Mohamed Tchité Explained

Mohamed Tchité
Upright:0.6
Full Name:Mohamed Gasana Tchité
Birth Date:31 January 1984
Birth Place:Bujumbura, Burundi
Height:1.76 m
Position:Striker
Youthyears1:1996–2001
Youthclubs1:AS Rangers
Years1:2001–2002
Years2:2002–2003
Years3:2003–2006
Caps3:58
Goals3:21
Years4:2006–2007
Caps4:33
Goals4:21
Years5:2007–2010
Caps5:88
Goals5:24
Years6:2010–2012
Caps6:52
Goals6:23
Years7:2012–2014
Caps7:25
Goals7:5
Years8:2015
Caps8:11
Goals8:0
Years9:2015–2016
Caps9:12
Goals9:1
Years10:2016–2017
Caps10:17
Goals10:2
Totalcaps:296
Totalgoals:97
Nationalyears1:2001

Mohamed Gasana Tchité (born 31 January 1984) is a Burundian–Belgian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his professional career in Belgium, with Standard Liége, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Sint-Truiden and White Star Bruxelles, and in Spain with Racing de Santander.

Club career

Tchité was born and brought up in Bujumbura, the largest city and capital of Burundi, but his parents hailed from neighbouring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He started his footballing career with local AS Rangers FC – later named Dragon Super Rangers FC Nyakabiga. He joined Prince Louis FC in 2001, winning the Burundi Premier League and the Revelation Footballer of the Year award, and also being the finalist in the Kagame Inter-Club Cup; in 2002 he left for Mukura Victory Sports in Rwanda, where he would be noticed by scouts from Belgium's Standard Liège.

In 2003, Tchité arrived in Liège, where he became a regular member of the first team, scoring 21 goals in 58 matches during his three years with the club. In 2005–06 season, he netted 16 times in the Belgian First Division A to help his team finish as runners-up to Anderlecht, and that tally put him second in the goalscoring list behind only Tosin Dosunmu of Germinal Beerschot; at the end of the following campaign, he was named Belgium's Professional Footballer of the Year,[1] [2] also being the recipient of the Belgian Ebony Shoe.

On 31 August 2007, the last day of the summer transfer period, Racing de Santander announced the signing of Tchité in order to replace Valencia CF-bound Nikola Žigić.[3] In the 11 November match against Deportivo de La Coruña, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 road win,[4] repeating the feat on 24 February 2008, against Almeria (home fixture);[5] he netted four times in his first twenty La Liga matches, finishing the season at seven, squad best.[6]

On 1 November 2008, Tchité scored a hat-trick against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, in a 4–2 win that signified the Che side's first defeat in 2008–09.[7] He appeared significantly less in his second year, but managed to score the same number of goals, adding one in the UEFA Cup, the 1–1 home draw against Schalke 04.[8]

Tchité struggled initially in the 2009–10 season, even though he started most of the games. However, in two consecutive matches in April 2010, he netted braces for Racing at home against Espanyol (3–1)[9] and at Xerez (2–2) –[10] three penalties; on 16 May, he added two in a 2–0 home win over Sporting de Gijón,[11] taking his league tally to 11 as the Cantabrians certified their permanence in the top flight for a further year.[12]

In the last hours of the 2010 August transfer window, Tchité returned to former club Standard Liège, on a three-year contract.[13] In July 2012 he changed teams again, signing with Club Brugge for an estimated fee of 1.5 million and becoming the first player to wear the jerseys of Standard, Anderlecht and Brugge. Less than six months after his arrival, Georges Leekens was sacked and he did not seem to enter the plans of the new coach Juan Carlos Garrido, who was himself fired in September 2013, making way for Michel Preud'homme who also did not feature the player regularly, and the latter eventually became a free agent.

In February 2015, ex-Standard manager Mircea Rednic convinced 31-year-old Tchité to sign for Petrolul Ploiești until the end of the season.[14] He made his debut on 5 March in the first leg of the Cupa României semi-final against Steaua București, scoring his team's goal in a 1–1 home draw.[15]

International career

Despite his African roots, Tchité announced his desire to play for Belgium once he obtained his citizenship having played for Standard Liège for over two years. He officially became a Belgian citizen on 11 July 2008.[16]

National team coach René Vandereycken called up Tchité for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, but FIFA intervened and ruled the player ineligible because he had previously represented Burundi at senior level in the CECAFA Cup in 2000, also having appeared for the nation at under-20 level and having changed international allegiances to Rwanda when he moved to Mukura Victory Sports in 2002, even though he never played for the Rwandan national side,[17] which meant he remained eligible for the latter according to the main governing body's regulations.

Honours

Prince Louis

2001

Standard Liège

2010–11

Anderlecht

2006–07

2006, 2007

Individual

2006–07

2007

Notes and References

  1. http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=540394.html Tchité takes Belgian acclaim
  2. News: Nieuwe "Profvoetballer van het Jaar" krijgt plaatsje in galerij der groten. New "Pro footballer of the year" gets a place in gallery of the greats. Het Nieuwsblad. nl. 15 May 2017. 26 April 2018.
  3. http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=578927.html Racing complete spree with Tchité
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20110918215603/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=226662&cc=5739 Deportivo La Coruña 0–1 Racing Santander
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026102858/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=226652&cc=5739 Racing Santander 1–0 Almeria
  6. News: El ojo cibernético. The cibernetic eye. El Periódico de Aragón. es. 31 May 2008. 26 April 2018.
  7. https://archive.today/20120714142834/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=252929&cc=5739 Valencia 2–4 Racing Santander
  8. Web site: Engelaar puts the brakes on Racing. UEFA. 7 November 2008. 5 June 2016.
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20110911162455/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=275814&cc=5739 Racing Santander 3–1 Espanyol
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20100424062937/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=275790&cc=5739 All-square in Xerez
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20100520235728/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=275582&cc=5739 Tchite brace saves Racing
  12. News: Portugal sí cree en Tchité. Portugal does believe in Tchité. Diario AS. es. 9 June 2010. 26 April 2018.
  13. http://www.insidefutbol.com/2010/09/01/standard-liege-complete-mohammed-tchite-swoop/29307/ Standard Liege complete Mohammed Tchite swoop
  14. Web site: Petrolul l-a achiziționat pe Mohamed Tchité. Petrolul signed Mohamed Tchité. Petrolul Ploiești. ro. 25 February 2015. 7 March 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150303101447/http://fcpetrolul.ro/petrolul-l-a-achizitionat-pe-mohamed-tchite/. 3 March 2015.
  15. Web site: Tchite, debut cu gol la Petrolul: "Steaua e favorită acum, dar am avut două penalty-uri neacordate". Povestea spectaculoasă a jucătorului de 14,5 milioane de euro. Tchité, goal in debut for Petrolul: "Steaua is the favourite now, but we should have had two penalties." The spectacular story of the 14.5 million euro player. ProSport. ro. 5 March 2015. 7 March 2015.
  16. http://www.burunditransparence.org/meme_tchite.html Le diable rouge, Mémé Tchité (The red devil, Mémé Tchité)
  17. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/40439 Meme runs out of options