Yahia Fofana

Not to be confused with Yaya Fofana.

Yahia Fofana
Fofana playing for Ivory Coast in 2024.
Personal information
Full name Yahia Fofana[1]
Date of birth (2000-08-21) 21 August 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Paris, France
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Angers
Number 30
Youth career
2008–2013 Espérance Paris 19ème
2013–2015 Red Star
2015–2019 Le Havre
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 Le Havre B 32 (0)
2019–2022 Le Havre 38 (0)
2022– Angers 59 (0)
International career‡
2016 France U16 5 (0)
2017 France U17 2 (0)
2017–2018 France U18 9 (0)
2018–2019 France U19 4 (0)
2022 France U21 1 (0)
2023– Ivory Coast 15 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Ivory Coast
Men's football
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 2023 Ivory Coast
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:43, 9 May 2024 (UTC)

Yahia Fofana (born 21 August 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Angers. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.

Club career

Le Havre

A product of Le Havre's academy, Fofana signed his first professional contract on 4 July 2019, with the deal lasting until 2022.[2] His debut came not long after, as he started a Coupe de la Ligue match against Clermont on 13 August. The match ended in a 4–3 victory for Clermont on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[3]

Fofana's Coupe de France debut came on 19 January 2021, as his side lost to Paris FC by a score of 1–0.[4] On 30 January, he played his first match in Ligue 2, coming on as a substitute after Mathieu Gorgelin had been handed a red card in a 0–0 draw away to Chamois Niortais.[5] In the 2021–22 season with Le Havre, he broke into the first team as the starting goalkeeper, surpassing Gorgelin in the pecking order.[6]

Angers

On 30 May 2022, Fofana signed a four-year contract with Ligue 1 side Angers, joining the club upon the expiration of his Le Havre contract.[7]

International career

Born in France, Fofana is of Ivorian descent.[8] He has represented France at U16, U17, U18, and U19 level over the years.[9]

Fofana was called up to the Ivory Coast national team for a set of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches in September 2023.[10] He debuted in a 1–0 win over Lesotho on 9 September 2023.[11]

In December 2023, Fofana was named to the Ivory Coast's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He played in all matches but the opening one. Ivory Coast ended up winning the tournament.[12][13][14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 December 2024[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Le Havre B 2015–16 CFA 2 1 0 — — 1 0
2016–17 CFA 1 0 — — 1 0
2017–18 National 2 10 0 — — 10 0
2018–19 National 2 18 0 — — 18 0
2019–20 National 3 2 0 — — 2 0
Total 32 0 — — 32 0
Le Havre 2019–20 Ligue 2 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 1 0
2020–21 Ligue 2 3 0 1 0 — 4 0
2021–22 Ligue 2 35 0 0 0 — 35 0
Total 38 0 1 0 1 0 40 0
Angers 2022–23 Ligue 1 11 0 0 0 — 11 0
2023–24 Ligue 2 33 0 0 0 — 33 0
2024–25 Ligue 1 15 0 0 0 — 15 0
Total 59 0 0 0 — 59 0
Career total 129 0 1 0 1 0 131 0
  1. ^ Appearance in the Coupe de la Ligue

International

As of match played 26 March 2024[16]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Ivory Coast 2023 6 0
2024 9 0
Total 15 0

Honours

Ivory Coast

References

  1. ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017: List of Players: France" (PDF). FIFA. 28 October 2017. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Yahia Fofana signe son premier contrat pro avec Le Havre" [Yahia Fofana signs his first pro contract with Le Havre]. maligue2.fr (in French). 4 July 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Clermont vs. Le Havre - 13 August 2019 - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Le Havre vs. Paris FC - 19 January 2021 - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  5. ^ Manoury, François (30 January 2021). "Ligue 2 : à dix, le HAC résiste à Niort" [Ligue 2: with ten, HAC resists at Niort]. France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Le Havre goalkeeper Yahia Fofana interesting Angers and Fiorentina". Get French Football News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Official | Angers sign goalkeeper Yahia Fofana from Le Havre". Get French Football News. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ^ "AFCON 2023 - Yahia Fofana: Côte d'Ivoire's future number 1 goalkeeper - At a glance". 12 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Yahia Fofana". FFF. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Matchs CIV-LES & CIV-MAL : Voici Les 25 Eléphants Retenus". www.fifciv.com. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  11. ^ Info, R. T. I. (9 September 2023). "La Côte d'Ivoire bat le Lesotho sur le score de 1 but à 0 au stade Laurent Pokou de San Pedro. Le but ivoirien a été inscrit par Ibrahim Sangaré à la 16e minute". RTI Info.
  12. ^ "LA LISTE" (in Portuguese). Ivorian Football Federation. 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023 – via Facebook.
  13. ^ Sahi, Tristan (28 December 2023). "Côte d'Ivoire: voici les 27 Eléphants de Gasset, Zaha et des ténors font leurs adieux à la CAN 2023" (in French). 7info. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ^ "CÔTE D'IVOIRE" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 5 January 2024.
  15. ^ Yahia Fofana at Soccerway
  16. ^ "Yahia Fofana". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  17. ^ Stevens, Rob (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
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