Michy Batshuayi

Who is Michy Batshuayi?

Michy Batshuayi-Atunga is a Belgian striker who plays for Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and the Belgian national team.

Born in the capital of Belgium, Brussels, to Congolese parents, Michy had a nomadic youth career with stints at Evere, Anderlecht, Brussels (twice) and Schaarbeek before he signed for Standard Liege.

In 2014, Batshuayi signed with French outfit Marseille for a £4.5 million transfer sum. After brilliant terms, interest in Michy became even greater.

Two seasons later, West Ham United were claimed as the favourites to sign him, having offered a €35 million offer.

Then, their London neighbours Crystal Palace tabled a €38 million (£31.5 million) bid which would have made Michy their record signing, while Italian giants Juventus were also among the interested sides.

Although Palace’s proposal was accepted, Batshuayi didn’t want to seal the move, instead engaging with a €40 million (£33.2 million) bid from Chelsea and netted the goal that won the PL title in his debut season.

When it all went wrong for the Belgium international?

He could not have started his career at Chelsea the way he wanted to. From 2018, the series of loan transfers will start.

On 31 January 2018, he joined German Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 term.

In the summer of 2018, Batshuayi was loaned to La Liga side Valencia for the 2018–19 season.

Loan to Crystal Palace occurred in January 2019, his loan to Valencia was cut short, and he signed for the Premier League club on loan until the end of the 2018–19 campaign.

The following year, Batshuayi returned to the Eagles for his second loan and finished the 2020–21 season with them.

What is Michy Batshuayi international career like?

The centre-forward was allowed to play for the DR Congo national team through his parents.

However, in March 2015, Michy ruled out this option, saying that he’d rather represent Belgium although his Congolese roots are important to him.

He made his international debut for Belgium in 2015 in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match versus Cyprus. Replacing Christian Benteke in the 77th minute, he netted from outside the penalty zone three minutes later.

Michy was selected for the final tournament in France, making his competition debut in the last 16 versus Hungary in Toulouse on 26 June.

In 2018, boss Roberto Martinez named him in the 23-man roster to go to Russia. In spite of a difficult club campaign, on 17 May 2021, Batshuayi was included in the final 26-man squad for the re-scheduled UEFA Euro 2020.