Aaron Boupendza


Aaron Salem Boupendza Pozzi was a Gabonese professional footballer who played as a forward.
Trained at CF Mounana, where he won the Gabon [Championnat National D1] in 2015–16, he signed for Bordeaux in 2016. He played only for the reserve team and out on loan, finishing as top scorer of the Championnat National for Pau in 2017–18. In 2020 he signed for Hatayspor, and was top scorer in the Süper Lig in 2020–21. He then had one season each with Al Arabi of the Qatar Stars League and Al Shabab of the Saudi Pro League, winning a Qatar FA Cup with the former in 2022. He won the Supporters' Shield with FC Cincinnati in 2023 [Major League Soccer season|2023], and had brief spells in Romania with Rapid București in Romania and Zhejiang FC in China before his death at age 28.
A full international for the Gabon national team since 2016, Boupendza represented the country at the 2021 [Africa Cup of Nations].

Club career

Bordeaux

Born in Moanda, Boupendza came through the youth ranks of CF Mounana, where he won the Gabon Championnat National D1 in 2015–16. He had a trial at Tours of the French Ligue 2 in February 2016.
In August 2016, Boupendza signed for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux to play for the club's reserve team in fifth-tier Championnat National 3. A year later, he joined Championnat National side Pau FC on loan. He was the top scorer of the 2017–18 Championnat National with 15 goals.
Boupendza signed a new contract in July 2018 to keep himself at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux until 2021, while also being loaned out to Gazélec Ajaccio of Ligue 2. On 9 December, his loan was terminated by mutual agreement of both clubs, after he did not score in 11 total appearances. He was then loaned to Tours in the division below.
In July 2019, Boupendza was loaned to Feirense in the Portuguese LigaPro. Having not scored in 11 total matches for Filó's team, his contract was rescinded in March for refusing to join the reserve team.

Hatayspor

In August 2020, after being released by Bordeaux, Boupendza signed a two-year deal at Hatayspor, newly promoted to the Turkish Süper Lig. He was the top scorer in his first season with 22 goals in 36 games as the team from Antakya came sixth; teammate Mame Biram Diouf was second with 19 goals. He scored four times on 29 December in a 6–0 win at Antalyaspor, and twice on 10 January 2021 in a 2–2 draw with eventual winners Beşiktaş J.K. at the.

Arabian Peninsula

In August 2021, Boupendza joined Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi SC for €4.5 million. On 8 May 2022, he scored after three minutes in a 3–2 win over Lusail SC to lift the Qatar FA Cup.
Boupendza signed a three-year deal at Al Shabab FC of the Saudi Pro League in August 2022. He scored 11 goals in 17 games in his one league season in Riyadh, including four on 31 May as the campaign concluded with a 4–1 win at Damac FC.

FC Cincinnati

In June 2023, Major League Soccer club FC Cincinnati announced they had signed Boupendza from Al-Shabab on a transfer, with the striker signing a Designated Player deal through 2025, with options for 2026 and 2027. He arrived after the club had sold leading striker Brenner to Udinese Calcio. His five regular-season goals helped the team win the Eastern Conference, including the season-clinching goal to capture the Supporters' Shield. On 4 November, he equalised in a 1–1 draw away to the New York Red Bulls before netting in a penalty shootout win in the first round of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Boupendza's contract was terminated early by Major League Soccer on 8 August 2024. He had been absent from club training sessions for several weeks prior to the termination. Boupendza had also missed several weeks of practice and play after a fight in April 2024 in which he broke his jaw.

Rapid București and Zhejiang FC

In September 2024, Boupendza signed a two-year contract for Liga I club Rapid București.
Alleging that he was owed performance-based bonuses, Boupendza did not return to Romania after a training camp in Dubai in January 2025. He moved to China to pursue offers from two clubs, while saying that he would not return to Romania; Rapid suspended him indefinitely for this decision. By the end of the month, he had signed for Zhejiang FC for a fee of €800,000; Gazeta Sporturilor noted that this was a profit as he had arrived for free, but his salary had been €50,000 per month. He scored five goals during his time in Bucharest, over nine games in Liga I and two in the Cupa României.
Boupendza, who doubled his salary with his move, played six games in the Chinese Super League, scoring four goals. His goals came as braces in a 4–0 win away to Wuhan Three Towns on 28 March and a 3–0 win at home to Shenzhen Peng City four days later.

International career

Boupendza was first called up for Gabon in January 2016 for the African Nations Championship. He made his debut on 10 January in a 1–1 friendly draw away to Uganda, and scored his first goal as consolation in a 2–1 loss to hosts Rwanda in the group stage.
Boupendza was called up for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, where he scored the only goal of the opening group win against the Comoros, who were making their tournament debut. In the last 16 against Burkina Faso, he netted his attempt in a penalty shootout defeat.

Death

Boupendza died on 16 April 2025, after falling from the 11th floor of a building in Hangzhou, China. He was 28. Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema paid tribute to him shortly after his death. Chinese police investigations concluded that the fall was accidental, ruling out criminal activity.
Hours after Boupendza's death, his club Zheijiang had to play a home game against Meizhou Hakka, a decision widely condemned on Chinese social media platforms. None of the club's other foreigners played in the game, and after the 2–2 draw, captain Cheng Jin and manager Raúl Caneda cut short their interviews due to grief.

Career statistics

Club

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
120 January 2016Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda1–21–22016 African Nations Championship
215 October 2019Stade Ibn Batouta, Tangier, Morocco1–03–2Friendly
317 November 2019Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon1–02–12021 [Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group D|2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification]
425 March 2021Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon1–03–02021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
510 January 2022Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon1–01–02021 Africa Cup of Nations
617 November 2022Atilla Vehbi Konuk Tesisleri, Antalya, Turkey1–03–1Friendly
717 November 2022Atilla Vehbi Konuk Tesisleri, Antalya, Turkey2–13–1Friendly
817 October 2023Estádio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal1–01–1Friendly

Honours

CF Mounana
Al-Arabi
FC Cincinnati
Individual