Saúl Coco
Equatoguinean footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saúl Basilio Coco-Bassey Oubiña (born 9 February 1999), better known as Saúl Coco, is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Torino and the Equatorial Guinea national team.[4] Born in Spain, he represents Equatorial Guinea at international level, debuting for the senior team in 2017.
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Coco with Equatorial Guinea in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Saúl Basilio Coco-Bassey Oubiña[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 February 1999[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Lanzarote, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Torino | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Orientación Marítima | |||
| 2013–2016 | Las Palmas | ||
| 2015–2016 | → Orientación Marítima (loan) | ||
| 2016–2018 | Espanyol | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | Espanyol B | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Horta (loan) | 22 | (0) |
| 2020–2024 | Las Palmas | 79 | (2) |
| 2024– | Torino | 38 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Equatorial Guinea U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017– | Equatorial Guinea | 29 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:30, 4 October 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 March 2025 | |||
Early life
Coco was born in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, to Basilio Coco-Bassey Eyanga and a Spanish mother. His father is an Equatoguinean former footballer and current coach[5] who played for Canarian club CDU Puerto del Carmen in the 1987–88 season, alongside his brother Luis (Coco's uncle).[6] Coco is also of Nigerian descent through his paternal grandfather.[7]
Club career
Coco joined RCD Espanyol's youth setup in July 2016, after representing CD Orientación Marítima (where he was trained by his father) and UD Las Palmas.[8][9] In August 2018, after finishing his formation, he was loaned to Tercera División side UA Horta for the season.[10]
Coco made his senior debut on 18 August 2018, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 home win against UE Figueres.[11] The following 18 July, he returned to his former club Las Palmas, being assigned to the C-team also in the fourth division.[2]
Promoted to the reserves in Segunda División B ahead of the 2020–21 campaign, Coco made his first team debut on 17 December 2020, replacing Álvaro Lemos in a 4–0 away win against CD Varea, for the season's Copa del Rey.[12] On 15 June 2022, he renewed his contract until 2025, being definitely promoted to the main squad.[13]
On 15 April 2023, Coco scored his first goal at any level for Las Palmas on his 69th appearance, consolation in a 2–1 loss at Granada CF.[14] The team ended the season with promotion to La Liga, where he scored for the first time on 8 October to open a 2–1 victory away to Villarreal CF; his 30-yard direct free kick won the La Liga Goal of the Month award.[15]
On 17 July 2024, Coco signed for Serie A club Torino FC on a four-year contract.
International career
Eligible to play internationally for Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria or Spain, Coco was called up to the senior squad of the former in August 2017.[16] He made his full international debut on 3 September, replacing Pablo Ganet in a 1–2 friendly loss to Benin;[17][18] by doing so, he became the first person from Lanzarote to get called up internationally in 67 years.[19] The match was subsequently eliminated from FIFA records,[20] as the referee and his assistants referees were from Equatorial Guinea.[21][22]
Coco became cap-tied to Equatorial Guinea on 17 November 2018, when he appeared in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against Senegal.[23] He scored his first international goal on his sixth appearance on 7 October 2021, opening a 2–0 home win over Zambia in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[24] He played all of his team's games in their run to the quarter-finals of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, scoring in the penalty shootout win over Mali in the last 16.[25]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 4 October 2025[26]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Las Palmas | 2020–21 | Segunda División | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | Segunda División | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Segunda División | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| Total | 79 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 84 | 2 | ||
| Torino | 2024–25 | Serie A | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| 2025–26 | Serie A | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | |
| Total | 38 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 117 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 126 | 5 | ||
International
- Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first.[27]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 October 2021 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Zambia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 16 November 2021 | Stade Olympique de Nouakchott, Nouakchott, Mauritania |  Mauritania | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| 3. | 24 March 2023 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |  Botswana | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4. | 24 March 2025 | Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Namibia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
