2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - QUARTER-FINALS - ENGLAND VS FRANCE 1:2

France reaches semi-finals

10 Dec 2022
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 14 - LAST SIXTEEN - FRANCE VS POLAND 3:1

France reaches quarter-finals

4 Dec 2022
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 06 - GROUP D - FRANCE VS DENMARK 2:1

France beats Denmark

26 Nov 2022
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 02 - GROUP D - FRANCE VS AUSTRALIA 4:1

France beats Australia

22 Nov 2022
STARS IN EUROPE - CAMEROON - Toulouse unveil former Cameroon captian Stephane Mbia

Stephane Mbia has played in France, England, Spain, Turkey and China

18 Aug 2018

Tiemoué Bakayoko
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 07/2017


Personal information
Date of birth

17 August 1994
Place of birth
Paris, France
Height
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position
Defensive midfielder

Club information
Current team

Monaco


Youth career

Paris 15ème O.
2000-2004

CA Paris-Charenton
2004-2006

Montrouge FC 92
2006-2008

Rennes
2008-2013


Senior career

Rennes B
2012-2014
16x apps / 0x goal

Rennes
2013-2014
24x apps / 1x goal

Monaco
2014-
63x apps / 3x goal


National team

France U16
2010
2x apps / 0x goal

France U17
2011
7x apps / 0x goal

France U18
2011
2x apps / 0x goal

France U20
2014
3x apps / 0x goal

France U21
2014-2016
13x apps / 0x goal

France
2017-
1x apps / 0x goal


(Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 May 2017 - National team caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2017)


Tiemoué Bakayoko is a French professional footballer who plays for French club AS Monaco and the France national team. 

He plays as a defensive midfielder due to his ability to break up play, but is considered to have all-round ability, as well as possessing physical power and athleticism.

After suffering a broken leg as a young player, Bakayoko joined the academy at Rennes at the age of 13. 

His senior career began at Rennes where he made 24 appearances before moving to Monaco in 2014 for £7 million.

In his first two seasons at the club, Bakayoko made 31 Ligue 1 appearances, but was a regular starter in the 2016-17 season, contributing to Monaco's Ligue 1 title win as well as being named in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League squad of the season.

He made his first senior international appearance for France in March 2017 against Spain, coming on as a substitute to replace Adrien Rabiot.


Early life
Bakayoko was born in Paris on 17 August 1994
and played for Paris 15seme O at the age of five.

Aged nine, he played for CA Paris Charenton before moving to Montrogue FC 92.

As a young player, Bakayoko suffered a broken leg which stopped him playing football for eight months. 

In 2008, at the age of 13, he joined the academy at Rennes.


Club career

Rennes
Bakayoko made his debut for the Ligue 1 side on 24 August 2013
in a Ligue 1 match against Évian TG, playing the whole match in a 2:1 away win.


Monaco
2014-2015
Bakayoko made his Monaco debut on 10 August 2014
in a Ligue 1 match against Lorient.

He was replaced by Valère Germain after 32 minutes in a 2:1 home loss.

His early substitution by Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim created a strained relationship between the two, with Bakayoko saying: "From then on, something was a little broken between him and me".


2015-2017
Following his first two seasons at Monaco,
in which he made 31 Ligue 1 performances, Bakayoko decided to change his behaviour to fulfil his potential, which included moving from a luxury villa to an apartment and changing the colour of his car from pink to black.

He was helped by former France international Claude Makélélé, who had been appointed director of football at Monaco in 2016, on how to improve his football and take care of himself off the pitch.

As a result, and with Jérémy Toulalan and Mario Pašalić having both left the club in 2016, Bakayoko became a regular starter for Monaco, helping the club to the Ligue 1 title in the 2016-17 season and named in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League squad of the season.


In the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match at the Stade Louis II on 15 March 2017, Bakayoko scored the final goal (it was his first ever UEFA Europa League or UEFA Champions League goal) with a header from a Thomas Lemar free-kick to help Monaco secure a vital goal against Manchester City. Monaco won 3:1 and won the tie on the away goals rule (aggregate score 6:6).


International career

Bakayoko was called up to the senior France squad for the first time to face Luxembourg and Spain in March 2017 after Paul Pogba withdrew through injury. 

He made his debut on 28 March 2017 against the latter, replacing Adrien Rabiot at halftime of a 2:0 friendly home loss.


Style of play

Bakayoko has been compared to Yaya Touré due to his strong all-round qualities of pace, intelligent reading of the game, ability to intercept passes and accomplished tackling, passing and dribbling, as well as being physically powerful and atheltic.

He plays as a defensive midfielder, breaking up attacks and making driving forward runs, with only Gabi and Danny Drinkwater breaking up more attacks during the 2016-17 Champions League. 

Bakayoko's mananger at Monaco, Leonardo Jardim, said: "He wins a lot of balls, brings balance to the team. 

He passes the ball well and wins his duels. 

That is Bakayoko's role."