Bwanga Tshimen

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Records

Bwanga Tshimen stands as a monumental figure in the history of African football, particularly for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His crowning achievement, winning the African Footballer of the Year in 1973, remains a singular milestone that no other player from his nation has matched. This award is especially remarkable because it was given to a defender, a position that rarely garners such individual acclaim. His inclusion in the IFFHS Player of the Century list for DR Congo and the CAF 200 Best African Players list underscores his enduring legacy. He represents the pinnacle of defensive excellence in Central Africa during the 1970s, a time when the region was beginning to make its mark on the global stage.

AwardsBwanga Tshimen's trophy cabinet is modest but historically weighty, reflecting the specific nature of awards available to African players in his era. He won the African Footballer of the Year in 1973, a rare distinction for a defender and the only one held by a DR Congo player. He also won the African Cup of Champions Clubs with TP Mazembe in the same year. Later in life, he received the IFFHS Player of the Century award for DR Congo in 2000 and was named one of the 200 best African players of the last 50 years by CAF in 2006.

Honours & Distinctions

Player of the Century – DR Congo

IFFHS·2000

Voted the greatest player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 20th century.

200 Best African Players of the Last 50 Years

CAF·2006

Selected as one of the top 200 African footballers of the previous half-century.

Rankings & Lists

Greatest African Defenders

Various Historical Reviews·2006

Records & Feats

Only DR Congo African Footballer of the Year Winner

Historic First·1973

Remains the sole player from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to have won the African Footballer of the Year award.

First Sub-Saharan African Defender to Win African Footballer of the Year

Chart Record·1973

Achieved the rare feat of winning the top African individual award while playing as a sweeper/defender.