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Line 2: \| name = Blaise Nkufo \| image = BlaiseNkufo.jpg \| image_size = ~~200px~~200 \| caption = Nkufo playing for [[Switzerland national football team\|Switzerland]] in 2007 \| fullname = Blaise Isetsima Nkufo \| birth_date = {{birth date and age\|1975\|5\|25\|df=y}} \| birth_place = [[Kinshasa]], [[Zaire]] \| height = {{~~convert~~height\|m=1.88~~\|m\|abbr=on~~}} \| position = [[Forward (association football)\|Striker]] \| currentclub = Line 66: \| nationalgoals1 = 7 }} '''Blaise Isetsima Nkufo''' (born 25 May 1975) is aSwiss ~~retired [[Democratic Republic of the Congo\|Congolese]]-born [[Switzerland\|Swiss]]~~former [[association football\|footballer]]. Nkufo played professionally in Switzerland, [[Qatar]], [[Germany]], the [[Netherlands]], and the [[United States]]. Nkufo was also a member of the [[Switzerland national football team\|Swiss national team]], having won 34 caps and scored seven goals. He played for them at the [[2010 FIFA World Cup\|2010 World Cup]]. ~~==Career==~~ ~~Born in [[Kinshasa]], [[Zaire]], Nkufo emigrated to [[Switzerland]] with his family when he was seven and became [[Swiss nationality law\|naturalised]] as a Swiss citizen at the age of 20.~~ ===Club career=== Nkufo began his professional career in 1993 with [[FC Lausanne-Sport\|Lausanne Sport]], where he spent one season. He later played with [[FC Echallens]] before moving to [[Qatar]] to play with [[Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)\|Al-Arabi]]. After a year in the Gulf, he moved back to Switzerland, and played with [[Yverdon-Sport FC]]; he also re-signed for [[FC Lausanne-Sport\|Lausanne Sports]] before moving to [[Grasshopper Club Zürich]] in 1998; his spell in [[Zürich]] included a loan spell to [[AC Lugano]]. He then played with [[FC Lucerne]], before moving to Germany to play with [[1. FSV Mainz 05\|Mainz 05]] and [[Hannover 96]]. He signed for [[FC Twente]] in the [[Netherlands]] in 2003 and was their leading scorer in five of the six seasons he played there. FC Twente won their first Dutch title in the last season he played with the team. [[File:Nkufo v Toronto2.jpg\|thumb\|left\|~~200px~~200\|Nkufo playing for [[Seattle Sounders FC]].]] In February 2010, Nkufo was linked to sign with the [[Major League Soccer]] team [[Seattle Sounders FC]].<ref>{{cite news\|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2011079919_swiss_international_linked_to.html\|title=Swiss international linked to Sounders FC and other notes\|accessdate=14 February 2010\|work=Seattle Times \| first=Joshua \| last=Mayers \| date=14 February 2010}}</ref> On 4 March 2010, the Sounders confirmed that they had signed him. He joined the Sounders' squad on 13 July 2010.<ref>{{cite news\| url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2012284756_blaise_nkufo_to_join_the_sound.html \| work=The Seattle Times \| title=Blaise Nkufo to join the Sounders FC on July 13 (release) \| first=Joshua \| last=Mayers \| date=5 July 2010 \| accessdate = 7 July 2013}}</ref> His first appearance for the Sounders was on 18 July 2010 during a friendly vs. [[Celtic F.C.\|Celtic]].<ref>{{cite news\| url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2012391056_sounders19.html \| work=The Seattle Times \| title=Sounders FC falls 2-1 to Celtic FC in international friendly \| first=Joshua \| last=Mayers \| date=18 July 2010 \| accessdate = 7 July 2013}}</ref> ~~His first MLS start was on 25 July 2010 in a home match against the [[Colorado Rapids]] in which Seattle Sounders FC won 2–1.~~ ~~On 18 September 2010 in an away match against the [[Columbus Crew]], he scored his first goal in the MLS which was the start to his hat-trick for the game, the first ever for the Seattle Sounders.~~ On 15 March 2011, Seattle and Nkufo agreed mutually to the termination of his deal.<ref>{{cite web \| url = http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/sounders-cut-ties-swiss-forward-nkufo \| title = Sounders cut ties with Swiss forward Nkufo \| publisher = mlssoccer.com \| date = 15 March 2011 \| accessdate = 3 October 2012}}</ref> Nkufo announced his retirement thirteen days later.<ref>{{cite web \| url = http://www.soundersfc.com/News/Articles/2011/03-March/Nkufo-Retires.aspx \| title = Forward Nkufo Retires \| publisher = soundersfc.com/ \| date = 28 March 2011 \| accessdate = 3 October 2012}}</ref> ===International career=== Nkufo made his international debut for [[Switzerland national football team\|Switzerland]] in 2002. He failed to make the squad for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] in [[Germany]], but he represented them at the [[2010 FIFA World Cup\|2010 World Cup]] in [[South Africa]]. ==Name confusion== Nkufo has himself said in interviews that his surname is ''Nkufo''. The incorrect version ''N'Kufo'' is often found in media. The surname is pronounced ''Kufo'', without the ''N''.<ref name="20min">{{cite web\|url=http://www.20min.ch/sport/fussball/story/22931651\|title=Von N'Kufo über Nkufo bis Kufo\|work=[[20 Minuten\|20min.ch]]\|date=21 August 2007\|accessdate=16 June 2010\|language=German}}</ref> However, on the back of his shirt, he has been known variously as ''Nkufo'', ''N'Kufo'' and ''Nkufu''. ~~==Honours==~~ ~~===Club===~~ ~~;[[Al-Arabi SC (Qatar)\|Al-Arabi]]~~ * [[Qatar Stars League]]: 1995–96 ~~;[[FC Lausanne-Sport\|Lausanne]]~~ * [[Swiss Cup]]: 1997–98 ~~;[[FC Twente\|Twente]]~~ * [[Eredivisie]]: [[2009–10 Eredivisie\|2009–10]] ~~;[[Seattle Sounders FC]]~~ * [[Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup]]: [[2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup\|2010]] ==References== {{~~Reflist~~reflist\|30em}} ==External links==