Joël COULIBALY

Joël-Emmanuel Coulibaly was born in the Paris region, and started his footballing journey with the youth teams of local clubs, such as Stade Français, Boulogne-Billancourt AC, Paris FC, Paris Alesia FC and US Villejuif. The defensive midfielder joined the Stade Rennais Academy setup in 2020, and adapted well with the youth teams at his new club. He was also called up to the France U16s and U17s, making 8 appearances for his country in 2023. On 11th December 2024, Coulibaly signed his first professional contract with Rennes, tying himself to the Breton club until 2028. Alas, he would not see any light at the end of the tunnel, and would not see any action with the First Team under the successive managers, Habib Beye and Franck Haise. He was offered an opportunity to bounce back with AS Nancy Lorraine in the French Second Division (Ligue 2), who bought out the remaining years of his contract. Although the transfer deal was a permanent one, Stade Rennais still managed to incorporate a priority buyback clause into the transaction.