Meshak Babanzila

Meshak Babanzila
Personal information
Full name Meshak Babanzila Mayala
Date of birth (2001-06-11) 11 June 2001
Place of birth Libreville, Gabon
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Gimnàstic
Youth career
2012–2015 Samuel Eto'o Academy
2015–2019 AC Libreville
2019 Paris FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Paris FC II 14 (1)
2022–2024 Terrassa 36 (0)
2024–2026 Europa 59 (3)
2026– Gimnàstic 0 (0)
International career‡
2017 Gabon U17 2 (0)
2023 Gabon U23 2 (0)
2025– Gabon 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:41, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

Meshak Babanzila Mayala (born 11 June 2001), known as just Meshak in Spain, is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Spanish club Gimnàstic de Tarragona and the Gabon national team.

Club career

A youth product of the Samuel Eto'o Academy, Babanzila finished his development with Académie Club de Libreville.[1] In June 2019, he moved to the reserves of Paris FC in the Championnat National 3.[2] Rarely used in his first two years, he spent the entire 2021–22 season without appearing for the side.

In July 2022, Babanzila went on a trial at Segunda Federación side Terrassa FC, later signing a contract with the club on 15 August.[3] Regularly used, he agreed to a one-year extension on 14 June 2023,[4] but left the side the following 6 May.[5]

On 27 October 2024, after nearly five months without a club, Babanzila agreed to a deal with CE Europa of the Primera Federación.[6] The following 26 June, he extended his contract with the club for a further season.[7]

Babanzila was a regular starter for the Escapulats during the 2025–26 campaign as the club missed out promotion in the play-offs, and signed a three-year deal with fellow third division side Gimnàstic de Tarragona on 15 July 2026.[8]

International career

Babanzila represented the Gabon national under-17 team in the 2017 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations,[9] and also featured with the under-23 side in the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations. On 31 May 2025, he received his first call-up to the full side for two friendlies against Niger and Guinea Bissau,[10] and made his full international debut on 9 June, coming on as a late substitute for Shorla Aboghe in a 2–0 win over the latter at the El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia, Morocco.[11]

Personal life

Babanzila was assaulted during a home-robbery at the house of fellow Gabonese footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in August 2022.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Babanzila Meshak" (in Catalan). FutbolCatalunya.com.
  2. ↑ "Transfert : Le jeune Babanzilla signe au Paris FC" [Transfers: The youngster Babanzilla signs for Paris FC]. gabonews.com. 25 June 2019.
  3. ↑ "Babanzila Meshak es queda i formarà part del Terrassa FC 22/23" [Babanzila Meshak stays and will be a part of Terrassa FC 22/23] (in Catalan). Terrassa FC. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Meshak es queda al Terrassa FC i es converteix en l'onzena renovació de la plantilla" [Meshak stays at Terrassa FC and becomes the eleventh renewal of the squad] (in Catalan). Terrassa Digital. 13 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Comunicat oficial: Dani Cervera, Meshak i Mujika causen baixa" [Official statement: Dani Cervera, Meshak and Mujika leave] (in Catalan). Terrassa FC. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Babanzila Meshak, nou jugador de l'Europa" [Babanzila Meshak, new player of Europa] (in Catalan). CE Europa. 27 October 2024. Archived from the original on 31 October 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Mercato : Meshak prolonge avec le CE Europa jusqu'en 2026 !" [Transfer market: Meshak extends with CE Europa until 2026!] (in French). Gabon Media Time. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Meshak, nova incorporació del Nàstic 26/27" [Meshak, new signing of Nàstic 26/27] (in Catalan). Gimnàstic Tarragona. 15 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Gabon U17 vs Cameroon U17". African Football.
  10. ↑ "Panthères du Gabon : 6 nouveaux mais pas de Bouanga-Aubameyang" [Gabon's Panthers: 6 new faces, but no Bouanga or Aubameyang] (in French). Gabon Media Time. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Gabon-Guinée-Bissau La jeunesse prend les commandes!" [Gabon-Guinea-Bissau: Youth takes the reins!] (in French). 7 jours info. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Babanzila Meshak, del Terrassa FC, víctima de l'assalt a casa d'Aubameyang" [Babanzila Meshak, from Terrassa FC, victim of the assault on Aubameyang's house]. Món Terrassa (in Catalan). 29 August 2022.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.