Michel-Ange Balikwisha
{{Short description|Belgian footballer (born 2001)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Michel-Ange ra Balikwisha
| image = Michel ange balikwisha-1691909316.png
| upright =
| caption =
| full_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2001|5|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Ghent, Belgium
| height = 1.78 m
| position = Forward
| currentclub = Antwerp
| clubnumber = 67
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2014
| youthclubs1 = Anderlecht
| youthyears2 = 2014–2020
| youthclubs2 = Standard Liège
| years1 = 2020–2021
| clubs1 = Standard Liège
| caps1 = 32
| goals1 = 9
| years2 = 2021–
| clubs2 = Antwerp
| caps2 = 98
| goals2 = 18
| totalcaps =
| totalgoals =
| nationalyears1 = 2017
| nationalteam1 = Belgium U16
| nationalcaps1 = 4
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 2018
| nationalteam2 = Belgium U17
| nationalcaps2 = 5
| nationalgoals2 = 1
| nationalyears3 = 2019
| nationalteam3 = Belgium U18
| nationalcaps3 = 1
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 2019
| nationalteam4 = Belgium U19
| nationalcaps4 = 3
| nationalgoals4 = 0
| nationalyears5 = 2021–2023
| nationalteam5 = Belgium U21
| nationalcaps5 = 10
| nationalgoals5 = 1
| medaltemplates =
| club-update = 17:45, 26 May 2024 (UTC)
| nationalteam-update = 21:48, 25 June 2023 (UTC)
}}
Michel-Ange ra Balikwisha (born 10 May 2001) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Royal Antwerp.{{Soccerway|660621|accessdate=31 August 2023}}
Club career
Balikwisha made his professional debut for Standard Liège on 20 September 2020 in a Belgian First Division A game against KV Kortrijk.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=20 September 2020|title=Résultat Standard de Liège - KV Courtrai, Championnat de Belgique, 6e journée, Dimanche 20 Septembre 2020|url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/match-direct/championnat-de-belgique/2020-2021/standard-de-liege-kv-courtrai-live/479366|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=27 September 2020|website=L'Équipe|language=fr}}
=Royal Antwerp=
On4 July 2021, Balikwisha joined Royal Antwerp on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.{{cite news
|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210704_95494815
|title= Nu ook officieel: Michel-Ange Balikwisha krijgt zijn zin en ruilt Standard voor Antwerp|language=nl|date=4 July 2021|publisher=nieuwsblad.be}}
He was part of the squad that won a domestic double during the 2022–23 season, including the club's first league title in 66 years.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/04/alderweireld-earns-royal-antwerp-first-belgian-league-title-in-66-years|title=Alderweireld earns Royal Antwerp first Belgian league title in 66 years|website=The Guardian|date=4 June 2023|accessdate=31 August 2023}}
On 23 July 2023, Balikwisha scored a goal in the Belgian Super Cup against Mechelen. Antwerp would win on penalties to claim the trophy for the first time in their history.
On 30 August 2023, he helped the club secure a spot in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever, by scoring a goal in the second leg of their 3–1 aggregate victory over AEK Athens in the play-off round.{{cite web|url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/669733/antwerp-make-history-after-qualifying-for-champions-league-group-stages-for-first-time|title=Antwerp make history after qualifying for Champions League group stages for first time|website=Brussels Times|accessdate=31 August 2023|date=31 August 2023}} He scored in Antwerp's first home match in the Champions League proper on 4 October, putting his side 2–0 up against Shakhtar Donetsk, but would squander the lead and fall to a 2–3 defeat.{{cite web|url=https://www.beinsports.com/en-mena/football/uefa-champions-league/articles-video/antwerp-2-shakhtar-donetsk-3-highlights-2023-10-04|title=Antwerp 2 Shakhtar Donetsk 3 - Highlights|website=BEIN Sports|date=4 October 2023|accessdate=5 October 2023}}
In July 2024, Scottish club Celtic approached Royal Antwerp to try to sign Balikwisha.{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/other/celtic-open-talks-to-sign-michel-ange-balikwisha/ar-BB1q7Aiw | title=Celtic Open Talks to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha|website=msn.com |access-date=2024-07-27}}
International career
Born in Belgium, Balikwisha is of Congolese descent. He is a youth international for Belgium.{{Cite web|url=https://www.election-net.com/foot-belgique-deux-leopards-sauvent-le-standard-de-liege/#:~:text=Michel%2DAnge%20Balikwisha%20a%20d%C3%A9j%C3%A0,Li%C3%A8ge%2C%20Michel%2DAnge%20Balikwisha.|title=Foot-Belgique: Deux léopards sauvent le Standard de Liège|date=27 September 2020}}
Personal life
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|matches played 26 May 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Club statistics | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Belgian Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Standard Liège
|32 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in the UEFA Europa League}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 40 | 9 | ||
| rowspan="4"|Antwerp
|Belgian Pro League |32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5{{efn|name=UEL}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 38 | 5 | ||
| 2022–23
|Belgian Pro League |33 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4{{efn|Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 42 | 10 | ||
| 2023–24
|Belgian Pro League |33 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7{{efn|Appearances in the UEFA Champions League}} | 2 | 1{{efn|Appearance in the Belgian Super Cup}} | 1 | 44 | 10 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!98 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 25 | |
| colspan="3"|Career totals
!130 | 27 | 11 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 164 | 34 |
{{notelist}}
Honours
Royal Antwerp
- Belgian Pro League: 2022–23{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65805961|title=Royal Antwerp win first Belgian title in 66 years after Toby Alderweireld's stoppage-time equaliser|website=BBC|date=4 June 2023|accessdate=5 June 2023}}
- Belgian Cup: 2022–23
- Belgian Super Cup: 2023{{cite web |title=Antwerp wint nu ook de Supercup! KV Mechelen plooit pas na strafschoppen |date=23 July 2023 |url=https://sporza.be/nl/matches/voetbal/belgische-super-cup/2023/finale/01/antwerp-kv-mechelen-antwerp-wint-nu-ook-de-supercup-kv-mechelen-plooit-pas-na-strafschoppen~1686136260794/ |publisher=Sporza |language=nl |access-date=23 July 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerway}}
- {{RBFA player|8670}}
{{Royal Antwerp F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balikwisha, Michel-Ange}}
Category:Belgian men's footballers
Category:Belgium men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Belgium men's youth international footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Standard Liège players
Category:Royal Antwerp F.C. players
Category:Belgian Pro League players
Category:Footballers from Ghent
Category:Belgian people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
Category:21st-century Belgian sportsmen
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