Will Hondermarck

William Hondermarck

Personal information
Full name	William Mbongo Desire Hondermarck [1]
Date of birth	(2000-11-21) 21 November 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth	Orléans, France
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Northampton Town
Number	23
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	Drogheda United	14	(0)
2019–2021	Norwich City	0	(0)
2021	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	3	(0)
2021–2023	Barnsley	17	(0)
2023–	Northampton Town	46	(2)
International career‡
2024–	Congo	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:47, 27 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 June 2024

William Mbongo Desire Hondermarck (born 21 November 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Northampton Town. Born in France, he plays for the Congo national football team.

Early life

Will Hondermarck was born in Orléans, France in 2000, but his family moved to Dublin in 2005 due to work commitments. ^[3] He attended St. Fintan's High School in Dublin. ^[3] His father is a German-born Frenchman, and his mother is French of Congolese descent. ^[4] Due to his upbringing in Ireland, he holds an Irish passport since 2019, making him eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland which he stated in 2021 he was keen to do. ^[5]

Career

Early career

Having made 14 appearances for Drogheda United during the 2018 season, ^[2] he joined Norwich City in January 2019. ^{[6] [7]} He joined League Two club Harrogate Town on loan until the end of the season in January 2021. ^[8] He made his debut for the club on 9 January 2021 as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Cambridge United. ^[9] He made his first start for the club on 30 April 2021 in a 5–4 win over Cambridge United. ^[10] He made 3 appearances in total during his loan spell at Harrogate Town, ^[9] and was released by Norwich at the end of the season. ^[11]

Barnsley

After a trial spell with Notts County in summer 2021, he signed for EFL Championship club Barnsley in September 2021. ^[12]

In summer 2022, Hondermarck signed a new two-year contract with Barnsley. ^{[13] [14]}

Northampton Town

In January 2023, Hondermarck signed for League Two club Northampton Town on a two-and-a-half year contract. ^[15]

International career

On 8 November 2021, Hondermarck was called up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad for the first time for their 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Italy and Sweden as a replacement for the injured Ryan Johansson. ^[16] On 9 June 2023, he was called up to the Congo senior squad for an upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Mali. ^[17] He is eligible to represent Congo through his mother, who is of Congolese descent.

Hondermarck made his debut for Congo on 11 June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier against Morocco at the Adrar Stadium. He substituted Silvère Ganvoula in the 78th minute, as Morocco won 6–0. ^[18]

Career statistics

As of 27 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Drogheda United	2018 [2]	LOI First Division	14	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	15	1
Norwich City U21	2019–20 [19]	—			—		—		3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	3	0
	2020–21 [9]	—			—		—		4 [lower-alpha 1]	1	4	1
	Total		—		—		—		7	1	7	1
Harrogate Town (loan)	2020–21 [9]	League Two	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Barnsley	2021–22 [20]	Championship	9	0	1	0	0	0	—		10	0
	2022–23 [21]	League One	2	0	1	0	2	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	7	0
	Total		11	0	2	0	2	0	2	0	17	0
Northampton Town	2022–23 [21]	League Two	17	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	1
	2023–24 [22]	League One	29	1	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	32	1
	Total		46	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	49	2
Career total			74	2	3	0	4	1	10	1	84	4

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

Northampton Town

• EFL League Two promotion: 2022–23 ^[23]

References

1. "Premier League clubs publish 2019/20 retained lists". Premier League. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
2. Will Hondermarck at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
3. Dollery, Paul (3 June 2019). "Premier League platform awaits as French-born midfielder tackles the Leaving Cert". The42. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
4. Cooney, Gavin. "6 young Irish players to watch in England this season". The42.
5. "TheJournal.ie - Irish youngster thankful to 'mentor' Hoolahan following Championship breakthrough". www.the42.ie.
6. "Norwich City sign promising midfielder William Hondermarck". canaries.co.uk. Norwich City F.C. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
7. Malone, Emmet (22 January 2019). "Norwich sign highly rated William Hondermarck from Drogheda". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
8. "William Hondermarck: Harrogate Town sign Norwich City midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
9. "Games played by Will Hondermarck in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
10. Howell, Rhys (1 May 2021). "Harrogate Town 5 Cambridge United 4: Advertiser player ratings". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
11. Dollery, Paul (27 May 2021). "Former Drogheda United midfielder parts company with Norwich City". The42. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
12. Freezer, David (10 September 2021). "Championship deal for midfielder after Canaries exit". Eastern Daily Press.
13. "Hondermarck signs new deal". Barnsley Chronicle.
14. "WILL HONDERMARCK COMMITS FUTURE TO REDS". www.barnsleyfc.co.uk.
15. "Northampton sign Barnsley midfielder Hondermarck" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
16. Team, The42. "French-born Barnsley midfelder called into Ireland U21 squad for Euro qualifiers". The42.
17. "Former Ireland U21 Squad Member Makes International Switch After Call-Up". balls.ie. 10 June 2023.
18. "Congo v Morocco game report". ESPN. 11 June 2024.
19. "Games played by Will Hondermarck in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
20. "Games played by Will Hondermarck in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
21. "Games played by Will Hondermarck in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
22. "Games played by Will Hondermarck in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
23. "NORTHAMPTON TOWN HAVE BEEN PROMOTED!". Northampton Town. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.