This World Cup has not belonged only to the goalscorers.

It has also become a tournament for goalkeepers, with names such as Vozinha, Suzuki and Orlando Gill earning attention far beyond their own countries. Among them, Lionel Mpasi has produced one of the more striking stories.

The DR Congo goalkeeper came into the tournament as a relatively quiet name at club level, but left it as one of the faces of a proud and stubborn national team.

A quiet season before the spotlight

According to El Mundo, Mpasi had played only four matches for Le Havre this season before becoming one of DR Congo’s key figures at the World Cup.

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That detail makes his performances even more remarkable.

At 31, Mpasi is not a teenage breakthrough story. He is a goalkeeper who has had to wait, work and take the long road to this stage.

Born in France and developed in French football, he represents DR Congo through his family roots. At the World Cup, that connection became much more than a line in his biography.

Brought in by Bakambu

Mpasi’s path into the national team was not built through a grand scouting plan.

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It began with a message from Cédric Bakambu.

“It was Cédric Bakambu who contacted me and asked if I wanted to come to the national team at the end of last season,” Mpasi said.

“I said yes and that it would be a pleasure. Afterwards, the assistant coach contacted me via social media. We spoke and I confirmed that I was available.”

It was an unusual route into international football, but it worked.

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For DR Congo, Mpasi quickly became more than a late addition. He became a symbol of a team that refused to look out of place on the biggest stage.

A goalkeeper who kept them alive

Mpasi played every minute of DR Congo’s three group-stage matches.

He conceded three goals, made eight saves and finished with a save rate of 73 percent. Those numbers only tell part of the story, because several of his interventions came at moments when his team was under heavy pressure.

His display against Colombia was especially important. DR Congo lost 1-0, but Mpasi repeatedly kept the score close and gave his side a chance to stay in the match.

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That kind of performance helped turn him from an unknown name for many viewers into one of the tournament’s most discussed goalkeepers.

A penalty already made him a hero

This was not the first time Mpasi had delivered a major moment for DR Congo.

At the Africa Cup of Nations, he scored the decisive penalty in the shootout against Egypt, sending DR Congo into the quarter-finals.

For a goalkeeper, it was the kind of moment that can define a career.

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At the World Cup, he added a different kind of memory. Not with a penalty this time, but with saves, composure and authority under pressure.

England finally found a way through

DR Congo’s run ended against England in the round of 32, not the round of 16.

For long periods, however, they made England uncomfortable. Mpasi was again central to that resistance, frustrating England before Harry Kane eventually scored twice to turn the match around.

DR Congo lost 2-1, but they left with credit.

Mpasi did not stop England in the end. He came close enough, though, to make people notice.

For a goalkeeper with so little club football behind him this season, that is a World Cup story worth remembering.