| Junior Sambia | |
| Full Name: | Salomon Sambia[1] [2] |
| Birth Date: | 7 September 1996 |
| Birth Place: | Vaulx-en-Velin, France |
| Height: | 1.81 m[3] |
| Position: | Right-back, defensive midfielder, winger |
| Currentclub: | Salernitana |
| Clubnumber: | 6 |
| Youthyears1: | 2003–2011 |
| Youthclubs1: | Lyon |
| Youthyears2: | 2011–2013 |
| Youthclubs2: | Mâcon |
| Youthyears3: | 2013–2014 |
| Youthclubs3: | Chamois Niortais |
| Years1: | 2014–2018 |
| Clubs1: | Chamois Niortais |
| Caps1: | 76 |
| Goals1: | 6 |
| Years2: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs2: | → Montpellier (loan) |
| Caps2: | 28 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2015–2016 |
| Clubs3: | Chamois Niortais B |
| Caps3: | 5 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs4: | Montpellier B |
| Caps4: | 7 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Years5: | 2018–2022 |
| Clubs5: | Montpellier |
| Caps5: | 113 |
| Goals5: | 3 |
| Years6: | 2022– |
| Clubs6: | Salernitana |
| Caps6: | 40 |
| Goals6: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 08:26, 26 May 2024 (UTC) |
Salomon Sambia (born 7 September 1996), commonly known as Junior Sambia,[4] [5] [6] is a French professional footballer who plays for club Salernitana. He plays predominantly as a right back, but can also play as a defensive midfielder or winger.
Born in Lyon, Sambia joined the youth set-up at Niort from Mâcon in 2013.[5] In the summer of 2014, he was awarded a first-team contract alongside fellow youth midfielder Antoine Batisse.[5] Sambia made his senior debut for Niort on 12 September 2014 in the 1–0 defeat to Dijon at the age of 18 years and 5 days, becoming the youngest player ever to start a professional match for the club.[7] He went on to make five league appearances in total during the 2014–15 season.[2]
In August 2017, Sambia joined Montpellier on a one-year loan with an option to buy.[8] The option would eventually be exercised at the end of the 2017–18 season. In May 2022, his exit from Montpellier at the end of the 2021–22 season was confirmed.[9]
On 19 July 2022, Sambia signed a four-year contract with Salernitana in Italy.[10]
Sambia's parents are from the Central African Republic. In April 2020, Sambia was hospitalised after becoming ill and unconscious and was treated in intensive care. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed into an artificial coma.[11] However, he eventually recovered.[12] [13]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Chamois Niortais | 2014–15 | Ligue 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Ligue 2 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Ligue 2 | 37 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1[14] | 0 | 42 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | Ligue 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 76 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 86 | 6 | |||
| Chamois Niortais B | 2015–16 | CFA 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Montpellier (loan) | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 3 | |
| Montpellier | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 41 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | |||
| Total | 141 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 162 | 6 | |||
| Montpellier B | 2017–18 | National 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | National 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | National 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 7 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||||||
| Salernitana | 2022–23 | Serie A | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Total | 40 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 269 | 12 | 24 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 302 | 14 | |||