge (28 April 2014). "1988/89: FC Porto sem troféus e dez campeões europeus a chorar" [1988/89: FC Porto without trophies and ten European champions crying] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Mbemba: os 26 anos do "homem golo" de Coimbra" [Mbemba: the 26 years of Coimbra's "goal man"] (in Portuguese). FC Porto. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  4. ^ Courtney, Barrie. "African Nations Cup 1988 – Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
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