# Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui

Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui (born 23 November 1990) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan and captains the Cameroon national team.

## Club career

Ngadeu trained as a youth with Canon Yaoundé. After graduating in Cameroon, he spent six months learning German in order to study Civil Engineering in Germany. Whilst in Germany, he played for SV Sandhausen II and 1. FC Nürnberg II, before transferring to Romanian club Botoșani in 2014, where he eventually wore the captain's armband.

### Slavia Prague

Despite rumours linking him with a move to Steaua Bucharest, in the summer of 2016 he completed a €500k transfer to Slavia Prague.
Upon his return from the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, he scored the only hat-trick of his senior career for Slavia Prague in his first game back on 25 February 2017 in their 8–1 away win at Příbram. On 9 May 2018, he played as Slavia Prague won the 2017–18 Czech Cup final against Jablonec.
In January 2019, a €4.5 million transfer to Premier League side Fulham fell through at the last minute, after Ngadeu had flown to London and passed a medical.
He again featured heavily in the 2018–19 season, both in Slavia's Europa League campaign that ended in the quarter finals, and domestically, where the team secured their first domestic double since 1942. At the end of the 2018–19 Czech First League season, he was voted the league's best defender.

### Gent

In July 2019, Ngadeu moved to Belgian club Gent.

### Beijing Guoan

On 30 March 2023, Ngadeu joined Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan. On 15 April 2024, Ngadeu made his debut for Guoan in a 1-1 home draw against Meizhou Hakka. On 13 August 2023, he scored his first goal for Guoan in a 1-0 away win against Nantong Zhiyun.

## International career

Ngadeu made his senior debut for the Cameroon national team in a 2–0 win over The Gambia for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. He went on to play every minute of Cameroon's victorious 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, scoring two goals, including a clearance off the line followed by the winning goal in the group stage match against Guinea-Bissau. He was ultimately named one of three defenders in the Confederation of African Football's Team of the Tournament. He played in all 3 group games for Cameroon in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
In September 2018, he was named as captain for new manager Clarence Seedorf's first 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game against The Comoros. He participated the 2019 and 2021 editions of Africa Cup of Nations, playing every single minute in both tournaments except the third place play-off of the latter. However, he was not included in Cameroon's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of 2 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Cup | Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Botoșani | 2014–15 | Liga I | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 29 | 1 |
| Botoșani | 2015–16 | Liga I | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 6 |
| Botoșani | Total | Total | 53 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 54 | 7 |
| Slavia Prague | 2016–17 | Czech First League | 27 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 6 |
| Slavia Prague | 2017–18 | Czech First League | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | – | – | 31 | 2 |
| Slavia Prague | 2018–19 | Czech First League | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | – | – | 45 | 1 |
| Slavia Prague | Total | Total | 76 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 27 | 2 | – | – | 112 | 9 |
| Gent | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | – | – | 42 | 4 |
| Gent | 2020–21 | Belgian First Division A | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 1 |
| Gent | 2021–22 | Belgian First Division A | 33 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | – | – | 49 | 4 |
| Gent | 2022–23 | Belgian First Division A | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| Gent | Total | Total | 119 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 170 | 10 |
| Beijing Guoan | 2023 | Chinese Super League | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 31 | 1 |
| Beijing Guoan | 2024 | Chinese Super League | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 30 | 3 |
| Beijing Guoan | Total | Total | 57 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 4 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 305 | 27 | 21 | 0 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 397 | 30 |
* 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, eleven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
* ↑ Nine appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League qualifiers
* ↑ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup

### International

    As of match played 13 November 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Cameroon | 2016 | 4 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 2017 | 17 | 2 |
| Cameroon | 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 2019 | 9 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 2021 | 9 | 2 |
| Cameroon | 2022 | 9 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 2024 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 60 | 5 |
    Scores and results list Cameroon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ngadeu-Ngadjui goal.
List of international goals scored by Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 18 January 2017 | Stade d'Angondjé, Libreville, Gabon | Guinea-Bissau | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 2 | 2 February 2017 | Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon | Ghana | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 3 | 3 September 2021 | Paul Biya Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon | Malawi | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 11 October 2021 | Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangiers, Morocco | Mozambique | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 8 June 2024 | Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon | Cape Verde | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Slavia Prague
* Czech First League: 2016–17, 2018–19
* Czech Cup: 2017–18, 2018–19
Gent
* Belgian Cup: 2021–22
Cameroon
* Africa Cup of Nations: 2017
Individual
* Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2017
* Czech First League Best Defender of the Season: 2018–19