Dieu-Merci Michel

Dieu-Merci Michel
Personal information
Full name Dieu-Merci Ndembo Michel
Date of birth (2004-02-09) February 9, 2004
Place of birth Montreal, Quebec , Canada
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 United FC
Youth career
2015–2018 Edmonton BTB
2019 St. Albert Impact
2019–2021 Victoria Highlanders
2022–2023 Vitória de Guimarães
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023–2025 Vitória de Guimarães B 43 (11)
2024–2026 Vitória de Guimarães 9 (2)
2025–2026 → União de Leiria (loan) 28 (4)
2026– United FC (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of July 31, 2026

Dieu-Merci Ndembo Michel (born February 9, 2004) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for UAE Pro League club United FC.

Early life

Michel moved from Montréal to Calgary as a child with his family, where they were homeless and sleeping on the floors of boxing gyms, later moving to Edmonton in 2014.[1][2]

Michel played youth soccer in Canada with Edmonton BTB SC.[3] In 2019, he was named to the Team Alberta squad for the Western Canada Summer Games.[4] He later played with the St. Albert Impact[5] and Victoria Highlanders.[1] He later trained with Canadian clubs FC Edmonton and Pacific FC,[1][6] and then 14 European sides including Belgian club Club Brugge and German club Bayern Munich.[1] In 2022, he joined the U19 side of Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães.[7][2]

Club career

In April 2022, he signed a professional contract with Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães until 2024, where he would first play with the second team.[8][9] He made his professional debut and scored his first goal on April 1, 2023.[10] In September 2024, he re-signed through 2027.[7][11] He scored his first goal for the first team, in his second appearance on January 3, 2025, in a 4–4 draw against Sporting CP.[12] In August 2025, he was loaned to União de Leiria in Liga Portugal 2 for the 2025-26 season, with Leiria holding a purchase option.[13]

In the summer of 2026, he transferred to UAE Pro League club United FC.[14]

International career

Born in Canada, Michel is of Angolan descent.[2] In May 2022, he was named to the Canada U20 provisional roster for the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.[15] In June 2023, he participated in training sessions with the Canada senior team.[1]

Career statistics

As of May 31, 2026[16]
Club Season League Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Vitória de Guimarães B 2022–23 Liga 3 51———51
2023–24 Campeonato de Portugal 225———225
2024–25 165———165
Total 4311———4311
Vitória de Guimarães 2024–25 Primeira Liga 92110010113
União de Leiria (loan) 2025–26 Liga Portugal 2 284510000335
Career total 79176200108619

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sandor, Steven (July 28, 2023). "Here's Why Edmonton Has to Get to Know Dieu-Merci Michel". Urban Affairs.
  2. 1 2 3 Huncar, Andrea (December 1, 2022). "Alphonso Davies-backed soccer club inspires Edmonton kids to achieve their goals". CBC News.
  3. ↑ "Team KidSport: Dieu-Merci Michel". Team KidSport. July 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Squad announcement for Western Canada Summer Games". Alberta Soccer Association. June 14, 2019. Archived from the original on January 19, 2025. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  5. ↑ Hansen, Jeff (October 16, 2019). "Impact golden at nationals". St. Albert Gazette.
  6. ↑ Jacques, John (October 26, 2021). "Pacific Adds Amedume On Developmental Deal". Northern Tribune.
  7. 1 2 ""Sou muito grato pela oportunidade que me estão a dar"" [“I am very grateful for the opportunity they are giving me”]. Vitória de Guimarães (in Portuguese). September 10, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Prodígio canadiano assina contrato profissional com o Vitória" [Canadian prodigy signs professional contract with Vitória]. Record (in Portuguese). April 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Michel é aposta de futuro" [Michel is a bet for the future]. Mais Guimarães (in Portuguese). April 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ @btb_soccer (April 1, 2023). "Professional debut" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ "V. Guimarães renova com avançado: «Grato pela oportunidade»" [V. Guimarães renews contract with forward: «Grateful for the opportunity»]. A Bola (in Portuguese). September 11, 2024.
  12. ↑ Martins, Steve (January 3, 2025). "Le but de Dieu face au Sporting CP" [Dieu's goal against Sporting CP]. As Quinas (in French).
  13. ↑ Martins, Hugo Filipe (September 1, 2025). "Oficial: Vitória SC empresta avançado Dieu-Merci Michel à UD Leiria" [Official: Vitória SC loans forward Dieu-Merci Michel to UD Leiria]. Flashscore (in Portuguese).
  14. ↑ "Dieu-Merci Michel ruma ao Dubai" [Dieu-Merci Michel heads to Dubai]. Vitória S.C. (in Portuguese). July 30, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Canada Soccer's Provisional List for the CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Championship". Canadian Soccer Association. May 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ Dieu-Merci Michel at Soccerway
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