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Factfile: Neeskens Kebano | Middlesbrough FC
The lowdown on our fifth January recruit...
The lowdown on our fifth January recruit...
Neeskens was born in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, on the outskirts of Paris.
He is named after legendary Dutch midfielder Johan Neeskens, who was one of his dad’s favourite players.
Neeskens was offered a trial by Paris Saint-Germain after impressing at the Clairefontaine Academy.
He enjoyed trophy-laden years in PSG’s youth setup before bring promoted to the club’s Championnat de France amateur team in the fourth division as well as being included in the senior squad for the UEFA Europa League.
In February 2011, the winger made his professional debut as a substitute for Mevlüt Erdinç in a 4–1 victory. The next month, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–0 win over Le Mans in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.
After a brief loan spell in the French second tier with Caen, Neeskens moved to Belgian outfit Charleroi.
It was a move that kick-started Neeskens career. He scored 23 goals in 72 appearances, also chipping in with 14 assists, and in 2015 won the Ebony Shoe - an award given annually to the best African or African origin player in the Belgian Pro League - as Charleroi qualified for the division’s Championship play-offs.
Neeskens then moved to Genk, continuing to impress with nine goals and six assists in 46 appearances.
A year later, he joined London club Fulham for an undisclosed fee, taking the number 7 shirt.
A colourful character, he proved a hit with the Fulham faithful, with 15 goals and eight assists in one shy of a century of appearances.
Like now Boro teammate Marcus Bettinelli, he has celebrated two play-off promotions with the Cottagers, the latter last season.
Neeskens produced eye-catching form following the season restart last term, scoring five times in four matches as the campaign drew to a close including three free-kicks in as many matches - the first player in the top four divisions to achieve such a feat since Wayne Rooney in 2013.
A French international from Under-17 to Under-20 level, Neeskens switched his allegiance to the Democratic Republic of Congo, making his debut in October 2014. This makes him an international teammate of Britt Assombalonga and Yannick Bolasie.
He has 28 caps to his name, and has scored six goals.
