Ariza Makukula (born 4 March 1981 in Kinshasa) is a Portuguese international football player of Congolese descent, his mother being Portuguese and his father Congolese, currently playing for the Turkcell Süper Lig club Kayserispor.

Club career

Makukula was on loan to Portuguese side C.S. Marítimo, in the Portuguese Liga, from Spanish team Sevilla but after scoring 12 goals in 13 games, Makukula transferred to SL Benfica for €3,5 million for 4 and a half years. He plays as a striker. He scored in the 1-0 victory against 1.FC Nürnberg on February 15, 2008, in the UEFA Cup. On the 16th January 2009 Makukula signed for Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent move costing around £4.5 million in the summer. He made his debut for Wanderers a day later against Manchester United. On the 11th August 2009 Makukula was loaned out again to Kayserispor.

International career

He played for the Portuguese U-21s and took part in the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.

He decided to represent DR Congo, but a FIFA amended rule regarding international careers came out in 2005, stating that change in nationality representation must occur before a player's 21st birthday and if they have not yet gained their first full cap, so Makukula cannot play for any national team other than Portugal (was 23 at time of rule). On 17 October 2007, Makukula was called up for the first time in his career to represent Portugal (against Kazakhstan) at senior level, due to his fine form at club level with Marítimo and an unfortunate injury to striker Nuno Gomes, scoring an 84th minute opener, in a 2-1 victory, to celebrate his debut in style.

Career Statistics

Club	League	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Vitória Guimarães	Portuguese Liga	1999-00	0	0	*	*	–		–		*	*
		Total	0	0	*	*	–		–		*	*
Salamanca	Segunda División	2000-01	2	0	*	*	–		–		*	*
		Total	2	0	*	*	–		–		*	*
Leganés	Segunda División	2000-01	13	4	*	*	–		–		*	*
		Total	13	4	*	*	–		–		*	*
Salamanca	Segunda División	2001-02	38	20	*	*	–		–		*	*
		Total	38	20	*	*	–		–		*	*
FC Nantes	Ligue 1	2002-03	18	1	*	*	2	0	–		*	*
		Total	18	1	*	*	2	0	–		*	*
Real Valladolid	La Liga	2004-04	18	8	*	*	–		–		*	*
		Total	18	8	*	*	–		–		*	*
Sevilla	La Liga	2004-05	13	1	*	*	–		3	1	*	*
		2005-06	0	0	*	*	–		1	0	*	*
		Total	13	1	*	*	–		4	1	*	*
Gimnàstic	La Liga	2006-07	12	1	*	*	–		–		*	*
		Total	12	1	*	*	–		–		*	*
Marítimo	Portuguese Liga	2007–08	13	7	1	0	0	0	–		14	7
		Total	13	7	1	0	0	0	–		14	7
SL Benfica	Portuguese Liga	2007–08	4	0	2	1	0	0	3	1	9	2
		2008–09	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Total	4	0	2	1	0	0	3	1	9	2
Bolton Wanderers	Premier League	2008-09	6	0	0	0	0	0	–		6	0
		Total	6	0	0	0	0	0	–		6	0
Kayserispor	Süper Lig	2009-10	11	10	1	0	–		–		12	10
		Total	11	10	1	0	–		–		12	10
Career total			147	52	*	*	2	0	7	2	*	*
Last Update: 19 November 2009* - Not Available

References

External links

• PortuGOAL profile