In the winter window this year, Marseille introduced Bakambu from Beijing Guoan to reinforce the front. Nicknamed "Bakagoal", the striker played for Sochaux in Ligue 1 from 2010-2014. After 7 years, he returned to Ligue 1 and became a new firepower point for the Marseille attack group.
Rise to the challenge
Marseille is currently in third place in the table this season, but after Dion's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, Marseille has only one centre-forward left in the Marseille team. As the competition for European qualification intensifies in the second half of the season, Sampaoli hopes to strengthen the front line by signing Bakambu.
In an official interview with Ligue 1, Bakambu talked about the reason for his return to Ligue 1: he chose to join Marseille because he wanted to try another challenge at the level of sports competition after spending four seasons in Beijing Guoan.
"The Marseille club has a long history and is full of passion. I have known Marseille president Lengria for several years, and I have spoken to coach Sampaoli. After joining Marseille, I think that no matter which position the coach asks me to play, the most important thing is that I and the team can have a good performance. ”
"After 4 years in the Chinese Super League, I want to challenge myself again. I grew up in France and worked for Sochaux. After leaving, I kept thinking that at some point in my career I would be able to get back to Ligue 1. Although the time is later than expected, it is better to be late than expected!"
Career
Cedric Bakambu was born in France in 1991. In 2006 he joined sochaux's youth academy and made his first-team debut against Arles in Ligue 1 on 7 August 2010.
In his five seasons with Sochaux, Bakambu made 94 appearances in Ligue 1, scoring 18 goals and accompanying three assists. In 2014, Bakambu showed great resilience after moving from Sochaux to Bursa Sport in the Turkish Super League. He played just 40 games, scoring 21 goals and having eight assists.
In August 2015, Bakambu joined Villarreal. In the 2015/16 season, he delivered a satisfactory result as a newcomer: 35 league appearances, 12 goals and 3 assists; 13 appearances in the Europa League, scoring 9 goals.
Bakambu continued his steady scoring efficiency in the next two seasons: 11 goals and two assists in 34 games in 2016/17 and 14 goals in 22 games in 2017/18. His highlights have also gradually caught the attention of other clubs.
In March 2018, Bakambu joined Beijing Sinobo Guoan and began to compete in the Chinese Super League. During his four years at Beijing Guoan, Bakambu made a total of 87 appearances, scoring 58 goals and providing 25 assists to his teammates.
In September 2020, Bakambu became the all-time top scorer of Beijing Sinobo Guoan Football Club. Two months later, he won the Golden Boot of the 2020 Chinese Super League with 14 goals.
On 13 January 2022, Bakambu joined Marseille F.C. After a gap of 7 years, the Beijing Guoan celebrity has once again stepped onto the ligue 1 stage.
Technical features
In an interview with Ligue 1 state media, Bakambu spoke about his technical capabilities. "My strengths are faster speed, anti-offside ability and air superiority, but I know I still have a lot of deficiencies."
"I'm not the best striker in the world, but I have confidence in myself and I hope my abilities can help the team. After leaving Ligue 1, I played in Turkey and Spain, witnessing the excitement of the game atmosphere, and I gained more experience and grew into a more well-rounded player. ”
Bakambu is 1.82 meters tall and is a right-footed player. Strong body and strong impact, excellent anti-offside awareness and a large range of swimming allow him to play both as a center forward and as a second striker on the field.
As Bakambu said of himself, he has excellent forward-insertion awareness and anti-offside skills, and his interspersed transposition and defensive duties in the game are also well done. When the team has enough offensive depth and space, Bakambu's advantage will be very obvious. But in contrast, Bakambu's dribbling ability and small skills in handling the ball are not outstanding.
With the end of the Chinese Super League season, Bakambu has not played for two months. But he told fans he also maintained his form after the season through active training.
Returning to Ligue 1 is a matter of courage for a 30-year-old striker who has been away for seven years. While praising Bakambu for his courage to challenge himself, we also wish him all the best in Ligue 1.