The former Benfica, Vitória FC, Marítimo and national team striker is the star of the 15th edition of the ‘What happened with…?’ segment. on Desporto ao Minuto.
Ariza Makukula has the name of a super star, but we can’t say that he really shined on the pitch, despite numerous opportunities. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the forward obtained Portuguese citizenship after several years in the country, having completed his training in Setúbal at Vitória FC and Guimarães at Vitória SC.
He spent two seasons at Bonfim before joining D. Afonso Henriques, still with the youth teams. In between, he had stints at Chaves and Brito SC. Having failed to break into the first team at Guimarães, Makukula moved to Spain in 2000 to join Leganés, and the following season he signed with Salamanca.
It was at this club that the tall and athletic striker emerged as a footballer, and interestingly, it was also during his second season at Salamanca that he experienced what would be the second best season in his career, scoring 20 goals in 38 matches.
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Makukula then moved to France to join Nantes, but in 20 appearances he only found the net once, eventually returning to Spain the following season, where he played for Valladolid, Sevilla and Nàstic.
In 2007, the Luso-Congolese striker made his debut in Portugal with Marítimo, where he scored seven goals in 14 matches, attracting the attention of Benfica, who paid Sevilla 3.5 million euros in the market winter transfers of the same year. Thus, his loan to the Madeirense club was considered over, and Makukula took a flight directly from the island to the mainland to play at Luz.
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Protected by a €40 million release clause, the striker arrived in Lisbon surrounded by high expectations which, ultimately, never came to fruition. The competition was tough, with forwards like Óscar Cardozo, Nuno Gomes, Pedro Mantorras and Freddy Adu – who also featured in the ‘What happened with…’ segment – vying for a place.
In his first half of the season at Luz, Makukula made just eight appearances, scoring just two goals, figures clearly below expectations. Confident that the player needed some time to shine, Benfica loaned him to Bolton the following season, but he failed to raise his performances in the Premier League.
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-In six matches the striker failed to score a goal, and upon his return to Benfica he was immediately sent out on loan again, this time to Kayserispor in Turkey, where he had his best season.
After 30 matches, he scored 21 goals, proving, at least at that time, that this championship could have been the perfect opportunity to revitalize his career.
This led Manisaspor to buy Makukula from Benfica for €2 million, a few months after he found himself on the threshold of the 2010 World Cup, having been on Carlos Queiroz’s pre-list but ultimately not making the cut. not part of the final call for South Africa. In total, he played four matches for the national team, scoring one goal.
In his two seasons with Manisaspor, the former Benfica striker only managed to score five goals and spent half the season at Karsiyaka before returning to Portugal and Vitória FC.
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During his second spell at Bonfim, with the opportunity to finally play in the first team, Makukula scored only two goals in 10 matches, and the following season he moved abroad again, signing with the Greek club of the OFI. He eventually hung up his boots shortly after, playing for Thailand’s Police Tero.
Father of four, Makukula is now, at the age of 43, the ambassador of Congolese football, responsible for finding connections for the development of the sport in his country.
Every week, Desporto ao Minuto presents a new edition of the segment ‘What happened with…?’, aiming to recall the journeys of some football personalities who have disappeared into obscurity.
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