Matondo-Merveille Papela (born 18 January 2001) is a German footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for 2. Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98.[1]

Merveille Papela
Papela playing for Mainz 05 in 2021
Personal information
Full name Matondo-Merveille Papela
Date of birth (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Mainz, Germany
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Darmstadt 98
Number 21
Youth career
0000–2011 TSV Schott Mainz
2011–2020 Mainz 05
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Mainz 05 II 50 (6)
2019–2024 Mainz 05 17 (0)
2022–2023SV Sandhausen (loan) 19 (2)
2024– Darmstadt 98 2 (0)
International career
2016 Germany U15 2 (0)
2016–2017 Germany U16 8 (0)
2017–2018 Germany U17 12 (1)
2018–2019 Germany U18 4 (0)
2020 Germany U20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 May 2024

Club career

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Papela made his professional debut for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on 3 January 2021, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute for Phillipp Mwene against Bayern Munich. The away match finished as a 5–2 loss.[2]

On 24 August 2022, Papela joined SV Sandhausen on a season-long loan.[3]

On 20 May 2024, Mainz 05 announced that Papela will leave the club after this season.[4]

On 26 June 2024, Papela signed with Darmstadt 98.[5]

International career

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Born in Germany, Papela is of Congolese descent.[6] He has appeared for the Germany under-15 to under-18 and under-20 national teams. He was included in the Germany U17 team for the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in England. He made three appearances in the tournament, in which Germany were eliminated in the group stage.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Merveille Papela at WorldFootball.net  
  2. ^ "Germany » Bundesliga 2020/2021 » 14. Round » Bayern München – 1. FSV Mainz 05 5:2". WorldFootball.net. 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  3. ^ "SVS leiht Merveille Papela aus" (in German). SV Sandhausen. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Mainz verabschiedet Barreiro, Papela und Ngankam beim Fan-Fest" [Mainz says goodbye to Barreiro, Papela and Ngankam at the fan festival] (in German). Kicker.de. 21 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Papela joins the Lilien". Darmstadt 98. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  6. ^ Karatag, Oezguer. "Matondo Merveille Mwidimi Papela (Merveille Papela) 1. FSV Mainz 05 Orta saha,Central midfielder". www.futbol-yetenekleri.com.
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