Seko FOFANA

Midfielder Seko Fofana was born in Paris in 1995, and began his footballing career as youth at Paris FC, before moving to the Academy setup at Lorient in Brittany. His potential was recognised, even then, as he was called up to represent France at U16, U17, U18 and U19 level, making 33 appearances in total for the French Youth sides, scoring 12 goals in that time. In 2013, he signed for Manchester City, finding himself in the Academy with the Development players, and became a first team regular at U18 level, scoring 5 goals in 20 appearances for the Citizens in the 2013/2014 season. He also figured in the UEFA Youth League that season, notching two other goals in seven matches. His time, there, was not always a happy one, however, and he was the victim of racism in a Pre-Season "Friendly" with the City U21s against HK Rijeka in Croatia. Fofana and his team mates walked off the pitch in protest, a move which was applauded by his then manager Patrick Vieira. In November 2014, the Parisian-born midfielder was loaned out to Fulham, who were playing in the Championship at the time. Two days after signing, he made his First-Team debut against Brighton & Hove Albion, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 victory over the Seagulls. His performances convinced Fulham to get his short-term loan extended until the end of the 2014/2015 season. He scored his first senior goal for the Lillywhites against Hudderfield, and made 25 appearances for the London club. He would make two appearances for Manchester City in a Pre-Season tour of Australia, before going out on a season-long loan to Bastia in Corsica. His debut came against Stade Rennais in the season-opener. He would go on to make 32 appearances for Bastia, albeit missing out on four matches after his first red card in professional football, received in a league match against Montpellier. He scored his first goal in senior football against ESTAC Troyes. With his options at City severely limited by a huge squad at the Etihad Stadium, Fofana was sold to Italian club Udinese in 2016, on a five-year deal, in exchange for 2.5 Million Euros in transfer fees, with a potential 2 Million Euro bonus, as well as a 15% commission for Bastia (the equivalent of around 700,000 Euros) In 2017, having represented France at Youth Level, Fofana chose to play for the Ivory Coast, for whom he qualified via his parents, and he made his debut in a 0-2 defeat against Morocco in a 2018 World Cup Qualifier. He would spend four years in Italy, making a total of 112 appearances, scoring 13 goals, before answering the call of Racing Club de Lens, where he signed a four-year deal in August 2020. There, he went on to become a first-choice member of the starting line-up. He was awarded the title of Ligue 1 Player of the Month in September 2021, and then the Prix Marc-Vivien Foë for the 2021/2022 season (prize awarded to the best African player of the year in Ligue 1), where he scored 8 goals in 37 matches. In August 2022, he signed a contract extension with Lens, tying him to the club until 2025. A year later, he joined the burgeoning Saudi Arabian Premier League, and signed for Al Nassr, in a deal worth an estimated 25 Million Euros. After just 14 matches for his new side, he was loaned out to Al Ettifaq for the remainder of the 2023/2024 season. His loan would be renewed for the 2024/2025 season, and he finished his spell with Al Ettifaq, having made 27 appearances, with two goals to his name. Stade Rennais were struggling in the league at the Christmas break in December 2024, and struck a huge blow on the transfer market by signing Fofana on a permanent contract to bolster their midfield. He signed a four-year deal for the Red and Blacks at the beginning of the 2025 Winter transfer window on 1st January, tying him to the club until 2029, in a deal worth around 20 Million Euros.