Mohamed Bangura (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Bangura is a professional football player from Sierra Leone
who currently plays for Scottish Premier League
club Celtic
. His natural position is striker, he can also play on either wing.
in Dakar
. He represented Kallon FC at the World Youth Tournament Viareggio Cup 2010 and scored a goal against Napoli SC where Kallon FC lost by 2-3, he also took part in a match against Chivas Guadalarja of Mexico. In the final game he scored a brace against AC Parma but Kallon FC lost 2-3.
(coached by the former Sweden midfielder Jonas Thern
) announced they had signed Bangura on loan for the forthcoming season. At the Småland
club Bangura made an immediate impact; when half of the season was played, Bangura had scored 12 goals in 13 league games, turning Värnamo into one of the division's top sides. Experts professed the club had signed a gem and that it would only be an amount of time before Bangura would be swooped by top clubs.
announced that they had signed Bangura on a 3.5-year contract tying him to the club until the end of 2013. It was made clear that AIK
was not the only major Swedish side to have shown interest in signing Bangura. Örebro SK
, at the time one of the top Allsvenskan teams, were also interested but decided to pass due to Bangura being injured. AIK
, on the other hand, had scouted Bangura thoroughly for a long time and wanted to make a quick deal. On 24 July 2010, Bangura made his Allsvenskan debut for AIK against Malmö FF
away by coming in as a substitute in the 74th minute. On 28 July, Bangura was in the starting eleven in AIK's next fixture, the UEFA Champions League
qualifier at home against Rosenborg BK. The game ended with a 0-1 defeat for AIK but Bangura received lots of praise for his performance in the game. On 8 August 2010, Bangura scored his first two goals in AIK's 2-1 victory over Brommapojkarna.
for a fee of around £2.2million. He is the first Sierra Leonean to play for Celtic. He was recommended to Celtic by former striker and fan favourite Henrik Larsson
.
Bangura made his Celtic
debut for Celtic on 10 September. Coming on as a 68th minute substitute for Anthony Stokes in a 4-0 victory against Motherwell
at Celtic Park
. Bangura then made his next appearance against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League group stage, coming on as a 75th minute substitute. His first start for the club came on 29 September in a 1-1 draw with Italian side Udinese
.
has had an enormous importance for his development as a football player, and looks upon Thern as an extra father.
In the fall of 2010 Bangura was to become a father for the first time. However tragedy struck and the child died during birth.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
who currently plays for Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. His natural position is striker, he can also play on either wing.
Kallon FC
Bangura started his youth career at Kallon FC where he became an important player for the team. In the beginning of 2010 he earned his first international cap in a 1-0 loss to SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
. He represented Kallon FC at the World Youth Tournament Viareggio Cup 2010 and scored a goal against Napoli SC where Kallon FC lost by 2-3, he also took part in a match against Chivas Guadalarja of Mexico. In the final game he scored a brace against AC Parma but Kallon FC lost 2-3.
IFK Värnamo
On 19 March 2010, Swedish third tier side IFK VärnamoIFK Värnamo
IFK Värnamo is a Swedish football club located in Värnamo. The club is currently playing in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan. The most famous player from the club is Jonas Thern, who was captain of the Swedish national team in World Cup '94 USA....
(coached by the former Sweden midfielder Jonas Thern
Jonas Thern
Jonas Magnus Thern is a Swedish association football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder.- Early career :...
) announced they had signed Bangura on loan for the forthcoming season. At the Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
club Bangura made an immediate impact; when half of the season was played, Bangura had scored 12 goals in 13 league games, turning Värnamo into one of the division's top sides. Experts professed the club had signed a gem and that it would only be an amount of time before Bangura would be swooped by top clubs.
AIK
On 19 July 2010, AIKAIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
announced that they had signed Bangura on a 3.5-year contract tying him to the club until the end of 2013. It was made clear that AIK
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
was not the only major Swedish side to have shown interest in signing Bangura. Örebro SK
Örebro SK
Örebro SK, also known as ÖSK or just Örebro, is a Swedish football club based in Örebro. The club, formed on 28 October 1908, is currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan.-The first years:...
, at the time one of the top Allsvenskan teams, were also interested but decided to pass due to Bangura being injured. AIK
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
, on the other hand, had scouted Bangura thoroughly for a long time and wanted to make a quick deal. On 24 July 2010, Bangura made his Allsvenskan debut for AIK against Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
away by coming in as a substitute in the 74th minute. On 28 July, Bangura was in the starting eleven in AIK's next fixture, the UEFA 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...
qualifier at home against Rosenborg BK. The game ended with a 0-1 defeat for AIK but Bangura received lots of praise for his performance in the game. On 8 August 2010, Bangura scored his first two goals in AIK's 2-1 victory over Brommapojkarna.
Celtic
On 30 August 2011, Bangura signed a four year deal with CelticCeltic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
for a fee of around £2.2million. He is the first Sierra Leonean to play for Celtic. He was recommended to Celtic by former striker and fan favourite Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Edward Larsson MBE is a retired Swedish footballer and current manager of Landskrona BoIS.Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they qualified to Allsvenskan 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before...
.
Bangura made his Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
debut for Celtic on 10 September. Coming on as a 68th minute substitute for Anthony Stokes in a 4-0 victory against Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
. Bangura then made his next appearance against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League group stage, coming on as a 75th minute substitute. His first start for the club came on 29 September in a 1-1 draw with Italian side Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
.
Personal
Bangura has stated that Värnamo manager Jonas ThernJonas Thern
Jonas Magnus Thern is a Swedish association football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder.- Early career :...
has had an enormous importance for his development as a football player, and looks upon Thern as an extra father.
In the fall of 2010 Bangura was to become a father for the first time. However tragedy struck and the child died during birth.
Career statistics
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||||||||
| Kallon | Premier League Sierra Leone National Premier League Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the major Sierra Leonean banks. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful clubs. The... |
2007-08 Sierra Leone National Premier League Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the major Sierra Leonean banks. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful clubs. The... |
28 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| — | — | — | 28 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2008-09 Sierra Leone National Premier League Sierra Leone National Premier League is the top football league in Sierra Leone. It was founded in 1967. The league is sponsored by the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the major Sierra Leonean banks. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool are the two biggest and most successful clubs. The... |
30 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| — | — | — | 30 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 58 | 39 | - | |— | Värnamo IFK Värnamo IFK Värnamo is a Swedish football club located in Värnamo. The club is currently playing in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan. The most famous player from the club is Jonas Thern, who was captain of the Swedish national team in World Cup '94 USA.... | Superettan Superettan Superettan is the second highest league in the league system of Swedish football and comprises 16 Swedish football teams. It was created in 2000. Before that, the second level league in Sweden had been Division 1.... |
2010 2010 Superettan -Standings:-Results:... |
13 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 12 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 13 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |— | 13 | 12 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| AIK | Allsvenskan Allsvenskan Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan... |
2010 2010 Allsvenskan - Overview :-League table:-Relegation play-offs:-----Results:... |
13 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| 2011 2011 Allsvenskan The 2011 Allsvenskan, part of the 2011 Swedish football season, was the 87th season of Allsvenskan since its establishment in 1924. The preliminary 2011 fixtures were released on 15 December 2010. The season began on 2 April 2011 and ended on 23 October 2011... |
19 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 7 | 6 | |||||||||||
| Total | 32 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |— | 33 | 13 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Celtic | SPL Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland... |
2011-12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Career Total | 109 | 64 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 64 | 16 | |||||||