Norwegian forward Mushaga Bakenga, the latest international addition to Punjab FC, is gearing up for the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season. He is poised to fill the shoes of Wilmar Jordan Gil, who was Punjab FC’s joint leading scorer last season with eight goals and one assist, but has since transferred to Chennaiyin FC.
Born in Trondheim, Norway, 31-year-old Bakenga began his football journey with SK Nationalkameratene in his hometown. At age 15, he signed with top Norwegian club Rosenborg BK, making his first appearance for them at 17 in a match against Tromsø in 2009.
In 2012, Bakenga moved to Belgium to join Club Brugge and was subsequently loaned to clubs like Cercle Brugge, Esbjerg, Eintracht Braunschweig, and Molde during his period with the Belgian team. Returning to Rosenborg in 2017, he later played for Tromsø, Ranheim, Odds Ballklubb, and Stabæk in Norway.
Bakenga attended the ISL Media Day on September 4th in Kolkata, where he, along with his teammates and manager, expressed his excitement for the forthcoming season. Below are few of his quotes.
Mushaga Bakenga on trying to adapt to Indian Weather
“It is humid and it is hot.”
“The first week here, when we were living in this hotel and training in Kolkata, it was difficult. And in the first game, I felt like I could not breathe. But we are getting better every day. So, as Luka (Luka Majcen) said, I came with the mindset to adapt. So here, there is no complaining, only adapting.”
“Luckily, I also played for one and a half years in Japan. So, I got a little bit used to the humidity and the weather problems there.”
Mushaga Bakenga on teaching Erling Haaland how to be invisible yet present at the same time
“I will bring hard work for sure, and I will bring the Haaland (Erling Haaland) tactics that you will not see me for 70 minutes, and suddenly I am there. You will never know what you get, and this is the good thing about us Norwegian strikers.”
“This is what I taught Haaland when I was younger: to just be invisible but be there. You will see some games where I am very visible and some games where I am invisible, but I score three goals,” the striker added.
“Norway is a small country, and the last time I had a long conversation with him, he came to me and asked for a picture because he was 17 years old. He talked about how he used to watch my clips and how I scored goals and moved.”
“Then two years later, I wanted to reach him, but I couldn’t get his number.”
Mushaga Bakenga made his debut for Punjab FC in the Durand Cup against Kerala Blasters, playing 78 minutes. He found the net twice in the final group stage match against Mumbai City FC’s reserve team.
During his time in Japan, Bakenga competed in the J1 League, J2 League, J1 Cup, and Emperor’s Cup, where he netted 7 goals in 36 appearances for Tokushima Vortis.
On the international stage, Bakenga has donned the Norwegian jersey from the U-15 to U-21 levels. In April 2011, he scored a hat-trick for the Norway U-19 team against Moldova U-19. He went on to debut for the U-21 team later that year.
Read more: ISL 2024: Complete Schedule, Venues, New Rules & What to Expect from Indian Super League Season
What is the current club of Mushaga Bakenga?
ISL club Punjab FC
