Seko Fofana
Footballer (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seko Mohamed Fofana (born 7 May 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Porto, on loan from Ligue 1 club Rennes. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.
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Fofana with Ivory Coast at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Seko Mohamed Fofana[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 7 May 1995 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team |
Porto (on loan from Rennes) | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 42 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2010 | Paris FC | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Lorient | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Manchester City | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | → Fulham (loan) | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Bastia (loan) | 32 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Udinese | 112 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2023 | Lens | 103 | (17) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Al-Nassr | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Al-Ettifaq (loan) | 27 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Rennes | 28 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | → Porto (loan) | 12 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | France U16 | 12 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | France U17 | 11 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | France U18 | 7 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | France U19 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Ivory Coast | 34 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:38, 10 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:35, 17 June 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
Manchester City
Born in Paris, France, Fofana began his youth career at Paris FC when he was nine and stayed there for six years before joining Lorient.[2] After two years at Lorient,[2] he moved to England when he joined Premier League side Manchester City in 2013 and was immediately sent to the development squad.[3]
Fofana began to be a regular in the under-18s in the 2013–14 season, making 20 appearances and scoring 5 goals in the league and playing 7 times scoring twice in the club's UEFA Youth League campaign against CSKA Moscow[4] and Benfica Juniors.[5] During Manchester City's U21 friendly match against HNK Rijeka, he was racially abused by one of the opposition players just before half-time. As a result, players from Manchester City's U21 squad walked off the pitch, prompting the match to be cancelled.[6] After the match, Manager Patrick Vieira praised the action of the players to walk out.[7]
Fulham (loan)
On 27 November 2014, Fofana signed for Championship side Fulham on loan until 31 January 2015.[8] He made his Fulham debut two days later, where he came on as a substitute for Emerson Hyndman in the 63rd minute, in a 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.[9] His form and performance convinced Fulham to extend the loan spell until the end of the season.[10] He scored his first goal for the club on 21 March 2015 to secure a 2–0 win away to Huddersfield Town.[11] Having established himself under the management of Kit Symons,[12] Fofana went on to make 25 appearances scoring once before returning to his parent club.
Bastia (loan)
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After making two appearances for City during their pre-season tour in Australia (playing the second half of a 2–0 win over Adelaide United,[13] and coming on as a late substitute in Manchester City's 1–0 win over Melbourne City),[14] the Premier League club agreed to send Fofana out on loan again to gain further experience. The Frenchman subsequently returned to his native France, to join Bastia on a season-long loan on 29 July 2015.[15] He made his Ligue 1 debut in the opening game of the season 10 days later, on 8 August 2015, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2−1 win at home to Rennes.[16] He then scored his first goal on 12 December 2015, in a 1–1 draw against Troyes,[17] followed up by assisting in the next game on 19 December 2015, in a 2–0 win over Reims.[18] In a 1–0 win over Montpellier on 16 January 2016, Fofana received a straight red card in the 65th minutes.[19] After the match, he was given a four match ban[20] and Fofana, himself, apologised for his action.[21] In total, he made 32 appearances and scoring once for Bastia.
Udinese
After three years at Manchester City, Fofana joined Serie A side Udinese, signing a five-year deal for worth £2.5 million.[22] In addition, the move included a possible €2 million bonus and Bastia receiving 15% of the total compensation, up to €700K.[23] Fofana made his Udinese debut in the opening game of the season playing 79 minutes before being substituted, in a 4–0 loss against Roma.[24]
Lens
On 18 August 2020, Fofana signed a four-year contract with Ligue 1 club Lens.[25] He scored his first goal on 21 February 2021 against Dijon. After a string of good performances, he was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September 2021. In May 2022, Fofana won the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé as the best African player in France's top flight for the 2021–22 campaign, following a season in which he scored eight goals in 37 appearances.[26] On 31 August 2022, he signed a contract extension with the club until 2025.[27]
Al-Nassr
On 18 July 2023, Fofana joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr on a three-year deal, reportedly for a fee of €25 million.[28]
Al-Ettifaq (loan)
On 30 January 2024, Fofana joined fellow Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq on a six-month loan.[29][30] On 17 August 2024, Fofana re-joined Al-Ettifaq on a one-year loan.[31]
Rennes
On 1 January 2025, Fofana returned to Ligue 1 and joined Rennes on a four-and-a-half years contract.[32][33] The transfer was completed for a fee of €20 million, establishing him as the most expensive sale in the history of the Saudi Pro League.[34]
Porto (loan)
On 2 February 2026, Fofana was sent on loan to Primeira Liga club Porto until the end of the 2025–26 season.[35]
International career
Fofana was eligible to play for France and Ivory Coast, as his parents come from there.[36] Fofana previously represented France U16, France U17, France U18 and France U19. On 3 April 2017, Fofana chose to represent the Ivory Coast, the country of his parents.[37]
Fofana made his debut for Ivory Coast in a 2–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification loss to Morocco on 11 November 2017.[38]
In December 2023, Fofana was named in the Ivory Coast's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[39][40][41] He scored the opening goal of the tournament four minutes into Ivory Coast's 2–0 win over Guinea-Bissau on 13 January 2024.[42]
Fofana was included in the list of Ivorian players selected by coach Emerse Faé to participate in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[43][44]
On May 15, 2026, Fofana was integrated by Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé in his list of 26 players in order to participate in the 2026 World Cup.[45]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 May 2026[46]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Fulham (loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | ||
| Bastia (loan) | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| Udinese | 2016–17 | Serie A | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||
| 2017–18 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 3 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 112 | 13 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 177 | 15 | ||||
| Lens | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | 38 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 41 | 10 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 35 | 7 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 103 | 17 | 9 | 4 | — | — | 112 | 21 | ||||
| Al-Nassr | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 14 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2[b] | 0 | 6[c] | 1 | 25 | 3 |
| Al-Ettifaq (loan) | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 1 | 19 | 1 | |||
| Total | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | 33 | 3 | |||
| Rennes | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||||
| Porto (loan) | 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 18 | 3 | |
| Career total | 349 | 39 | 29 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 394 | 47 | ||
- Includes FA Cup, Coupe de France, Coppa Italia, King's Cup, Taça de Portugal
- Appearances in AFC Champions League
- Appearances in Arab Club Champions Cup
- Appearances in AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 14 June 2026[47]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fofana goal.[47]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2019 | Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen, France |  Tunisia | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 24 September 2022 |  Togo | 1–0 | 2–1 | |||
| 3 | 27 September 2022 | Stade de la Licorne, Amiens, France |  Guinea | 3–0 | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | 17 November 2023 | Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Seychelles | 5–0 | 9–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [48] |
| 5 | 20 November 2023 | National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |  Gambia | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 6 | 13 January 2024 | Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Guinea-Bissau | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | [42] |
| 7 | 7 June 2024 | Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Korhogo, Ivory Coast |  Gabon | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Al-Nassr
Porto
Ivory Coast
Individual
- Prix Marc-Vivien Foé: 2021–22[26]
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2021–22,[51] 2022–23[52]
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: September 2021[53]
