Newcastle Signing Mbemba "Teased Daily" By DR Congo Teammates Over Age Uncertainty

Newcastle United's summer signing Chancel Mbemba is teased on a daily basis by his international teammates - due to the fact it is unclear exactly how old he is. The £8 million recruit from Anderlecht is currently under investigation by FIFA due to the fact he has at least two registered birthdays between 1988 and 1991, although the Magpies announced him as 20 in their unveiling of the signing on their official website. And Mbemba's Democratic Republic of Congo teammates have revealed that barely "a day passes" without one of the international squad mentioning his conflicting birthdays.

There have been controversies over Mbemba's age, with his date of birth having been registered as both August 8th 1988, as well as August 8th 1994. In fact, allegations arose back in 2013 that he did actually have €œfour separate birth dates€ registered with different organisations, and with FIFA that birth date makes him 20. Speaking to the BBC's World Service, Peterborough United and DR Congo international defender Gabriel Zakuani said:

"I don't think a day passes without mentioning his birthdays. "He takes it all in good heart. "One day we woke up and it was someone else's birthday in the DR Congo squad but instead of throwing a party for that player we decided to bring the party to Chancel and said to him: 'Is this one of your birthdays?' "It's something that follows him but he's a very good player. I'm on his side. "And to be honest he's quite a big lad so I'll agree that he's 20!"

Memba was also being chased by Atletico Madrid, Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg - but Newcastle won the race of his suitors. The defender has been linked with the Magpies in the past, and the six-foot-tall full-back-cum-centre-back has already been capped 16 times by the Democratic Republic Versatile enough to be able to cover at centre-back, the defender would be able to fill in for a number of positions at St James€™ Park, which made him an attractive option. Mbemba has made 56 league appearances since progressing into the first-team at Anderlecht back in 2012, scoring six times, and he has won both the Belgian Pro title and the Belgian Super Cup (twice). CLICK HERE to read "12 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Chancel Mbemba".For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.