Beni Baningime, born on 9 September 1998 (age 27), is a DR Congo midfielder whose senior career has come to be shaped far more by Hearts than by the earlier stages that brought him through. A centre midfielder and Hearts’ number 6, he had loan football early on that helped move him beyond prospect status, but Tynecastle is where his career has properly settled.
His first Hearts season in 2021-22 remains his most productive in front of goal, modest as that sounds: one league goal in 24 appearances. The point of Baningime has never really been scoring. He has been used as a central midfielder trusted to give the side structure, cover ground and keep the engine room functioning without much fuss.
Across four seasons with Hearts, he has made 107 league appearances and scored once. That makes the Edinburgh club the clear centre of his career to date, rather than just another stop. In 2025-26 he remains a regular first-team presence, with 26 league appearances, plus three in the League Cup and one in the Scottish Cup, giving him 30 appearances in all competitions for the season.
His current market value is around £1.5m, according to Transfermarkt. Baningime’s career is a fairly plain one to read: early development football, then a sustained spell at Hearts where he has become an established, useful midfielder in the current side.
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