Gabonese international football player Aaron Boupendza was 28 years old after falling from the 11th floor of a building in China, FEGAFOT confirmed on Wednesday.
“Gabon International Team died after falling down from the 11th floor of the building he played for Zhejiang FC in China,” the Federation announced in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Fegafoot described Boupendza as “a great striker who left his mark on the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon”, citing his outstanding performance in the 2022 match, in which Gabon entered 16 rounds before being eliminated by Burkina Faso.
“Fegafoot and the entire Gabonese football family expressed their sincere condolences to his biological family,” the statement added.
Gabon’s president-elect Brice Oligui Nguema also paid tribute to X:
“It is sad that I learned about the tragic death of Aaron Boupendza, a talented midfielder who brought honor to Gabones football.”
NBC Gabon 24 reports that although the exact situation in the fall is not clear, an investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the incident.
Born in Moanda, Boupendza started his career in 2016 with French club Borteaux, and his early career was loaned to other French teams for most of his time. He won the highest scorer in the 2020-21 super match after joining Hatayspor on the Türkiye side in 2020.
After his success in Türkiye, he served in Al Arabi, won the FA Cup in Katar and Al Shabab in Saudi Arabia. Bufendza then played for US FC Cincinnati and Romania, and competed with Rapid Bucharest before signing with Zhejiang FC in January 2025.
