Nordi Mukiele grew up in the Paris suburb of Montreuil. He took his first steps in youth football at the professional club Paris FC. The defender went through the ranks there for over ten years before joining Stade Laval. Mukiele made his professional debut in Ligue 2, the second tier in French football, at the age of 17 in November 2014. There was just one more appearance that season but in the following campaign in 2015/16 he played significantly more games – often over the full 90 minutes. The final breakthrough came in the second half of the 2016/17 season and he joined top-flight side Montpellier in January 2017. Mukiele was immediately a first choice player in the south of France.
After 18 successful months with 50 top-flight appearances for Montpellier, he was transferred to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga in the summer of 2018. In his first season with the Red Bulls he played in the Europa League and ended the season qualifying for the Champions League after finishing third in the table. Mukiele was on the losing side with RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal final against Bayern Munich. In the following season the Frenchman reached the semi-finals of the Champions League with Leipzig where they were knocked out by Paris Saint Germain.
Mukiele played for RB Leipzig for four years. In that time he made 100 Bundesliga appearances (eight goals, ten assists) as well as playing in 23 Champions League and ten Europa League matches. He played in 13 DFB Pokal ties for the Red Bulls and in 2021/22 he lifted the DFB Pokal with a win against SC Freiburg on penalties. He made one appearance for France in September 2021. “He has a lot of Champions League experience. Of course, his knowledge of the Bundesliga is a big plus for us. After 100 league games for RB Leipzig, Nordi knows all about the ins and outs of German football and he will be able to settle in quickly and further improve the quality of our squad,” said sporting managing director Simon Rolfes about the new signing.
Mukiele return to his home country after four years in Germany for the 2022/23 season when he joined Paris Saint Germain. A few days after his move to the French capital he won the Trophée des Champions with PSG – the first of a total of five trophies the defender picked up with the top French club. That was followed by another Trophée des Champions win, two league titles and one Coupe de France win. During this successful time at PSG, Mukiele played alongside Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. He made 35 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG in two seasons.
Now comes the return to the Bundesliga and the move to the champions of Germany, DFB Pokal and Supercup winners. Bayer 04 sporting managing director Simon Rolfes sees the new signing as an "athletic and fast defender who fits in perfectly with our team with his profile.” The Frenchman can play both at right-back and in central defence.
Mukiele said during his unveiling: "It's really great for me to return to Germany and also to join the Bundesliga champions. Being able to play in the Champions League with Bayer 04 is a special attraction. I'm just looking forward to giving my all for Bayer 04 both in Europe as well as in domestic competitions."
After just two points from their last four games, the situation has become trickier for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the bottom third of the table. Only three points separate the Foals from the relegation play-off spot. Coach Eugen Polanski's team is under pressure ahead of the home game against the Werkself on Saturday, 7 February (kick-off: 18:30 CET). The lowdown on our next opponents.
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Another efficient performance from the Werkself in the 3-0 home win against FC St. Pauli saw them reach the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the third time in a row, and it was not the only record set on what was a successful evening. It meant head coach Kasper Hjulmand was delighted to "still be in with the chance of winning something". Like the coach, however, the ambitious Edmond Tapsoba also stated that he wanted to keep "improving" bit by bit: "We'll continue to give our all, no matter who we come up against." The Werkself review of the clash.
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