Dénis Athanase Bouanga

Denis Bouanga arrived at Los Angeles FC in August 2022 from Saint-Étienne, and inside his first season the club won both the MLS Cup and the Supporters' Shield. The following year he took over the league outright, finishing as MLS Golden Boot winner with 20 goals and adding the CONCACAF Champions League Golden Boot in the same year. He has since been named to the MLS Best XI in three straight seasons, a run that has made him one of the most reliable finishers in the competition.

His path to that point ran through the French lower and mid-tier leagues rather than a direct route to the top. Born in Le Mans, he progressed through the youth ranks at SO Maine and Le Mans FC before signing professionally with Lorient in 2014, then spent two seasons out on loan, first at Strasbourg and then at Tours, before re-establishing himself. Moves to Nîmes and then Saint-Étienne followed, each one raising his profile before the switch to Los Angeles finally gave him the platform to become a genuine goalscoring reference at his club.

Internationally, Bouanga plays for Gabon, for whom he holds dual nationality alongside his French passport. He made his senior debut for the Panthers in 2017 and has gone on to earn 55 caps and 17 goals, representing the country at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. His performances at the 2017 edition stood out in particular, where he was named Man of the Match in games against Burkina Faso and Cameroon.

At club level, LAFC's Open Cup win in 2024 and run to the Leagues Cup final the same year came with Bouanga a central figure in attack, underlining how much the team's cutting edge has come to depend on him since his move to MLS.