There’s a number of Republic of Ireland players in Northern Ireland’s IFA Premiership, some which have even been capped at underage level for us. One such player is Coleraine’s Marc Mukendi Tshilumba, a 23-year-old centre back. He is the son of former Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) international Jose Mukendi. During his career as a professional footballer, Mukendi senior moved to Derry to play for Derry City, and this is where Marc Mukendi was born and raised.

Marc Mukendi started his career at Derry City, before moving to Finn Harps on loan. The tall defender was a good addition to the Donegal side’s squad, and played 16 games in the 2006-07 League of Ireland season, scoring one goal along the way. This gained him a call up to the Republic of Ireland under-18 side, and later he represented Ireland under-19s.

Mukendi then moved to Coleraine FC in the Carling Premiership, and has been a regular for the club ever since, and has appeared in 40 games for the Bannsiders. Still only 23, he could easily make the move across the water to play in League One or the Championship.

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