| Malick Fofana | |
| Fullname: | Malick Martin Fofana |
| Birth Date: | 31 March 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Aalst, Belgium |
| Height: | 1.69m |
| Position: | Winger |
| Currentclub: | Lyon |
| Clubnumber: | 11 |
| Youthyears1: | –2014 |
| Youthclubs1: | Eendracht Aalst |
| Youthyears2: | 2014–2022 |
| Youthclubs2: | Gent |
| Years1: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Jong Gent |
| Caps1: | 13 |
| Goals1: | 4 |
| Years2: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs2: | Gent |
| Caps2: | 41 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2024– |
| Clubs3: | Lyon |
| Caps3: | 18 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Club-Update: | 19 May 2024 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2020 |
| Nationalteam1: | Belgium U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2021–2022 |
| Nationalteam2: | Belgium U17 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 10 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 5 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2022–2023 |
| Nationalteam3: | Belgium U18 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 2 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam4: | Belgium U20 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam5: | Belgium U21 |
| Nationalcaps5: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 0 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 23:25, 18 August 2024 (UTC) |
Malick Martin Fofana (born 31 March 2005) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Lyon and the Belgium under-21 national team.
Fofana started playing football at Eendracht Aalst before joining Gent's youth academy at the age of nine. There, he signed his first professional contract in January 2022.[1] [2] [3]
After he already participated in the pre-season friendlies,[4] Fofana made his professional debut for Gent on the 30 July 2022, replacing Hugo Cuypers during a 1–1 home Division A draw against Sint-Truiden.[5] Only a week later, he was awarded his first start against Westerlo, leading his team to a 2–1 home win.[6]
On 10 January 2024, Fofana joined Ligue 1 side Lyon for a fee of €17 million, plus €5 million in add-ons, and a 20% sell-on clause on a future sale in favor of Gent; he signed a contract until June 2028 with the French club.[7] [8] [9] In the process, he became the third Belgian player in the history of Lyon, following Eric Deflandre and Jason Denayer.
Fofana is a youth international for Belgium, having first established himself as a regular goalscorer with the under-17 national team, with whom he played the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[10]
Fofana made his debut for the Belgium under-21 national in a 1-0 home win over Kazakhstan in September 2023, making further appearances the following month in wins over Malta and Hungary.
Born in Belgium, Fofana is of Guinean and Filipino descent.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Jong Gent | 2022–23 | Belgian National Division 1 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | 13 | 4 | ||||
| Gent | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 22 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 28 | 3 | |||
| Total | 41 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 61 | 4 | |||
| Lyon | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 4 | |||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 18 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 71 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 12 | |||
Lyon