Ben_Cabango
Ben Cabango
Welsh footballer
Benjamin George Cabango (born 30 May 2000) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Swansea City and the Wales national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin George Cabango[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2000-05-30) 30 May 2000 (age 23) | ||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Swansea City | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Newport County | |||
| Swansea City | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018– | Swansea City | 166 | (8) |
| 2018–2019 | → The New Saints (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Wales U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Wales U19 | 10 | (1) |
| 2019 | Wales U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2020– | Wales | 7 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:40, 4 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23.19, 19 June 2023 (UTC) | |||
Cabango was born in Cardiff to an Angolan father and a Welsh mother. He has a younger brother named Theo who plays rugby union for Cardiff.[2] He attended Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr, a Welsh language comprehensive school.[3][4]
Cabango began his career as a youth player with local amateur side Maindy Corries, where his father Paolo was a coach, before joining the youth academy at Newport County,[5] where he played from under-13 to under-15 levels. He moved to the academy at Swansea City where he captained the under-19 side to win the FAW Welsh Youth Cup in 2018 and helped the under-23 side reach the final of the Premier League Cup.[3][6]
In June 2018, Cabango signed for reigning Welsh Premier League champions The New Saints on a six-month loan deal.[3] He made his senior debut for the side in a 5–0 defeat to Macedonian side KF Shkëndija in the first leg of the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.[7] In the return leg, Cabango scored his first senior goal as The New Saints won 4–0 but were eliminated on aggregate.[8]
On 13 August 2019, he made his professional debut for Swansea in a 3–1 victory over Northampton Town in the first round of the League Cup.[9] He made his league debut as a substitute against Huddersfield Town on 26 November 2019.[10]
Cabango made his senior Wales international debut as a second-half substitute during the team's UEFA Nations League League B match against Finland on 3 September 2020, which Wales won 1–0.[11] In May 2021 he was selected for the Wales squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[12] In November 2022 he was named in the Wales squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[13]
Ben Cabango is the elder brother of professional rugby union player Theo Cabango.[14]
- As of match played 1 April 2023
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Swansea City | 2018–19[15] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[16] | Championship | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 2020–21[17] | Championship | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2021–22[18] | Championship | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 39 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23[19] | Championship | 42 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 45 | 2 | ||
| Total | 130 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 139 | 9 | ||
| The New Saints (loan) | 2018–19[20] | Welsh Premier League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | 25 | 1 |
| Career total | 146 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 164 | 10 | ||
- Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs
- Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Europa League
- "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Wales (WAL)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 32. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- Thomas, Simon (15 November 2019). "Introducing the Cabango brothers, the super-talented siblings excelling in Welsh rugby and at Swansea City". WalesOnline. Media Wales. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- Bloor, Stewart (12 June 2018). "Saints Sign Swansea Starlet". The New Saints. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "Annual Report of the Governing Body 2015–16" (PDF). Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- Masrani, Daniel (15 August 2015). "Maindy Boy Selected for Welsh Squad". Maindy Corries F.C. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- Edwards, Joe (12 June 2018). "The New Saints sign Swansea youngster". Shropshire Star. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "KF Shkendija 5–0 The New Saints". BBC Sport. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "The New Saints 4–0 KF Shkendija". BBC Sport. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "Swansea City 3–1 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "Huddersfield 1-1 Swansea". BBC. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- "Uncapped Colwill in Wales Euro 2020 squad". BBC Sport.
- "Theo Cabango: Brother of Swansea City's Ben bids to seize Cardiff Rugby chance". BBC Sport. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- "Games played by Ben Cabango in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "Games played by Ben Cabango in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- "Games played by Ben Cabango in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- "Games played by Ben Cabango in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- "Games played by Ben Cabango in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- "B. Cabango: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- Ben Cabango at Soccerway
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