Malick Fofana

Malick Martin Fofana (born 31 March 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Lyon and the Belgium under-21 national team.

Malick Fofana
Personal information
Full name Malick Martin Fofana
Date of birth (2005-03-31) 31 March 2005
Place of birth Aalst, Belgium
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Lyon
Number 11
Youth career
0000–2014 Eendracht Aalst
2014–2022 Gent
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 Jong Gent 13 (4)
2022–2024 Gent 41 (2)
2024– Lyon 17 (3)
International career‡
2020 Belgium U15 3 (0)
2021–2022 Belgium U17 10 (5)
2022–2023 Belgium U18 6 (2)
2022– Belgium U20 1 (0)
2023– Belgium U21 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:17, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Fofana started playing football at Eendracht Aalst before joining Gent's youth academy at the age of nine. There, he signed his first professional contract in January 2022.[1][2][3]

After he already participated in the pre-season friendlies,[4] Fofana made his professional debut for Gent on the 30 July 2022, replacing Hugo Cuypers during a 1–1 home Division A draw against Sint-Truiden.[5] Only a week later, he was awarded his first start against Westerlo, leading his team to a 2–1 home win.[6]

On 10 January 2024, Fofana joined Ligue 1 side Lyon for a fee of €17 million, plus €5 million in add-ons, and a 20% sell-on clause on a future sale in favor of Gent; he signed a contract until June 2028 with the French club.[7][8][9] In the process, he became the third Belgian player in the history of Lyon, following Eric Deflandre and Jason Denayer.[9]

International career

Fofana is a youth international for Belgium, having first established himself as a regular goalscorer with the under-17 national team,[1][2] with whom he played the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[10]

Fofana made his debut for the Belgium under-21 national in a 1-0 home win over Kazakhstan in September 2023, making further appearances the following month in wins over Malta and Hungary.

Personal life

Born in Belgium, Fofana is of Guinean and Filipino descent.[9]

Career statistics
As of match played 25 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Jong Gent 2022–23 Belgian National Division 1 134———134
Gent 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 220317[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0331
2023–24 Belgian Pro League 192206[lower-alpha 1]1—283
Total 4125113110614
Lyon 2023–24 Ligue 1 17341——214
Career total 70992131109412
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  2. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup

Honours

Lyon

References
  1. "Officieel: AA Gent deal met Fofana". Voetbalbelgie.be. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  2. Fiammetti, Alexandre (20 January 2022). "La Gantoise offre un premier contrat professionnel à un énorme talent". Walfoot.be (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  3. "Gantoise : la pépite guinéenne Malick Fofana s'offre son premier contrat pro". Foot224 – Actualité Sport Guinée (in French). 20 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  4. Vandenbussche, Bart (18 June 2022). "AA Gent opent voorbereiding met ruime zege, Sven Kums scoort pareltje". Voetbalkrant.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. Woos, Loïc (30 July 2022). "Saint-Trond arrache un point sur la pelouse de La Gantoise". Walfoot.be (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  6. Floren, Steve (7 August 2022). "Malick voor het eerst in de basis bij Gent: "Ik krijg heel veel berichtjes"". Voetbalkrant.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  7. "L'international Espoirs belge Malick Fofana s'engage avec l'OL jusqu'en 2028". www.ol.fr (in French). Olympique Lyonnais. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. "Transferts : Malick Fofana s'engage avec l'OL (officiel)" (in French). L'Équipe. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  9. Lizin, Cédric (10 January 2024). "Le Diablotin Malick Fofana quitte La Gantoise et file à Lyon contre 22 millions d'euros". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  10. Defawe, Maxence (12 May 2022). "Fofana, Mawete, Monticelli : 3 pépites belges à suivre durant l'Euro U17". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  11. "PSG beat Lyon 2-1 to win French Cup final in Mbappe's farewell appearance". Reuters. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
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