Geoffrey Kondogbia is a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 player who currently plays for French club Lens

RC Lens

Racing Club de Lens is a French association football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, sang et or , comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. Their primary rivals are their northern neighbors Lille OSC, whom they contest the Derby du...

 in Ligue 2

Ligue 2

Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

.
He plays as a defensive midfielder

Midfielder

A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 and is a France youth international

France national youth football team

The France national youth football team are the national under-20, under-19, under-18, under-17 and under-16 football teams of France and are controlled by the Fédération Française de Football. The youth teams of France participate in tournaments sanctioned by both FIFA and UEFA and also...

 having earned caps at under-16

France national under-16 football team

The France national under-16 football team is the national under-16 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team previously competed in the annual UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship before it was converted into an under-17 competition in 2002...

, under-17

France national under-17 football team

The France national under-17 football team is the national under-17 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the annual UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which is held every four years...

, and under-18

France national under-18 football team

The France national under-18 football team is the national under-18 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team serves as a feeder team to the under-19 team as its matches aren't competitive...

 level. Kondogbia has been described by club youth coach Eric Assadourian

Éric Assadourian

Eric Assadourian is a French born Armenian former football striker. He was a member of the Armenia national team, and has participated in 11 international matches and scored 3 goals since his debut on 5 October 1996 in an away 1998 World Cup qualification match against Northern...

 as a "mature player" who has "great potential". Of Central African

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

 descent, he can also play in defence as a central defender

Defender (football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 or left back.

On 11 April 2010, Kondogbia signed his first professional contract agreeing to a four-year deal until 2014. During the 2010–11 season

2010–11 in French football

The 2010–11 season is the 78th season of competitive professional football in France. The league season began on 6 August 2010 for the Championnat National and Ligue 2 and on 7 August for Ligue 1 and the Championnat de France amateur. The season concluded on 26 May 2011 for Ligue 2, 27 May for the...

, Kondogbia began training with the senior team and appeared on the bench in several league matches. On 21 November 2010, he made his professional debut in a league match against Lyon

Olympique Lyonnais

Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...

 appearing as a substitute. Kondogbia is the younger brother of Central African international

Central African Republic national football team

The Central African Republic national football team, nicknamed Les Fauves, is the national team of the Central African Republic and is controlled by the Fédération Centrafricaine de Football. They are a member of CAF. Despite being traditionally one of the weakest teams in Africa and the world,...

 Evans Kondogbia who currently plays in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 for Sprimont Comblain in the Belgian Third Division

Belgian Third Division

The Belgian Third Division is the third highest level in Belgian football. It has two leagues of 18 teams each at the same level. This competition, known as the Belgian Promotion was first played in the 1926-27 season with three leagues, then with four leagues between 1931 and 1952. From 1952...

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