SOCCER PLAYERS from Burundi

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Burundian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Burundian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Shabani Nonda (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 46.15, Shabani Nonda is the most famous Burundian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages on wikipedia.

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. He had a prominent Career with the East African giants Young Africans (Yanga), before joining Vaal professionals in South Africa.

2. Mohamed Tchité (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 33.67, Mohamed Tchité is the 2nd most famous Burundian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Mohamed Gasana Tchité (born 31 January 1984) is a Burundian–Belgian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his professional career in Belgium, with Standard Liége, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Sint-Truiden and White Star Bruxelles, and in Spain with Racing de Santander.

3. Saidi Ntibazonkiza (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 27.20, Saidi Ntibazonkiza is the 3rd most famous Burundian Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Saidi Ntibazonkiza Likati (born 3 January 1984) is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Tanzanian Premier League club Simba and the Burundi national team.

4. Saido Berahino (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 25.61, Saido Berahino is the 4th most famous Burundian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Saido Berahino (born 4 August 1993) is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a striker for I-League club Rajasthan United and captains the Burundi national team. Having fled his native Burundi as a child, he received political asylum in Birmingham and credits football with helping him integrate into English society. Berahino joined West Bromwich Albion at the age of 11 and turned professional seven years later. He spent time out on loan at Football League clubs Northampton Town, Brentford and Peterborough United. Berahino made his first starts for West Bromwich Albion in the 2013–14 season, with highlights of that campaign including a hat-trick against Newport County and the winning goal at Old Trafford against Manchester United. In his second full season, he recorded 20 goals in 45 matches across all competitions. Following that campaign, Berahino became involved in a lengthy transfer saga involving Tottenham Hotspur, straining his relationships with manager Tony Pulis and chairman Jeremy Peace. He was criticised for his conduct and fell out of favour, scoring only seven goals in the 2015–16 season; he did not score a competitive goal from 27 February 2016 to 28 August 2018, a goal drought of 913 days. In January 2017, Berahino joined Stoke City for a fee of £12 million, potentially rising to £15 million. Stoke were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2017–18 season and after a single season in the EFL Championship, Berahino was released by Stoke with three years left on his contract. He played in the Belgian Pro League with Zulte Waregem and Charleroi before returning to England for one season at Sheffield Wednesday in League One in 2021. Berahino represented England at all youth levels from under-16 to under-21. He was part of the England under-17 team that won the 2010 European Championship. He was called up for the first time to the senior team in November 2014 but did not play. He switched his international allegiance to Burundi in August 2018 and scored on his international debut in September. He captained the team at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

5. Gaël Bigirimana (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 20.39, Gaël Bigirimana is the 5th most famous Burundian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Gaël Bigirimana (Kirundi pronunciation: [ɡaˈeːl βiɟiriˈmaːnaː]; born 22 October 1993) is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for NIFL Premiership club Dungannon Swifts and the Burundi national team. He began his professional career at Coventry City in 2011 and a year later he signed for Newcastle United of the Premier League. After an aborted move to Rangers, Bigirimana returned to Coventry on loan in 2015 and permanently a year later. He scored for Coventry in their 2017 EFL Trophy Final victory, then signed for Motherwell of the Scottish Premiership. Bigirimana left Motherwell in January 2019 and then had a short spell with Hibernian before returning to England with Solihull Moors in October. Born in Burundi, Bigirimana moved to the United Kingdom with his family as a refugee in 2004 and chose to represent England at under-20 level in 2013, later representing his country of birth in 2015. He played at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.