Lomana LuaLua
Encyclopedia
Lomana Trésor LuaLua is a Congo
lese footballer who plays for Blackpool
, and the Congo DR national football team
.
LuaLua was born in Kinshasa
, but moved to England at a young age. After impressing in a college football match, he signed for Colchester United
. There, he scored a total of 21 goals in 68 appearances which prompted Newcastle United
to sign him. However, the competition for places meant he was less of a regular in the first team, and after four seasons and 88 appearances, he transferred to Portsmouth
, the club that had previously loaned him for three months while at Newcastle. He remained there for three seasons, but his spell was marred by disciplinary problems and malaria
. After this, he moved to Greek
club Olympiacos and spent a season there, helping them to win their fourth straight Super League Greece
title, before joining Al-Arabi in 2008. LuaLua received his first cap
in 2002, and has since represented his national team in the 2004
and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
LuaLua is also known for setting up the LuaLua Foundation, which provides care for orphan
s in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and for being a patron for the Haslar Visitors Group. He has a brother, Kazenga LuaLua
, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion
, and two cousins who play professional football, Albacete
striker Trésor Kandol
and Bristol City
's Yannick Bolasie. During the 2006 African Cup of Nations, LuaLua's son died of pneumonia
and he considered retiring from football after receiving abuse over the internet. However, he continued playing.
, Zaire
(now Democratic Republic of the Congo
), in 1980, but moved to England
as a young boy in 1989. His family settled in Forest Gate
in London
; there, he attended Forest Gate Community School and started to play football at the age of 16, while also being involved in gymnastics
. LuaLua represented his school at football after he was spotted kicking a tennis ball around in the playground. He was playing for Leyton Sixth Form College
, where he studied performing arts, when he was spotted at the age of 17 by second division
side, Colchester United
. Geoff Harrop, a scout
for Colchester College
's football team, was impressed by LuaLua's performance, "He was taking on the whole team by the end of the game and it wasn't hard to pick him out among 22 young 17-year-olds." Harrop invited the striker for a trial at Colchester United and he was signed by the club.
His brother, Kazenga LuaLua
, is also a professional footballer, and two of his cousins also play professionally; Yannick Bolasie, and Trésor Kandol
.
s over playing for Colchester, Harrop says, "It took a lot of hard work by the staff at Colchester. Micky Cook, the director of youth, had to spend endless hours with him and [manager] Steve Wignall and then [the next manager] Steve Whitton had to spend a lot of time with him talking him through the tactical side of the game and what his role was within the team". LuaLua scored within four minutes of his debut where he appeared as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Chesterfield
. In two seasons, he made 68 league and cup appearances for Colchester, 44 starts and 24 substitute appearances, scoring a total of 21 goals. His performances attracted the attention of several Premiership clubs and despite manager Steve Whitton
's denial that LuaLua was for sale, LuaLua joined Newcastle United
in September 2000 for a fee of £2.25 million. An earlier offer by Newcastle of £300,000 for LuaLua made by former manager, Ruud Gullit
, had been rejected, but the much increased bid offered financial security and assistance towards a new ground and was one that Colchester felt they could not turn down.
LuaLua had been brought to the attention of Newcastle manager, Bobby Robson
, by Mick Wadsworth
, manager at Newcastle United, who was a former manager of Colchester. Robson watched LuaLua before deciding to negotiate the transfer, and said, "I see [LuaLua] as a special talent. He has to learn how to play with the other players but he's a special new talent. He has to be nursed and cherished and taught. But we are buying long-term a very promising talent, a very promising player." LuaLua signed a five-year contract with the club. He made his first-team debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic
in September 2000 and made 23 league and cup appearances for Newcastle in the 2000–01 season without scoring. He scored twice in Newcastle's Intertoto Cup
campaign at the beginning of the 2001–02 season but his first Premiership goal did not come until April 2002, when he scored a last-minute winner in a 3–2 away win against Derby County
. He scored a further two goals in the remaining four games of the season. LuaLua's goalscoring form continued to the beginning of the 2002–03 season when he scored three goals in his first four games. Tougher competition for a first-team place meant that LuaLua made only 22 appearances in this season. In January 2003, LuaLua urged Robson to rotate the squad
, saying, "I think I deserve a chance now, as do many of the lads on the fringes of the team. Although some people might have the idea that those of us not in the team like sitting on the bench and getting paid good money, nothing could be further from the truth. I'm not in this for the money, I want to play for the first team and show what I can do on a regular basis." LuaLua also spent much of the beginning of the 2003–04 season on the bench and in November 2003, complained about his lack of first-team football and indicated that he would consider leaving Newcastle. In the Newcastle Chronicle
, Robson responded, saying he would not take advice from a player about how to manage the side: "How dare he say this? I run this football club... LuaLua has been a pretty poor professional about all this. What he should do is keep his mouth shut and get out there and do what he is paid for." In the end, he made 88 league and cup appearances for Newcastle, scoring nine goals, having started 21 games and made 67 appearances as a substitute.
, he joined Portsmouth
on a three-month loan deal with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season. LuaLua scored on his debut for Portsmouth in a 4–3 away defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
in February 2003. During this loan spell he scored in the 89th minute in a 1–1 draw for Portsmouth against parent club Newcastle. The result lifted Portsmouth out of the bottom three of the Premiership. This also lead to a change in legislation for the FA introducing standard rules meaning a player on loan could not play against their parent club. He scored four goals in 15 appearances for Portsmouth as they finished in mid-table in their debut season in the Premiership. Manager Harry Redknapp
was sufficiently impressed with LuaLua's performances that when his loan spell ended at the end of the 2003–04 season, he signed LuaLua permanently at a cost of £1.75 million.
LuaLua made 26 league and cup appearances, scoring six goals, including two against local rivals
Southampton
, in the 2004–05 season. The season was marred by a groin injury at the beginning and a hamstring injury in May 2005. Disciplinary problems led to charges by the Football Association
of abusive behaviour in December 2004 and improper conduct after he was sent off against Blackburn Rovers
in January 2005, for which he received an extra one-match ban and a fine of £5,000 in addition to a three-match ban for the dismissal. He made 26 appearances in the 2005–06 season, scoring seven goals, but missed several games in the autumn after contracting malaria
on a visit to Africa to play for DR Congo. He also missed several games due to international duty at the 2004 African Cup of Nations and missed games in April 2006 after damaging his foot while doing his acrobatic goal celebration during a game against Arsenal
. His disciplinary problems continued when he was warned by the Football Association over his future conduct; this came after he admitted a charge of improper conduct in relation to comments made about referee Uriah Rennie
after a 3–1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in December.
LuaLua signed a new three-year contract in July 2006; it was set to keep him at Portsmouth until 2009. An ankle injury suffered in a pre-season friendly led to LuaLua missing the beginning of the 2006–07 season. He struggled to break back into the first-team, making only eight starts out of 24 appearances, and scored only two goals in that season. Manager Harry Redknapp warned him that he needed to "...start performing" and that he had to "...start producing next season". However, he joined Greek club Olympiacos in August 2007 and Redknapp admitted that, "Lua wants to move on... I've no doubt he'll go away and be a great player for Olympiacos. He wants a change, he wants to play in a role behind the strikers and he wants to move abroad. He will get to play in the Champions League
by moving to Greece. He has been a top Premier League player and he'll be a top player for them."
. LuaLua scored his first two goals on 23 September in a 6–2 win over OFI
.
On 16 January 2008, LuaLua opened the scoring with a 30-yard volley in the Greek Cup
fifth round, which saw Olympiacos progress to the quarter-finals in a 4–0 win against Panathinaikos. LuaLua missed both the knockout stages against Chelsea
, having suffered from ankle
and dislocated shoulder
injuries, the latter, which he received in a 1–1 draw against Asteras Tripolis. As a result, he missed most of the season, but returned on 20 April 2008 to help Olympiacos win their fourth Super League Greece title, beating Iraklis 3–1. Before the 2008 Greek Cup Final
on 17 May, LuaLua fell out of favour and was deemed surplus to requirements. In total, he made 30 appearances for Olympiacos, scoring six goals.
i based club Al-Arabi on a one-year contract in July 2008. On 30 October, Al-Arabi won the Sheikh Jassem Cup
, beating Al-Rayyan Club 3–0 in the final with LuaLua scoring one goal in the seventh minute. In the 21st week of the 2008–09 season, on 20 February 2009, LuaLua scored his first league goal for the club in a 4–2 defeat to Al-Khor. His only other goal for that season came in a 1–0 win over Al-Kharitiyath
on 16 April.
for the second time since Olympiakos in 2008. He scored his first goal on his league debut on 18 September 2010 in a 4–0 win against Alki Larnaca, coming on as a substitute for Georgios Efrem
. On 18 May 2011, LuaLua won the Cypriot Cup
with Omonia after winning 4–3 on penalties against Apollon Limassol
.
club Hartlepool United
, where he linked with former Newcastle United
assistant-manager Mick Wadsworth
. However, he was offered a contract by Blackpool
who play a level above in the Championship
. After two substitute appearances, Lualua's first start saw him score twice in Blackpool's 5–0 win over Leeds United
at Elland Road
, Leeds' joint-heaviest home defeat.
in the preliminary squad for the African Nations Cup finals in Mali
in January 2002. He played in the 0–0 draw with Togo
, 1–0 loss to Cameroon
, 3–1 win over Ivory Coast
and the quarter-final match against Senegal
, which DR Congo lost 2–0 amid some controversy. LuaLua blamed the referee Domenico Messina
for the defeat, "We had a lot of fouls which the referee didn't give and there was a penalty right in front of him but he just let the match go on, sometimes they [the Senegalese] fell over without being touched, screamed and the referee just gave the foul to them."
DR Congo's qualifying campaign for the 2004 African Nations Cup
in Tunisia
began six months after the 2002 tournament ended, with a match against Libya
on 8 September, Libya won the match 3–2. LuaLua initially indicated that he might not play in the match, but did so reluctantly after threats were made to his family, which caused him to reconsider his international career. Robson commented, "He didn't want to go and play in that match. But he said he had to go because his grandmother had been threatened." He played in the 2–0 win over Botswana
in October 2002, when he scored inside five minutes but was later sent off for dissent. He was suspended for two matches and his next appearance was in the 0–0 draw with Botswana in July 2003, which secured qualification for the finals of the competition. LuaLua initially expressed doubts that he would take part in the finals due to club commitments. He was, however, included in the squad and named as captain in the absence of regular captain, Shabani Nonda
, who missed the tournament due to a knee injury. LuaLua said on being named as captain, "When Shabani plays, it takes the pressure off me but now everyone's now looking to me for leadership and I feel honoured." He appeared in the first match of the tournament, a 2–1 defeat to Guinea
, but in the next match against the hosts Tunisia
, he was sent off, reacting angrily and taking several minutes to leave the pitch. DR Congo went on to lose the match and were eliminated from the tournament. Following his sending off, LuaLua considered giving up international football and criticised the behaviour of the Tunisia players during the match and the organisation of the tournament. He later criticised the national football federation of DR Congo, Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association
, blaming them for the poor state of the national side, but said that he would continue to be available for international selection because "I can never turn my back on my country. I play for Congo because I am proud to do it", and apologised to his country for his sending off against Tunisia.
LuaLua received a four-match suspension for the sending-off and missed several 2006 World Cup
qualifying round matches during the summer of June 2004. He was selected for the World Cup qualifier against South Africa
in September, but missed the match due to injury, and was dropped for the next qualifier against Ghana
in October. He missed the 1–1 draw with Ghana in March 2005 after a dispute with the DR Congo football association but committed himself to the match against Uganda in June. He scored in a friendly against Guinea played in Paris
in August, a match used as preparation for the World Cup qualifying matches the following month. LuaLua played for DR Congo in the 2–1 win over Cape Verde
in September but contracted malaria
and missed the final World Cup qualifier against South Africa in October.
LuaLua was recalled to the DR Congo squad for a friendly against Tunisia played near Paris in November 2005, as part of the countries' preparation for the 2006 African Nations Cup held in Egypt
in January and February 2006. He was unable to play, however, after he was one of several players refused a visa
by French immigration authorities. He was named as the captain of DR Congo for the tournament in place of Shabani Nonda who was injured for a second successive Nations Cup. He then delayed his departure to be available to his club Portsmouth for a crucial league match, missing a friendly with Senegal. Despite a pay dispute leading to the DR Congo players threatening to boycott
the match, which was only resolved shortly before the kickoff, he returned to the side for DR Congo's opening match of the tournament against Togo, assisting in one goal and scoring the other in a 2–0 win. He appeared against Angola
and Cameroon as DR Congo qualified for the quarter-finals stage of the tournament, only to be beaten by the hosts Egypt. LuaLua's 18-month old son died while he was playing in the tournament, but the news was not given to him until after DR Congo was eliminated from the tournament as the DR Congo football authorities felt it better not to tell him so as to avoid distracting him.
In the 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia
in April 2007, LuaLua scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory; the result extended their lead at the top of their group. He did not travel to Ethiopia for the away fixture in June, which DR Congo lost, as the authorities failed to send LuaLua his travel documents in time. Following the failure of DR Congo to qualify for the tournament in October, the DR Congo sports minister, Pardonne Kaliba, suspended the manager, Henri Depireux
, and removed the captaincy from LuaLua.
LuaLua returned to the DR Congo squad in the 2010 World Cup qualifier
against Egypt in June 2008. After returning to Greece, he complained of severe stomach pain and was rushed to hospital to have his appendix
removed, ruling him out of subsequent matches for four to six weeks, as DR Congo moved to the top of Group 12 in the second round. Despite topping the group at that point, DR Congo were later eliminated at this stage and therefore failed to progress to the third round of qualifying.
to provide care and education for orphaned children in DR Congo. He is also actively involved in the Show Racism The Red Card
campaign and was involved in the launch of a new video entitled "A Safe Place", which features Premiership footballers talking about their experiences with racism. LuaLua is a born-again Christian and his former teammate at Portsmouth, Linvoy Primus
, was quoted saying "We are not scared to say we pray together before games. About 45 minutes before a game we link our arms and just pray that we can glorify God."
LuaLua is known for a spectacular goal celebration
, which consists of seven back flips and a backward somersault; the celebration stems from his interest in gymnastics. LuaLua wrote the foreword
in the autobiography
of his former manager Steve Wignall
, the book was called "You Can Have Chips".
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="3"|Colchester United
||rowspan="3"|English Division 2
||13||1|||||||||||—||—||13||1
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|1999–2000||41||12|||||||||||—||—||41||12
|-
|2000–01||7||2|||||||||||—||—||7||2
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="4"|Newcastle United
||rowspan="4"|FA Premier League||21||0|||||||||||—||—||21||0
|-
|2001–02||20||3||3||0||3||0||—||—||26||3
|-
|2002–03||11||2||1||0||1||0||9||2||22||4
|-
|2003–04||7||0||1||0||1||0||2||0||11||0
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="1"|→ Portsmouth
(loan)||rowspan="1"|FA Premier League||15||4|||||||||||—||—||15||4
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|Portsmouth
||rowspan="3"|FA Premier League||25||6||||||1||0||—||—||26||6
|-
|2005–06||25||7||1||0|||||||—||—||26||7
|-
|2006–07||22||2||||||2||0|||—||—||24||2
|-
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="1"|Olympiacos||rowspan="1"|Superleague Greece||21||5|||||||||||6||0||27||5
|-
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="1"|Al-Arabi||rowspan="1"|Qatar Stars League||11||2|||||||||||—||—||11||2
|-
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="1"|Olympiacos||rowspan="1"|Superleague Greece||17||4|||||||||||2||0||19||4
|-
|-
|2010–11
||rowspan="1"|Omonia
||rowspan="1"|Cypriot First Division
||19||4||6||2|||||||3||1||28||7
|-
207||39||4||0||8||0||11||2||230||41
38||9||0||0||||||8||0||46||9
11||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||11||2
19||4||6||2||0||0||3||1||28||7
275||54||10||2||8||0||22||3||315||59
|}
Al-Arabi
Omonia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
lese footballer who plays for Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, and the Congo DR national football team
Congo DR national football team
The Congo DR national football team is the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is controlled by the Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association , and are nicknamed The Leopards.Congo have been ranked as high as 51 in the FIFA Rankings...
.
LuaLua was born in Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, but moved to England at a young age. After impressing in a college football match, he signed for Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
. There, he scored a total of 21 goals in 68 appearances which prompted Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
to sign him. However, the competition for places meant he was less of a regular in the first team, and after four seasons and 88 appearances, he transferred to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, the club that had previously loaned him for three months while at Newcastle. He remained there for three seasons, but his spell was marred by disciplinary problems and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. After this, he moved to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
club Olympiacos and spent a season there, helping them to win their fourth straight Super League Greece
Super League Greece
The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
title, before joining Al-Arabi in 2008. LuaLua received his first cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
in 2002, and has since represented his national team in the 2004
2004 African Cup of Nations
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
LuaLua is also known for setting up the LuaLua Foundation, which provides care for orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and for being a patron for the Haslar Visitors Group. He has a brother, Kazenga LuaLua
Kazenga LuaLua
Kazenga LuaLua is a Congolese-English footballer who plays as a winger for Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion. He is the younger brother of Blackpool striker Lomana LuaLua. It is a common misconception that they are cousins but the matter was cleared up by Lomana LuaLua...
, who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, and two cousins who play professional football, Albacete
Albacete Balompié
Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on August 2, 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.-History:The club was founded...
striker Trésor Kandol
Tresor Kandol
Trésor Osmar Kandol is a Congolese international footballer. He is currently a free agent after being released by Spanish second division club Albacete. Before playing for Albacete he played for Barnet, Chesham United, Darlington, Dagenham & Redbridge, Thurrock, Bournemouth, Cambridge United,...
and Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
's Yannick Bolasie. During the 2006 African Cup of Nations, LuaLua's son died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and he considered retiring from football after receiving abuse over the internet. However, he continued playing.
Early life
LuaLua was born in KinshasaKinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
(now Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
), in 1980, but moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a young boy in 1989. His family settled in Forest Gate
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a residential area in the London Borough of Newham, 7 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Manor Park to the east and and to the west lies Stratford town centre. The northern half of the busy Green Street runs through it.-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; there, he attended Forest Gate Community School and started to play football at the age of 16, while also being involved in gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. LuaLua represented his school at football after he was spotted kicking a tennis ball around in the playground. He was playing for Leyton Sixth Form College
Leyton Sixth Form College
Leyton Sixth Form College is a mixed, 16-18 Sixth Form college on Essex Road in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.-Admissions:The school holds 1950 students. The college is situated close to the Greenwich Meridian, about 300 metres south of the A104, and west of the Whipps Cross University...
, where he studied performing arts, when he was spotted at the age of 17 by second division
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side, Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
. Geoff Harrop, a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
for Colchester College
Colchester Sixth Form College
The Sixth Form College, Colchester is situated on North Hill in central Colchester, Essex, England. Established in 1987, it provides further education in the north Essex area....
's football team, was impressed by LuaLua's performance, "He was taking on the whole team by the end of the game and it wasn't hard to pick him out among 22 young 17-year-olds." Harrop invited the striker for a trial at Colchester United and he was signed by the club.
His brother, Kazenga LuaLua
Kazenga LuaLua
Kazenga LuaLua is a Congolese-English footballer who plays as a winger for Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion. He is the younger brother of Blackpool striker Lomana LuaLua. It is a common misconception that they are cousins but the matter was cleared up by Lomana LuaLua...
, is also a professional footballer, and two of his cousins also play professionally; Yannick Bolasie, and Trésor Kandol
Tresor Kandol
Trésor Osmar Kandol is a Congolese international footballer. He is currently a free agent after being released by Spanish second division club Albacete. Before playing for Albacete he played for Barnet, Chesham United, Darlington, Dagenham & Redbridge, Thurrock, Bournemouth, Cambridge United,...
.
Colchester United
LuaLua joined Colchester United in September 1998. Initially, he struggled to adapt and he preferred going to nightclubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s over playing for Colchester, Harrop says, "It took a lot of hard work by the staff at Colchester. Micky Cook, the director of youth, had to spend endless hours with him and [manager] Steve Wignall and then [the next manager] Steve Whitton had to spend a lot of time with him talking him through the tactical side of the game and what his role was within the team". LuaLua scored within four minutes of his debut where he appeared as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
. In two seasons, he made 68 league and cup appearances for Colchester, 44 starts and 24 substitute appearances, scoring a total of 21 goals. His performances attracted the attention of several Premiership clubs and despite manager Steve Whitton
Steve Whitton
Stephen Paul "Steve" Whitton is a former English footballer who played as a striker. He was born in East Ham, London.In a playing career spanning 20 years , he made more than 450 league appearances. Whitton played in the Football League and Premier League in England, the Swedish Allsvenskan and...
's denial that LuaLua was for sale, LuaLua joined Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in September 2000 for a fee of £2.25 million. An earlier offer by Newcastle of £300,000 for LuaLua made by former manager, Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...
, had been rejected, but the much increased bid offered financial security and assistance towards a new ground and was one that Colchester felt they could not turn down.
Newcastle United
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
, by Mick Wadsworth
Mick Wadsworth
Michael "Mick" Wadsworth is an English football coach and former player, who is currently the Manager at Football League One club Hartlepool United.-Playing career:...
, manager at Newcastle United, who was a former manager of Colchester. Robson watched LuaLua before deciding to negotiate the transfer, and said, "I see [LuaLua] as a special talent. He has to learn how to play with the other players but he's a special new talent. He has to be nursed and cherished and taught. But we are buying long-term a very promising talent, a very promising player." LuaLua signed a five-year contract with the club. He made his first-team debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
in September 2000 and made 23 league and cup appearances for Newcastle in the 2000–01 season without scoring. He scored twice in Newcastle's Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
campaign at the beginning of the 2001–02 season but his first Premiership goal did not come until April 2002, when he scored a last-minute winner in a 3–2 away win against Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. He scored a further two goals in the remaining four games of the season. LuaLua's goalscoring form continued to the beginning of the 2002–03 season when he scored three goals in his first four games. Tougher competition for a first-team place meant that LuaLua made only 22 appearances in this season. In January 2003, LuaLua urged Robson to rotate the squad
Squad rotation system
A squad rotation system is a technique often used in sport, usually association football, which is designed to rest players and give playing time to everyone, rather than to just play the same players in every game...
, saying, "I think I deserve a chance now, as do many of the lads on the fringes of the team. Although some people might have the idea that those of us not in the team like sitting on the bench and getting paid good money, nothing could be further from the truth. I'm not in this for the money, I want to play for the first team and show what I can do on a regular basis." LuaLua also spent much of the beginning of the 2003–04 season on the bench and in November 2003, complained about his lack of first-team football and indicated that he would consider leaving Newcastle. In the Newcastle Chronicle
Evening Chronicle
The Evening Chronicle is a daily, evening newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering Tyne and Wear, southern Northumberland and northern County Durham. It was founded in 1885 by Joseph Cowen...
, Robson responded, saying he would not take advice from a player about how to manage the side: "How dare he say this? I run this football club... LuaLua has been a pretty poor professional about all this. What he should do is keep his mouth shut and get out there and do what he is paid for." In the end, he made 88 league and cup appearances for Newcastle, scoring nine goals, having started 21 games and made 67 appearances as a substitute.
Portsmouth
In February 2004, after returning from the 2004 African Cup of Nations2004 African Cup of Nations
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
, he joined Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on a three-month loan deal with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season. LuaLua scored on his debut for Portsmouth in a 4–3 away defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in February 2003. During this loan spell he scored in the 89th minute in a 1–1 draw for Portsmouth against parent club Newcastle. The result lifted Portsmouth out of the bottom three of the Premiership. This also lead to a change in legislation for the FA introducing standard rules meaning a player on loan could not play against their parent club. He scored four goals in 15 appearances for Portsmouth as they finished in mid-table in their debut season in the Premiership. Manager Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
was sufficiently impressed with LuaLua's performances that when his loan spell ended at the end of the 2003–04 season, he signed LuaLua permanently at a cost of £1.75 million.
LuaLua made 26 league and cup appearances, scoring six goals, including two against local rivals
South Coast derby
The South Coast Derby, or Hampshire Derby, are terms used to describe football matches played between Portsmouth Football Club and Southampton Football Club.The two clubs are the largest on the southern coast of England, and lie only 17 miles apart...
Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, in the 2004–05 season. The season was marred by a groin injury at the beginning and a hamstring injury in May 2005. Disciplinary problems led to charges by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
of abusive behaviour in December 2004 and improper conduct after he was sent off against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in January 2005, for which he received an extra one-match ban and a fine of £5,000 in addition to a three-match ban for the dismissal. He made 26 appearances in the 2005–06 season, scoring seven goals, but missed several games in the autumn after contracting malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
on a visit to Africa to play for DR Congo. He also missed several games due to international duty at the 2004 African Cup of Nations and missed games in April 2006 after damaging his foot while doing his acrobatic goal celebration during a game against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. His disciplinary problems continued when he was warned by the Football Association over his future conduct; this came after he admitted a charge of improper conduct in relation to comments made about referee Uriah Rennie
Uriah Rennie
Uriah D. Rennie is a retired English football referee.-Career:He began refereeing in 1979 in local leagues, then operated in the Northern Premier League until 1994, at which time he was appointed to the Football League List of referees.He was given his first Premiership appointment on 23 August...
after a 3–1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in December.
LuaLua signed a new three-year contract in July 2006; it was set to keep him at Portsmouth until 2009. An ankle injury suffered in a pre-season friendly led to LuaLua missing the beginning of the 2006–07 season. He struggled to break back into the first-team, making only eight starts out of 24 appearances, and scored only two goals in that season. Manager Harry Redknapp warned him that he needed to "...start performing" and that he had to "...start producing next season". However, he joined Greek club Olympiacos in August 2007 and Redknapp admitted that, "Lua wants to move on... I've no doubt he'll go away and be a great player for Olympiacos. He wants a change, he wants to play in a role behind the strikers and he wants to move abroad. He will get to play in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
by moving to Greece. He has been a top Premier League player and he'll be a top player for them."
Olympiakos
On 12 August 2007, LuaLua signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos for an estimated fee of £2.8 million (€4.1 million). He made his league debut on 2 September, in a 0–0 draw against Panathinaikos. His Champions League debut came on 18 September in a 1–1 draw against LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
. LuaLua scored his first two goals on 23 September in a 6–2 win over OFI
OFI Crete
OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...
.
On 16 January 2008, LuaLua opened the scoring with a 30-yard volley in the Greek Cup
Greek football Cup
The Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
fifth round, which saw Olympiacos progress to the quarter-finals in a 4–0 win against Panathinaikos. LuaLua missed both the knockout stages against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, having suffered from ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
and dislocated shoulder
Dislocated shoulder
A dislocated shoulder occurs when the humerus separates from the scapula at the glenohumeral joint. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body and as a result is particularly susceptible to dislocation and subluxation. Approximately half of major joint...
injuries, the latter, which he received in a 1–1 draw against Asteras Tripolis. As a result, he missed most of the season, but returned on 20 April 2008 to help Olympiacos win their fourth Super League Greece title, beating Iraklis 3–1. Before the 2008 Greek Cup Final
Greek football Cup
The Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
on 17 May, LuaLua fell out of favour and was deemed surplus to requirements. In total, he made 30 appearances for Olympiacos, scoring six goals.
Al-Arabi
Following his injury spell at Olympiacos, LuaLua joined QatarQatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
i based club Al-Arabi on a one-year contract in July 2008. On 30 October, Al-Arabi won the Sheikh Jassem Cup
Sheikh Jassem Cup
The Sheikh Jassem Cup is a prelude to the Qatar first division league and Qatar's knockout tournament in men's football .-Previous winners:*1977/78 : Al-Sadd*1978/79 : Al-Sadd*1979/80 : Al-Sadd...
, beating Al-Rayyan Club 3–0 in the final with LuaLua scoring one goal in the seventh minute. In the 21st week of the 2008–09 season, on 20 February 2009, LuaLua scored his first league goal for the club in a 4–2 defeat to Al-Khor. His only other goal for that season came in a 1–0 win over Al-Kharitiyath
Al-Kharitiyath Sports Club
Al-Kharitiyath Sports Club is a Qatari football club. As of 2011/12 they play in the Qatar Stars League.-Current squad:-Former players:...
on 16 April.
Return to Olympiakos
During December 2009, LuaLua left Al-Arabi by mutual consent and rejoined Olympiakos on a six month contract with an option for the club to extend the contract for two years. LuaLua scored his first goals upon return to Olympiakos, with two against Asteras Tripolis.Omonia
LuaLua signed a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee with Omonia in July 2010, reuniting with Takis LemonisTakis Lemonis
Takis Lemonis is a former Greek football player , former manager of Cypriot champion Omonia and current manager of Panionios.-Playing career:...
for the second time since Olympiakos in 2008. He scored his first goal on his league debut on 18 September 2010 in a 4–0 win against Alki Larnaca, coming on as a substitute for Georgios Efrem
Georgios Efrem
Georgios Efrem is a Cypriot footballer who currently plays for Omonia.-Early career:Efrem began his career as a 15-year old with Arsenal in 2004, and was a regular in their reserve and youth sides. However, he was unable to break into the first team, and so moved to Rangers in May 2007...
. On 18 May 2011, LuaLua won the Cypriot Cup
2010–11 Cypriot Cup
The 2010–11 Cypriot Cup is the 69th edition and started on November 10, 2010.-Bracket:-First round:The first legs were played on November 10, 2010...
with Omonia after winning 4–3 on penalties against Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol
Apollon Limassol is a Greek Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon F.C...
.
Return to England
In September 2011, after his release by Omonia, LuaLua trained with League OneFootball League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
, where he linked with former Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
assistant-manager Mick Wadsworth
Mick Wadsworth
Michael "Mick" Wadsworth is an English football coach and former player, who is currently the Manager at Football League One club Hartlepool United.-Playing career:...
. However, he was offered a contract by Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
who play a level above in the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
. After two substitute appearances, Lualua's first start saw him score twice in Blackpool's 5–0 win over Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
, Leeds' joint-heaviest home defeat.
International career
LuaLua was first named by the DR Congo national teamCongo DR national football team
The Congo DR national football team is the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is controlled by the Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association , and are nicknamed The Leopards.Congo have been ranked as high as 51 in the FIFA Rankings...
in the preliminary squad for the African Nations Cup finals in Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
in January 2002. He played in the 0–0 draw with Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
, 1–0 loss to Cameroon
Cameroon national football team
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed Les Lions Indomptables , is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and is Africa's most successful side in FIFA world cup; having qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times – in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010– more than any...
, 3–1 win over Ivory Coast
Côte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
and the quarter-final match against Senegal
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
, which DR Congo lost 2–0 amid some controversy. LuaLua blamed the referee Domenico Messina
Domenico Messina
Domenico Messina is an Italian football referee. He has refereed in the Serie A since 1995; his first match was played between Genoa and Padova on 15 January...
for the defeat, "We had a lot of fouls which the referee didn't give and there was a penalty right in front of him but he just let the match go on, sometimes they [the Senegalese] fell over without being touched, screamed and the referee just gave the foul to them."
DR Congo's qualifying campaign for the 2004 African Nations Cup
2004 African Cup of Nations
The 2004 African Cup of Nations was the 24th edition of the African Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa . It was hosted by Tunisia. Just like in 2002, the field of sixteen teams was split into four groups of four...
in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
began six months after the 2002 tournament ended, with a match against Libya
Libya national football team
The Libya national football team is the national association football team of Libya and is controlled by the Libyan Football Federation. The team has never qualified for the senior FIFA World Cup. They have qualified for three Africa Cup of Nations, one in 1982 where they finished runners-up and...
on 8 September, Libya won the match 3–2. LuaLua initially indicated that he might not play in the match, but did so reluctantly after threats were made to his family, which caused him to reconsider his international career. Robson commented, "He didn't want to go and play in that match. But he said he had to go because his grandmother had been threatened." He played in the 2–0 win over Botswana
Botswana national football team
The Botswana national football team, nicknamed 'The Zebras' is the national football team of Botswana and is controlled by the Botswana Football Association. They have never qualified for the World Cup but they have qualified for the 2012 African Nations Cup...
in October 2002, when he scored inside five minutes but was later sent off for dissent. He was suspended for two matches and his next appearance was in the 0–0 draw with Botswana in July 2003, which secured qualification for the finals of the competition. LuaLua initially expressed doubts that he would take part in the finals due to club commitments. He was, however, included in the squad and named as captain in the absence of regular captain, Shabani Nonda
Shabani Nonda
Shabani Christophe Nonda is a DR Congolese international footballer who is currently a free agent. His last club Galatasaray released his contract on 28 January 2010.-Club career:...
, who missed the tournament due to a knee injury. LuaLua said on being named as captain, "When Shabani plays, it takes the pressure off me but now everyone's now looking to me for leadership and I feel honoured." He appeared in the first match of the tournament, a 2–1 defeat to Guinea
Guinea national football team
The Guinea national football team, nicknamed Syli national , is the national team of Guinea and is controlled by the Fédération Guinéenne de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup finals, and their best finish in the African Nations Cup was second in the 1976...
, but in the next match against the hosts Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
, he was sent off, reacting angrily and taking several minutes to leave the pitch. DR Congo went on to lose the match and were eliminated from the tournament. Following his sending off, LuaLua considered giving up international football and criticised the behaviour of the Tunisia players during the match and the organisation of the tournament. He later criticised the national football federation of DR Congo, Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association
Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association
The Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association is the governing body of football in Congo DR. It was founded in 1919 and affiliated to the FIFA in 1962 and CAF in 1963. It organizes the national football league Linafoot and the national team....
, blaming them for the poor state of the national side, but said that he would continue to be available for international selection because "I can never turn my back on my country. I play for Congo because I am proud to do it", and apologised to his country for his sending off against Tunisia.
LuaLua received a four-match suspension for the sending-off and missed several 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
qualifying round matches during the summer of June 2004. He was selected for the World Cup qualifier against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
in September, but missed the match due to injury, and was dropped for the next qualifier against Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
in October. He missed the 1–1 draw with Ghana in March 2005 after a dispute with the DR Congo football association but committed himself to the match against Uganda in June. He scored in a friendly against Guinea played in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in August, a match used as preparation for the World Cup qualifying matches the following month. LuaLua played for DR Congo in the 2–1 win over Cape Verde
Cape Verde national football team
The Cape Verde national football team, nicknamed either the Tubarões Azuis or Crioulos , is the national team of Cape Verde and is controlled by the Federação Caboverdiana de Futebol.-Overview:...
in September but contracted malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and missed the final World Cup qualifier against South Africa in October.
LuaLua was recalled to the DR Congo squad for a friendly against Tunisia played near Paris in November 2005, as part of the countries' preparation for the 2006 African Nations Cup held in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in January and February 2006. He was unable to play, however, after he was one of several players refused a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
by French immigration authorities. He was named as the captain of DR Congo for the tournament in place of Shabani Nonda who was injured for a second successive Nations Cup. He then delayed his departure to be available to his club Portsmouth for a crucial league match, missing a friendly with Senegal. Despite a pay dispute leading to the DR Congo players threatening to boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
the match, which was only resolved shortly before the kickoff, he returned to the side for DR Congo's opening match of the tournament against Togo, assisting in one goal and scoring the other in a 2–0 win. He appeared against Angola
Angola national football team
The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras , is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002...
and Cameroon as DR Congo qualified for the quarter-finals stage of the tournament, only to be beaten by the hosts Egypt. LuaLua's 18-month old son died while he was playing in the tournament, but the news was not given to him until after DR Congo was eliminated from the tournament as the DR Congo football authorities felt it better not to tell him so as to avoid distracting him.
In the 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia
Ethiopia national football team
The Ethiopia national football team represents Ethiopia in association football and is controlled by the Ethiopian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Ethiopia...
in April 2007, LuaLua scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory; the result extended their lead at the top of their group. He did not travel to Ethiopia for the away fixture in June, which DR Congo lost, as the authorities failed to send LuaLua his travel documents in time. Following the failure of DR Congo to qualify for the tournament in October, the DR Congo sports minister, Pardonne Kaliba, suspended the manager, Henri Depireux
Henri Depireux
Henri Depireux is a former Belgian football player.-Career:Depireux played club football for R.F.C. de Liège and Standard de Liège. He also played twice for Belgium....
, and removed the captaincy from LuaLua.
LuaLua returned to the DR Congo squad in the 2010 World Cup qualifier
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
The Confederation of African Football section of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw teams compete for five berths in the final tournament in South Africa...
against Egypt in June 2008. After returning to Greece, he complained of severe stomach pain and was rushed to hospital to have his appendix
Vermiform appendix
The appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum , from which it develops embryologically. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon...
removed, ruling him out of subsequent matches for four to six weeks, as DR Congo moved to the top of Group 12 in the second round. Despite topping the group at that point, DR Congo were later eliminated at this stage and therefore failed to progress to the third round of qualifying.
Personal life
In 2005, LuaLua became patron of the Haslar Visitors Group, a charity that works with detainees in an immigration removal centre. In the following year, he set up the LuaLua Foundation, building a hostel, sport and education complex in KinshasaKinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
to provide care and education for orphaned children in DR Congo. He is also actively involved in the Show Racism The Red Card
Show Racism The Red Card
Show Racism the Red Card is an anti-racism education charity, established in England in January 1996 to harness the high profile nature of footballers as anti-racist role models to educate against racism throughout society in the United Kingdom....
campaign and was involved in the launch of a new video entitled "A Safe Place", which features Premiership footballers talking about their experiences with racism. LuaLua is a born-again Christian and his former teammate at Portsmouth, Linvoy Primus
Linvoy Primus
Linvoy Stephen Primus is an English former footballer.Born in Forest Gate, England, to Caribbean-born parents, Primus began his professional career at Charlton Athletic; where he made four league appearances...
, was quoted saying "We are not scared to say we pray together before games. About 45 minutes before a game we link our arms and just pray that we can glorify God."
LuaLua is known for a spectacular goal celebration
Goal celebration
In football, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration may be performed by the goalscorer , his or her teammates, the manager or coaching staff and/or the supporters of the team...
, which consists of seven back flips and a backward somersault; the celebration stems from his interest in gymnastics. LuaLua wrote the foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
in the autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of his former manager Steve Wignall
Steve Wignall
Steven Leslie "Steve" Wignall is an English former professional football manager and player. During his playing career, Wignall, who played as a central defender, made over 600 appearances in the Football League.-Playing career:...
, the book was called "You Can Have Chips".
Career statistics
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|1998–99||rowspan="3"|Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
||rowspan="3"|English Division 2
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||13||1|||||||||||—||—||13||1
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|1999–2000||41||12|||||||||||—||—||41||12
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|2000–01||7||2|||||||||||—||—||7||2
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|2000–01||rowspan="4"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||rowspan="4"|FA Premier League||21||0|||||||||||—||—||21||0
|-
|2001–02||20||3||3||0||3||0||—||—||26||3
|-
|2002–03||11||2||1||0||1||0||9||2||22||4
|-
|2003–04||7||0||1||0||1||0||2||0||11||0
|-
|2003–04||rowspan="1"|→ Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
(loan)||rowspan="1"|FA Premier League||15||4|||||||||||—||—||15||4
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
||rowspan="3"|FA Premier League||25||6||||||1||0||—||—||26||6
|-
|2005–06||25||7||1||0|||||||—||—||26||7
|-
|2006–07||22||2||||||2||0|||—||—||24||2
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|-
|2007–08||rowspan="1"|Olympiacos||rowspan="1"|Superleague Greece||21||5|||||||||||6||0||27||5
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|-
|2008–09||rowspan="1"|Al-Arabi||rowspan="1"|Qatar Stars League||11||2|||||||||||—||—||11||2
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|-
|2009–10||rowspan="1"|Olympiacos||rowspan="1"|Superleague Greece||17||4|||||||||||2||0||19||4
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|2010–11
2010–11 Cypriot First Division
-Personnel and kits:Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.-Managerial changes:-League table:-Results:...
||rowspan="1"|Omonia
AC Omonia
Athletic Club Omonoia Nicosia is a professional football club that plays in the Cyprus capital city Nicosia. The club was established in 1948 and became a member of the Cyprus Football Association in 1953...
||rowspan="1"|Cypriot First Division
Cypriot First Division
The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...
||19||4||6||2|||||||3||1||28||7
|-
207||39||4||0||8||0||11||2||230||41
38||9||0||0||||||8||0||46||9
11||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||11||2
19||4||6||2||0||0||3||1||28||7
275||54||10||2||8||0||22||3||315||59
|}
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2002 | Stade des Martyrs Stade des Martyrs Stade des Martyrs of Pentecost, also known as simply Stade des Martyrs and formerly known as Stade Kamanyola is a national stadium located in the town of Lingwala in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo... , DR Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world... |
1 – 0 | 2 – 0 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 2 | 16 August 2005 | Stade Yves-du-Manoir Stade Yves-du-Manoir (Montpellier) Stade Yves-du-Manoir is a multi-use stadium in Montpellier, France. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of Montpellier Hérault RC. The stadium is able to hold 14,700 spectators . Rugby League side Catalans Dragons used the venue on 5th June 2011 with their... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
2 – 1 | 3 – 1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
||
| 3 | 21 January 2006 | Cairo Military Academy Stadium Cairo Military Academy Stadium The Cairo Military Academy Stadium is located in Cairo, Egypt and has a total capacity of 22,000.It was one of six stadiums to be used in the 2006 African Cup of Nations, held in Egypt.... , Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... |
2 – 0 | 2 – 0 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | ||
| 4 | 29 April 2007 | Stade des Martyrs, DR Congo | 2 – 0 | 2 – 0 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
| 5 | 20 August 2008 | Dreux Dreux Dreux is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.-History:Dreux was known in ancient times as Durocassium, the capital of the Durocasses Celtic tribe. Despite the legend, its name was not related with Druids. The Romans established here a fortified camp known as Castrum... , France |
2 – 1 | 2 – 1 | Friendly | ||
| 6 | 11 October 2008 | Kamuzu Stadium, Malawi Malawi The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size... |
1 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 7 | 27 March 2011 | Stade des Martyrs Stade des Martyrs Stade des Martyrs of Pentecost, also known as simply Stade des Martyrs and formerly known as Stade Kamanyola is a national stadium located in the town of Lingwala in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo... , Kinshasa Kinshasa Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River.... |
1 – 0 | 3 – 0 | 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | ||
Club
Olympiacos- Greek Super CupGreek Super Cup-Official edition:-External links:*...
(1): 2006–07 - Superleague Greece (1): 2007–08
- Greek Football CupGreek football CupThe Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
(1): 2007–08
Al-Arabi
- Sheikh Jassem CupSheikh Jassem CupThe Sheikh Jassem Cup is a prelude to the Qatar first division league and Qatar's knockout tournament in men's football .-Previous winners:*1977/78 : Al-Sadd*1978/79 : Al-Sadd*1979/80 : Al-Sadd...
(1): 2008–09
Omonia
AC Omonia
Athletic Club Omonoia Nicosia is a professional football club that plays in the Cyprus capital city Nicosia. The club was established in 1948 and became a member of the Cyprus Football Association in 1953...
- Cypriot Cup: 20112010–11 Cypriot CupThe 2010–11 Cypriot Cup is the 69th edition and started on November 10, 2010.-Bracket:-First round:The first legs were played on November 10, 2010...
- Cyprus FA Shield: 2010
External links
- Lomana LuaLua at BBC SportBBC SportBBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...