At 34 years of age, Chris Mavinga has already lived in France, England, Belgium, Russia, the United States and Canada thanks to a glamorous football career that saw him play 70 times in Ligue 1 and 140 times in MLS. And today, he’s continuing his globetrotting style as he navigates a post-playing career that includes scouting, aviation, and fatherhood.
Born in Meaux, France, to a Congolese father and an Angolan mother, Mavinga spent his childhood developing for various amateur sides in the Parisian region before joining PSG’s academy in 2006. After three years with Les Parisiens, he decided to head to England and join Liverpool, where he played for the reserves and trained for the first team, only to be relegated back to the B side following Roy Hodgson’s arrival.
He enjoyed a brief loan spell at Genk, where he won the Belgian top-flight and made his senior debut, before returning to France and becoming a key figure in Rennes’ defence. Mavinga made the move to Rubin Kazan in 2013, spending just one year in Russia before returning home and spending time out on loan at Reims and Troyes, before eventually seeking out a permanent move to Toronto FC in 2017.
Having played left back up until then in his professional career, Mavinga was able to return to his desired position in the middle of defence, where he had played at the academy level. The Congolese international emerged as an instrumental leader in defence as Toronto became the first and only team in MLS history to win a domestic treble, making 153 appearances before departing for LA Galaxy in 2023, where he would play just 21 times before being cut just a few days before the start of the 2024 season. But whilst he’s no longer playing, he continues to watch MLS matches every week, viewing from the sidelines as LA Galaxy have gone from winning the MLS Cup to having the worst record in the league.
“When your best DP is not on the field, it is difficult,” stated Mavinga in an exclusive Joy Sports interview. “Riqui Puig is injured for the entire year, which is tough because you know how he will be back on the field, he’s gonna perform, and Galaxy will come back to the top of the league for sure. I think they still have the argument to be good, but it’s tough after losing Riqui as well as their striker Dejan Joveljić, who went to Sporting Kansas City. When you lose your #9 and #10, a lot changes. You saw this with Toronto when we played without our #9, it was tough because you need your #9 to score. Alejandro Pozuelo did a great job playing as a false 9, but if you have your #9 and #10 fit, as a defender, it becomes a lot more challenging.”
“When we went to the 2018 Concacaf Champions League Final with Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Víctor Vázquez, you knew as a defender that they were gonna score…it was easy. But right now, you don’t have a lot of opportunities to score, and now you bring other players who need 15 opportunities to score, you start to become vulnerable at the back. That’s why, for LA Galaxy, when they bring Riqui back and find a 9 who can score more goals, things will change for them. I don’t expect the shape of the team to change a lot, they’re strong at the back and have good wingers, and they have 2-3 great goalkeepers…they will come back for sure.”
Similar to many others, like Jeyhan Bhindi and Alphonso Davies, Mavinga has made a name for himself in Canada and continues to enjoy the widespread appreciation of the Toronto fanbase. Mavinga has remained closely connected with North American football and now spends his time between his homeland of France as well as the United States.
“I’m back and forth between the US and France… I like to be close to my family, and I love living in Atlanta with my family. My wife and I wanted to move away from LA, which was very expensive, and closer to France, so Atlanta was perhaps the best option.”
Today, Mavinga finds himself occupied with raising his daughter and son – who received a clean bill of health in February following a lengthy battle with the Vein of Galen malformation – and pursuing two potential career avenues. He’s already completed 10 of the 40 hours of training in order to secure a private pilot license, but he’s mainly focused on becoming a scout, having received a Level 2 in Talent Identification in Football certificate and an Introduction & Level 1 Identification in Football certificate from the Professional Football Scouts Association.
“I’m not working for anyone; I’m just dealing here by myself. I don’t have an average week; I just do some certificates for scouting licenses, and I’m waiting to get my badges in US Soccer. I’m just trying to stay busy and spend time with my family. My main goal is to be a scout, and the last 6 months, I’ve been doing a lot of certification online, and even going to some youth tournaments and France and the USA to train my eyes and think like a scout. I’m doing a lot of work, I’m trying to stay connected with the world of football, and now I’ve got some connections with some scouts. I’m now looking for my first scouting experience with a club, that’s my main priority.”