Shabani Christophe Nonda (born 6 March 1977) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in Burundi, he played for the DR Congo national team, earning 36 caps and scoring 20 goals. He was selected for DR Congo's squad for the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.
Club career
Born in Bujumbura, Burundi, Nonda began his career at Atlético Olympic in 1992. After playing in Tanzania with Young Africans and in South Africa with Vaal Professionals, he was discovered by FIFA agent Marcelo Houseman who then placed Nonda in Switzerland with FC Zürich in 1996 for
After finishing top goalscorer in Switzerland two years running he was transferred to French side Stade Rennais in 1998 for a and later moved to AS Monaco in 2000 again for €20 million, to replace David Trezeguet. His performances, including those in the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, earned him a move to Serie A club A.S. Roma on a three-year deal in 2005, for which he earned €1.8 million in gross per season. (however the tax rate including regional tax may have added up to around 50%) However, he never lived up to his potential – partly due to a knee injury sustained while at Monaco – and spent the 2006–07 season on loan at English side Blackburn Rovers. While at Blackburn, Nonda announced his intention to sign a permanent deal, Blackburn opted not to sign Nonda on a permanent deal and he later signed for Turkish club Galatasaray in August 2007 on a two-year deal. On 28 January 2010, Galatasaray released him by mutual consent.
International career
Though he was born in Burundi, Nonda holds citizenship from Democratic Republic of the Congo and to date 36 international caps for the country, with 20 goals since 2000. He retired from international football in 2005, and returned in 2007. He scored a hat-trick against Djibouti in World Cup Qualifications in 2008.
Outside football
Media personality
Throughout his footballing career, Nonda has hosted a DJ show for a Burundian radio station.
Commitment
Nonda is a member of the "Champions for Peace" club, a group of famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.
Career statistics
Club
Honours
Monaco
Coupe de la Ligue: 2002–03; runner-up: 2000–01
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2003–04
Roma
Supercoppa Italiana: 2007
Galatasaray
Süper Lig: 2007–08
Turkish Super Cup: 2008
Individual
Swiss Super League top scorer: 1997–98 (24 goals) Swiss Foreign Footballer of the Year: 1997–98 Ligue 1 top scorer: 2002–03 (26 goals) Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2002–03