Bienvenue Kanakimana

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Bienvenue Kanakimana

| fullname =

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1999|12|28|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Bujumbura, Burundi

| height = 1.76 m

| position = Winger{{WorldFootball.net|bienvenue-kanakimana}}

| currentclub = Jablonec

| clubnumber = 20

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| clubs1 = Aigle Noir Makamba

| years1 = 2018–2019

| caps1 =

| goals1 = 23

| clubs2 = Vyškov

| years2 = 2019–2024

| caps2 = 65

| goals2 = 23

| clubs3 = → Atlanta United 2 (loan)

| years3 = 2019

| caps3 = 16

| goals3 = 7

| clubs4 = → Pinzgau Saalfelden (loan)

| years4 = 2020

| caps4 = 4

| goals4 = 0

| clubs5 = → Xinjiang Tianshan (loan)

| years5 = 2020

| caps5 = 5

| goals5 = 1

| clubs6 = Jablonec

| years6 = 2024–

| caps6 = 27

| goals6 = 3

| nationalteam1 = Burundi U17

| nationalyears1 =

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| nationalteam2 = Burundi U20

| nationalyears2 = 2019

| nationalcaps2 = 3

| nationalgoals2 = 1

| nationalteam3 = Burundi U23

| nationalyears3 = 2018–

| nationalcaps3 = 4

| nationalgoals3 = 1

| nationalteam4 = Burundi

| nationalyears4 = 2019–

| nationalcaps4 = 22

| nationalgoals4 = 4

| club-update = 3 January 2025

| nationalteam-update = 25 March 2025

}}

Bienvenue Kanakimana (born 28 December 1999) is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Jablonec and the Burundi national team.

Club career

Kanakimana spent the 2018 season with Aigle Noir of the Burundi Premier League, finishing as the league's top scorer with 23 goals across all competitions and leading his team to the league title. He was subsequently transferred to MFK Vyškov on 1 January 2019 and was later loaned to Atlanta United 2 on 12 April for the remainder of the season.

On 17 February 2021, Kanakimana permanently joined USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks.{{Cite web |date=17 February 2021 |title=Bienvenue! Switchbacks Welcome Kanakimana |url=https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1146962-bienvenue-switchbacks-welcome-kanakimana |access-date=1 April 2022 |website=USL Championship}} On 7 May 2021, Kanakimana and Colorado Springs mutually agreed to terminate his contract at the club due to visa issues.{{cite web |url=https://www.switchbacksfc.com/news_article/show/1162360 |title=Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Roster Updates |website=switchbacksfc.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507210022/https://www.switchbacksfc.com/news_article/show/1162360 |archive-date=7 May 2021}}

On 20 January 2024, Kanakimana signed a multi-year contract with Czech First League club FK Jablonec.{{Cite web |date=20 January 2024 |title=Útočník Kanakimana novou posilou Jablonce!|url=https://www.fkjablonec.cz/article/10290-Utocnik-Kanakimana-novou-posilou-Jablonce|access-date=20 January 2024 |website=FK Jablonec|language=cs}}

International career

In September 2019, Kanakimana was called into the Burundi national team for its 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania. He made his senior international debut on 4 September 2019.[https://web.archive.org/web/20190830161944/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/qatar2022/preliminaries/africa/matches/match/400087243/#match-lineups FIFA.com]