Rio Mavuba

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Rio Antonio Zoba Mavuba (born 8 March 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was born at sea during the Angolan Civil War; his father was a DR Congo footballer and his mother was Angolan. He grew up in France and came through the Bordeaux youth system, making his Ligue 1 debut in 2004 and becoming a regular starter.

Mavuba later moved to Villarreal in 2007, but spent time on loan at Lille in 2008, a move made permanent. At Lille, he helped the club win Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France in 2011. He then played for Sparta Prague and Mérignac-Arlac before moving into coaching, including work with Bordeaux’s reserves and a stint as Mérignac-Arlac’s manager in 2019. In 2024, he briefly came out of retirement to help Bordeaux in National 2.

Internationally, Mavuba represented France, earning 13 caps between 2004 and 2014, and he was part of the France squad at the 2014 World Cup. He also captained the France Under-21 side earlier in his career.

Honours:
- Bordeaux: Coupe de la Ligue (2006-07)
- Lille: Ligue 1 (2010-11), Coupe de France (2010-11)