Cephas Malele

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Cephas Malele
File:Cephas Malele - CFR Cluj - Lazio 0-0 (52708259653) (cropped).png
Malele with CFR Cluj in 2023
Personal information
Full name Cephas Malele
Date of birth (1994-01-08) 8 January 1994 (age 32)[1]
Place of birth Buco-Zau, Angola[2]
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
Dalian Yingbo
Number 11
Youth career
2004–2005 Industrie Zürich
2005–2011 Zürich
2011–2013 Palermo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Zürich II 7 (0)
2013–2017 Palermo 6 (0)
2014Virtus Entella (loan) 13 (0)
2015Trapani (loan) 15 (0)
2015–2016Atlético CP (loan) 40 (9)
2016–2017Leixões (loan) 11 (0)
2017Varzim (loan) 21 (5)
2017–2018 Varzim 29 (2)
2018–2019 Arouca 29 (9)
2019–2020 Oliveirense 14 (3)
2020–2021 Argeș Pitești 30 (18)
2021–2023 Al-Tai 26 (4)
2022–2023CFR Cluj (loan) 18 (4)
2023–2024 Shanghai Shenhua 55 (27)
2025– Dalian Yingbo 26 (6)
International career
2009 Switzerland U15 2 (0)
2009–2010 Switzerland U16 5 (5)
2011 Switzerland U17 4 (0)
2011–2012 Switzerland U18 6 (2)
2013 Switzerland U19 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 November 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23 March 2013

Cephas Malele (born 8 January 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Chinese Super League club Dalian Yingbo.

After starting out as a senior at FC Zürich II, he went on to play for teams in Italy, Portugal, Romania Saudi Arabia and China.

Born in Angola, Malele represented Switzerland internationally at under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels.

Club career

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Born in Angola, Malele moved with his family in Switzerland as a child and grew up in the youth system of FC Zürich, also making a couple appearances for their Under-21 reserve side between 2010 and 2011.

During the summer of 2011, he was signed by Palermo and included into their Primavera squad. After a difficult first season due to injuries, Malele became a key player for the main Rosanero youth team throughout the first half of 2012–13 season, pairing with another rising star, Mauro Bollino, and being one of the main topscorers of the Campionato Nazionale Primavera. As a consequence, and also due to lack of strikers in the first team, he was asked by Gian Piero Gasperini to join the senior side, and made his professional Serie A debut on 7 January 2013, playing the final minutes of a league game against Parma. He was featured again on 19 January 2013, playing the final 15 minutes of a home game against Lazio as a replacement to Josip Iličić. He was successively confirmed for the club's triumphal 2013–14 Serie B campaign, where he managed to make only three appearances as a substitute throughout the whole season.[3]

On 28 July 2014, Malele was loaned out to newly promoted Serie B club Virtus Entella for the whole 2014–15 season in order to gain more first team experience.[4]

On 13 August 2021, Malele joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Tai.[5] On 4 August 2022, Malele joined Romanian club CFR Cluj on a season-long loan.[6]

On 30 March 2023, Malele joined Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua.[7]

On 31 December 2024, Shanghai Shenhua announced that Malele is released as a free agent.[8]

International career

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Malele has appeared for Switzerland from the under-15 level to the under-19 level.

Career statistics

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As of match played on 22 November 2025[9]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Palermo 2012–13 Serie A 3 0 0 0 3 0
2013–14 Serie B 3 0 0 0 3 0
Total 6 0 0 0 6 0
Virtus Entella (loan) 2014–15 Serie B 13 0 2 0 15 0
Trapani (loan) 2014–15 Serie B 15 0 15 0
Atlético CP (loan) 2015–16 LigaPro 40 9 0 0 2 0 42 9
Leixões (loan) 2016–17 LigaPro 11 0 2 0 13 0
Varzim (loan) 2016–17 LigaPro 21 5 21 5
Varzim 2017–18 LigaPro 29 2 1 0 30 2
Arouca 2018–19 LigaPro 29 9 2 1 1 1 32 11
Oliveirense 2019–20 LigaPro 14 3 0 0 10 0
Argeș Pitești 2020–21 Liga I 30 18 1 0 31 18
Al-Tai 2021–22 Saudi Professional League 26 4 1 0 27 4
CFR Cluj (loan) 2022–23 Liga I 18 4 2 1 8[c] 0 28 5
Shanghai Shenhua 2023 Chinese Super League 29 11 3 4 32 15
2024 Chinese Super League 26 16 3 2 5[d] 2 1[e] 1 35 21
Career total 55 27 6 6 5 2 1 1 67 36
Dalian Yingbo 2025 Chinese Super League 26 6 2 2 28 8
Career total 333 87 19 10 3 1 13 2 1 1 369 101

Honours

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Palermo

Shanghai Shenhua

Individual

References

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