Jacques Maghoma

Jacques Ilonda Maghoma (born 23 October 1987) is a Congolese former professional footballer who made 380 appearances in the Football League between 2009 and 2020 and 25 for the DR Congo national team between 2010 and 2019.

Born in Lubumbashi, Zaire, Maghoma began his career at Tottenham Hotspur, joining the youth academy in 2003.

He progressed to the reserve side, making numerous appearances, although he suffered a number of injuries during his time at the club.

He went on trial to Leeds United, but was not offered a permanent deal.

Maghoma was also linked with a move to Hamburg in the summer, but the move never happened.

After five years at the academy, Maghoma was released by Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp in June 2009.

After training with both Hereford United and Burton Albion, Maghoma decided to join the latter, newly promoted to League Two, on a two-year contract.

Manager Paul Peschisolido was impressed by his displays in the pre-season friendly matches, and Maghoma was in the starting eleven for both his and his team's Football League debut, on 8 August 2009 in a 3–1 defeat away to Shrewsbury Town.

His first Burton goal came in a 2–0 home win against Barnet on 19 October.

Internationally, Maghoma was first capped for the DR Congo in 2010.

Having established himself in the team in the second half of the season, he scored his second goal in a 1–0 home win against Port Vale on 6 February 2010, and his third in a 3–2 loss away to Morecambe ten days later.

A knee injury suffered in mid-March flared up again in April, leaving the player facing exploratory surgery, and he missed much of the last two months of the season.

He finished the campaign with 4 goals from 38 appearances in all competitions.

Minor knocks did not prevent Maghoma beginning Burton's season in the matchday squad, albeit on the bench.

After turning down an international call-up to the DR Congo team to concentrate on his club career – particularly on his defensive duties – Maghoma scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw with Crewe Alexandra on 18 September.

He also scored as Burton beat Chesterfield 3–1 in the FA Cup second round, and again two weeks later in a 3–1 win over Southend United, after which Peschisolido praised his "superb" performance but wanted him to produce similar standards every week.

In the penultimate match of the season, away to Southend, Maghoma received the first red card of his career for reacting verbally to provocation from home fans after Scott Malone's goal that ensured Burton's survival in League Two.

Malone suggested that a professional player "needs to handle it a little bit better".

With 43 league appearances, and rated one of the club's most consistent outfield players, Maghoma was runner-up to goalkeeper Adam Legzdins in the Supporters' Player of the Year poll.

His delay in accepting the club's offer of a new contract caused Peschisolido to resign himself to the player leaving, but Maghoma rejected offers from abroad in favour of two more years with Burton, and intended to make every effort to improve his own performance and to go for the League Two title.

After serving a suspension in the opening game of the season, Maghoma returned to action in the League Cup first round away to Burnley.

He equalised in the last few minutes to take the game into extra time, but Burton went on to lose 6–3.

A victory against Crewe Alexandra meant that his absence with an ankle knock was not crucial, and he returned to score his first goal of the season as Burton beat Swindon Town 2–0.

However, he only worsened the problem, and a scan confirmed ligament damage likely to keep him out for six weeks; he was back in four.

He missed another month with a hamstring injury sustained in February, but apart from that was a regular in the starting eleven for the remainder of the season, and scored three times in the last month of the campaign to take his total to five from 38 appearances in all competitions.

A midfielder, Maghoma began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, and has also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Burton Albion, where he was the player of the season for 2012–13.

Maghoma began the 2012–13 season with a goal and an assist in a 6–2 win over AFC Wimbledon.

He also "thundered in a swerving 30-yard effort" as Burton eliminated Championship side Leicester City from the League Cup on their own ground by four goals to two, and scored two goals and set up another for Calvin Zola in a 4–0 win over Oxford United.

Four goals in three consecutive games – two against Fleetwood Town, and one each against Exeter City and Morecambe – earned Maghoma the League Two Player of the Month award for February 2013.

He scored both goals in a 2–0 defeat of Wycombe Wanderers in April that took Burton into the automatic promotion positions, but they finished fourth, so went into the play-offs against Bradford City.

Burton won the first leg 3–2, and Maghoma opened the scoring in the second from the penalty spot, but Bradford City won 5–4 on aggregate, so Burton stayed in League Two.

He was the club's top scorer for the season, with 18 goals from 50 appearances, became the first Burton Albion player to be named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year, placed sixth in the poll of League Two managers to choose the division's player of the year, received the club's Players' Player of the Season award, and was runner-up to Lee Bell as Supporters' Player of the Season.

With his contract due to expire and interest reported from Championship clubs, it became clear that Maghoma would be leaving.

Manager Gary Rowett said he and his ability to "[come] up with a little bit of magic more often than not" would be a big loss.

Maghoma signed a two-year contract with Championship club Sheffield Wednesday in June 2013.

He made an eventful debut on the opening day of the 2013–14 season against newly relegated Queens Park Rangers.

Coming into the match as a first-half substitute for Joe Mattock, Maghoma was booked for diving when the victim of what QPR's assistant manager agreed was a foul in the penalty area by the already-booked Joey Barton, and also shot against the post, as Sheffield Wednesday lost 2–1.

He had missed some of pre-season training because of injury, and was not a regular in the team for the first few months of the season, but had a run in the starting eleven from late November, and scored his first goal in a 2–1 loss against Bournemouth.

He spent five seasons with Birmingham City, and was their player of the year for 2017–18, before spending a season with East Bengal of the Indian Super League.

After a few matches in English non-league football, Maghomas announced his retirement in October 2022.