Lamine Koné

Lamine Koné
	Koné in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Lamine-Gueye Koné
Date of birth	1 February 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Paris, France
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
1998–2002	SO Paris
2002–2003	US Alfortville
2003–2006	Châteauroux
Senior career*
Years	Team
2006–2010	Châteauroux
2010–2016	Lorient
2010–2015	Lorient B
2016–2019	Sunderland
2018–2019	→ Strasbourg (loan)
2019–2021	Strasbourg
2021–2022	Lausanne-Sport
2023	Le Mans
International career‡
2005–2006	France U17
2006–2007	France U18
2007–2008	France U19
2009–2010	France U20
2014–	Ivory Coast
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 March 2023; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:07, 29 July 2019 (UTC)

Lamine-Gueye Koné (born 1 February 1989), known as Lamine Koné, is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.

Club career

Early career

Koné began his career with local youth clubs in the Île-de-France region. In 2003, he joined the second division club LB Châteauroux and, after three years in the club's youth academy, was promoted to the senior team for the 2005–06 season. Koné made his professional debut on 27 April 2007 in a league match against Montpellier.^[3] He spent three more years at the club amassing over 70 appearances.

Lorient

On 30 July 2010, Koné joined Lorient on a four-year contract. The transfer fee was priced at €1 million.^[4] He signed a new three-year contract on 23 July 2013.^[5] He was signed as a replacement for Laurent Koscielny who had moved to Arsenal. Koné made 139 appearances, scoring seven goals over six seasons at Lorient.^[6]

Sunderland

On 27 January 2016, Koné signed for Premier League club Sunderland for an undisclosed fee until 2020.^[7] This followed a protracted transfer saga that had previously broken down twice,^[8] and had seen Lorient threaten Sunderland with legal action for initially pulling out of a deal.^[9] On 13 February, Koné played a big part in securing a vital win for the Black Cats against Manchester United. From an 82nd-minute corner, Koné rose up for a header and as the ball headed towards the goal, David de Gea and Anthony Martial got in a tangle before the ball eventually went in off the back of the Spanish goalkeeper for an own goal.^[10] Koné followed this up with two goals against Everton on 11 May 2016 in a 3–0 victory that saved Sunderland from relegation.^[11]

After telling new manager David Moyes that he wanted to leave the club in August,^[12] Koné had a change of heart and eventually signed a new five-year contract on 14 September 2016.^[13]

Loan to Strasbourg

On 1 August 2018, Koné joined Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on a season-long loan. Strasbourg were also given the option to sign the centre-back permanently at the end of the season.^[14]

Strasbourg

On 1 June 2019, following a successful loan stint, Koné joined Strasbourg permanently from Sunderland for an undisclosed fee.^[15] In June 2021 he left Strasbourg on a free transfer due to his contract expiring.

Lausanne-Sport

On 8 November 2021, Koné signed for Lausanne-Sport on a free transfer, four months after his release from Strasbourg.^[16]

Le Mans

On 16 January 2023, Koné joined Le Mans in the third-tier Championnat National.^[17]

International career

Koné was born in France to Ivorian parents. He is a former French youth international who has played at the under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-20 levels. Koné played with the latter team at the 2009 Mediterranean Games and the 2010 Toulon Tournament. He switched to the Ivory Coast national team and made his debut in a 4–1 loss to Cameroon in 2014.^[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 1 July 2019^[19]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Châteauroux	2006–07	Ligue 2	5	0	0	0	0	0	—		5	0
	2007–08	Ligue 2	16	0	0	0	0	0	—		16	0
	2008–09	Ligue 2	27	1	0	0	3	0	—		30	1
	2009–10	Ligue 2	26	3	1	0	0	0	—		27	3
	Total		74	4	1	0	3	0	—		78	4
Lorient	2010–11	Ligue 1	7	1	2	0	0	0	—		9	1
	2011–12	Ligue 1	21	1	1	0	4	0	—		26	1
	2012–13	Ligue 1	32	3	1	0	1	0	—		34	3
	2013–14	Ligue 1	18	1	0	0	1	0	="2"\|—		19	1
	2014–15	Ligue 1	30	1	0	0	1	0	—		31	1
	2015–16	Ligue 1	18	0	1	0	1	0	—		20	0
	Total		126	7	5	0	8	0	—		139	7
Lorient B	2010–11	CFA	9	0	—		—		—		9	0
	2011–12	CFA	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
	2015–16	CFA	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	Total		12	0	—		—		—		12	0
Sunderland	2015–16	Premier League	15	2	—		—		—		15	2
	2016–17	Premier League	30	1	0	0	1	0	—		31	1
	2017–18	Championship	24	0	0	0	2	0	—		26	0
	Total		69	3	0	0	3	0	—		72	3
Strasbourg (loan)	2018–19	Ligue 1	27	1	1	0	4	1	—		32	2
Career total			308	15	7	0	18	1	—		333	16