Player Details

Name

Denis Bouanga

Pronunciation

Boo-Wan-Gha

Height

5' 11"

Weight

157 lbs

Date of Birth

11.11.1994 (31)

Birthplace

Le Mans, France

Position

Forward

Footedness

Left

Roster Category

Senior

Player Category

Designated Player
Career Summary
  • MLS Cup Champion (2022)  
  • Supporters’ Shield Winner (2022) 
  • Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion (2024) 
  • 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner (20 goals) 
  • 3X MLS Best XI (2023, 2024, 2025) 
  • 2X MLS Western Conference champion (2022 & 2023) 
  • Leagues Cup Runner-Up (2024) 
  • Concacaf Champions League Runner-Up (2023) 
  • MLS Cup Runner-Up (2023) 
  • 3X MLS All-Star (2023, 2024, 2025) 
  • 4X MLS Player of the Matchday 
  • No.1 all-Time Leagues Cup goalscorer  
  • 2023 Concacaf Champions League Best XI 
  • 2023 Concacaf Champions League Golden Boot (7 goals) 
  • first career MLS goal (10/2/22) clinched the second Supporters’ Shield for LAFC

PERSONAL 

  • has a brother Didier Bouanga, who is also a football player
  • he and his wife Maella have two children, Nakiya and Kaais 
  • started his early football training with SO Maine's youth academy
Scouting Report

2025 (Los Angeles Football Club)

  • made 31 regular-season appearances (29 starts), registering 24 goals and nine assists in 2,657 minutes played
  • selected as an MLS All-Star (third consecutive year) 
  • named to MLS Best XI (third consecutive year) 
  • MLS Golden Boot Co-Runner-Up (24 goals, T-Sam Surridge, NSH) 
  • nine regular-season assists were a career high and tied for first on the team (Delgado) 
  • selected as MLS Player of the Matchday (Matchday 35) 
  • recorded 150 total shots with a league-best 73 shots on target 
  • surpassed Carlos Vela as LAFC’s all-time leading goal scorer on 9/17/25 vs. RSL 
  • reached 100 goals across all competitions for LAFC on 11/2/25 vs. Austin FC 
  • became the first player in MLS history to score 20+ goals in three consecutive seasons 
  • finalist for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award 
  • contributed a goal and an assist in the club’s 2-1 FIFA Club World Cup Play-In Match victory vs. Club América on 5/31/25 
  • appeared in three FIFA Club World Cup matches, starting all three and recording one goal vs. Flamengo on 6/24/25 
  • tallied three goals and one assist in six Concacaf Champions Cup appearances 
  • made two Leagues Cup appearances, recording one goal 
  • equalizing goal in stoppage time vs. STL 4/27/25 was nominated for MLS Goal of the Year
  • 2024 (Los Angeles Football Club) 
  • made 32 regular-season appearances (30 starts), registering 20 goals and 11 assists in 2,755 minutes played 
  • selected as an MLS All-Star 
  • named to MLS Best XI 
  • MLS Golden Boot Co-Runner-Up (20 goals, T-Messi and Suarez, Inter Miami) 
  • selected as MLS Player of the Matchday (Matchday 14) 
  • ranked No.1 for total shots and most shots on target in MLS 
  • recorded 157 total shots (64 on target) 
  • top-ranked in the league for xG (21.28) 
  • became the third player in club history to record 40 or more regular-season goals 
  • recorded the second-most goals (6) and assists (3) in Leagues Cup 
  • appeared in seven Leagues Cup matches and led the tournament with most shots (31) 
  • tied for most shots on target in Leagues Cup

2023 (Los Angeles Football Club)

  • 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner  

  • made 31 regular-season appearances (28 starts) and registered 20 goals and seven assists in 2,533 minutes played 

  • named MLS Player of the Month for October, Player of the Matchday for Matchdays 7 and 36, MLS Team of the Matchday for Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 32 & 37 

  • named to MLS Best XI and was finalist for MLS MVP 

  • became the third LAFC player to win the MLS Golden Boot along with Carlos Vela (34 goals – 2019) and Diego Rossi (14 goals – 2020) 

  • made 48 appearances (44 starts) across all competitions and scored a record-tying 38 goals, adding 14 assists 

  • 38 goals in all competitioons equaled Vela’s club record (2019) 

  • named to Concacaf Champions League Best XI and MLS Best XI 

  • scored a hat trick in MLS regular season, Concacaf Champions League, and Leagues Cup in a single season 

  • ranked third in goals scored (6) in Leagues Cup

2022 (Los Angeles Football Club)

  • MLS Cup champion and Supporters’ Shield winner in his first season with the club  

  • started 5-of-6 matches with 498 minutes played in his first regular season; started all three MLS postseason matches 

  • scored three goals in all competitions, including a brace on 10/20/22 vs. Galaxy in Western Conference Semifinal 

  • posted 13 total shots on target (eight in the regular season) 

  • scored his first MLS goal @Portland (10/2/22) 

  • made his MLS debut 8/31/22 @ Houston, logging one shot in 19 minutes played

2019-22 (Saint Etienne – Ligue 1)

  • started 82-of-97 appearances, recording 40 points (26 goals, 14 assists) in 7,287 minutes played  

  • totaled 110 appearances and registered 42 points (28 goals,16 assists) across all competitions 

  • with 2,042 minutes played in 2019-20 season, he scored a season-best 10 goals in his first season with the club 

  • logged 2.042 minutes played that same season  

  • appeared in the 2019-20 Coupe de France final, club’s first in 38 years, finishing as runners-up 

  • started all 8 World Cup Qualifying matches for Gabon

2018 (Nimes Olympique – Ligue 1)

  • started 29-of-35 matches with 2,633 minutes played 

  • tallied 8 goals and two assists on 86 total shots (32 on target)

2017-18 (FC Lorient – Ligue 2)

  • made 82 starts in 97 appearances  

  • posted 10 goals and four assists in 2,717 minutes played with the club 

  • started 28-of-34 appearances in 2017-18, posting 9 goals, 4 assists in 2,523 minutes played 

  • club finished No. 7 in Ligue 2

2016-17 (Tours FC – Ligue 2)

  • started 32-of-36 matches with 2,882 minutes played 

  • posted a career-best 16 goals, with two assists 

  • recorded 50 shots on target 

  • club finished No. 16 in Ligue 2

2015-16 (FC Lorient – Ligue 1; RC Strasbourg Alsace – The National; Lorient B – Ligue 2) 

  • started 3-of-4 matches played with FC Lorient before loaned to RC Strasbourg Alsace 

  • upon joining Strasbourg, helped club receive promotion to Ligue 2  

  • following U-19 club play with FC Le Mans in 2013, was transferred to AS Mulsanne and then to Lorient B in 2014

INTERNATIONAL (Gabon) 

  • has represented Gabon 53 times on the international stage, including 52 starts 

  • scored in his national team debut in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (1-1 draw vs. Guinea) 

  • logged 17 goals and seven assists across all international competitions 

  • finished third in the 2018 King’s Cup (Thailand) 

  • has appeared in 19 World Cup Qualifying matches, contributing eight goals and three assists