The Gabonese soccer federation announced Wednesday that Aaron Boupendza, a striker for its men’s national team who also played in Major League Soccer with FC Cincinnati, has died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in China.
A federation statement, posted on social media, didn’t say when the alleged incident took place or give any more details.
The 28-year-old Boupendza has been playing for Zheijang FC in the Chinese Super League this year. Zhejiang issued a statement saying Boupendza died at his residence.
“Now the club is fully cooperating with the relevant departments to carry out the investigation,” the statement added.
The Gabon federation said Boupendza would be “remembered as a great striker who made his mark during the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon” in 2022. He scored one goal in that tournament, the winner against Comoros, and eight in total for his country.
“(The Gabonese Football Federation) and the wider Gabonese football family offer their sincere condolences to his biological family during this difficult time,” the federation said.
Bordeaux, the French team where Boupendza played early in his career, posted on X that he died “tragically.”
“All our thoughts go out to his family, his loved ones and the entire football family,” Bordeaux said.
After playing in the lower tiers of French soccer with Bordeaux’s reserve side then Pau, Gazélec Ajaccio and Tours, Boupendza’s breakthrough season came with Hatayspor in the Turkish top flight when he scored 22 goals in the 2020-21 season.
Hatayspor also sent its condolences in a post on social media. “Rest in peace King,” the club wrote on Twitter along.
The following season, he moved to Qatari club Al-Arabi then to Riyadh-based Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League. His career then took him to Major League Soccer with FC Cincinnati.
He played in 35 games for FC Cincinnati, scoring nine goals and five assists, CBS affiliate WKRC-TV reported.
“Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and loved ones,” FC Cincinnati said on social media.
But in 2024, Boupendza’s contract was ended several months after he suffered a broken jaw in a bar fight with a pro boxer, The Athletic reported.
He later played for Rapid București, before joining Zhejiang. He had scored four league goals in six games.
