Belgian footballer (born 2005)
Malick Fofana Full name
Malick Martin Fofana Date of birth
(2005-03-31 ) 31 March 2005 (age 19) Place of birth
Aalst , Belgium Height
1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) Position(s)
Winger Current team
Lyon Number
11 0000 –2014
Eendracht Aalst 2014–2022
Gent Years
Team
Apps
(Gls ) 2022–2024
Jong Gent
13
(4) 2022–2024
Gent
64
(5) 2024–
Lyon
34
(9) 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
9
(0) 2024–
Belgium
1
(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 October 2024
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 national team .
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 .[citation needed ]
In October 2024, Fofana received his first call up to the Belgium national team for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League games against Italy and France .[ 11]
Personal life
Born in Belgium , Fofana is of Guinean and Filipino descent.[ 9]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 7 November 2024
Honours
Lyon
References
^ a b "Officieel: AA Gent deal met Fofana" . Voetbalbelgie.be . 20 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ a b Fiammetti, Alexandre (20 January 2022). "La Gantoise offre un premier contrat professionnel à un énorme talent" . Walfoot.be (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ "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 .
^ Vandenbussche, Bart (18 June 2022). "AA Gent opent voorbereiding met ruime zege, Sven Kums scoort pareltje" . Voetbalkrant.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ Woos, Loïc (30 July 2022). "Saint-Trond arrache un point sur la pelouse de La Gantoise" . Walfoot.be (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ 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 .
^ "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 .
^ "Transferts : Malick Fofana s'engage avec l'OL (officiel)" (in French). L'Équipe. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024 .
^ a b c 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 .
^ Defawe, Maxence (12 May 2022). "Fofana, Mawete, Monticelli : 3 pépites belges à suivre durant l'Euro U17" . RTBF (in French). Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ "Geen De Bruyne en Lukaku bij Rode Duivels, wel selectie voor Fofana, Ngonge, Smets en Vandevoordt" (in Dutch). Sporza. 4 October 2024.
^ "PSG beat Lyon 2-1 to win French Cup final in Mbappe's farewell appearance" . Reuters . 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024 .
External links