Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Boubacar Bernard Kamara [1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 23 November 1999||
Place of birth | Marseille, France | ||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||
Number | 44 | ||
Youth career | |||
2005–2017 | Marseille | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2018 | Marseille II | 28 | (0) |
2016–2022 | Marseille | 130 | (3) |
2022– | Aston Villa | 44 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2015–2016 | France U17 | 9 | (0) |
2016–2017 | France U18 | 9 | (0) |
2017–2018 | France U19 | 14 | (0) |
2018–2019 | France U20 | 7 | (0) |
2019–2021 | France U21 | 9 | (0) |
2022– | France | 5 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2023 (UTC) |
Boubacar Bernard Kamara (born 23 November 1999) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa and the France national team. [3] Mainly a defensive midfielder, he can also play as a centre-back. [4]
In September 2005, "Bouba", aged 5, entered the Olympique de Marseille Academy where he progressed through all the categories. He eventually became the captain of the U19 team that made its way to the final of the Coupe Gambardella. [5] At the age of 16, he was promoted to Marseille's reserve team, also making his debut with the senior team. As coach of the reserves, Jacques Abardonado made him a regular starter.
Kamara made his debut as a professional side on 13 December 2016 against Sochaux in a Coupe de la Ligue match. He started the match and was replaced by Hiroki Sakai in the 82nd minute of a 1–1 (4–3) away loss on penalties. [6] He scored his first professional goal on 5 February 2019, a header in a 1–0 home Ligue 1 victory over Bordeaux. [7]
Kamara went onto play 170 times for his boyhood club, under several different managers - being utilised mainly as a defensive midfielder, but also featuring as a right-back, left-back, central midfielder and right-sided midfielder. [8]
On 23 May 2022, it was announced that Kamara had signed a five-year contract with English Premier League club Aston Villa ahead of the expiry of his Marseille contract on 1 July. [9] He made his Aston Villa debut on 6 August 2022, in a 2–0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth. [10] On 16 September 2022, during a 1–0 victory over Southampton, Kamara jarred his knee in a tackle with Mohamed Elyounoussi - the subsequent ligament strain ruled Kamara out until November, meaning that he missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup. [11] Kamara returned to the pitch slightly ahead of schedule on 6 November 2022, in a 3–1 victory over Manchester United. [12]
On 27 September 2023, Kamara scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a 2–1 EFL Cup defeat to Everton. [13]
On 11 February 2024, Kamara suffered another knee injury in a league defeat to Manchester United, this time a more serious ACL injury that was expected to leave him sidelined for the rest of the season at the shortest. [14] [15]
Kamara was eligible to play for the national teams of France through birth, and Senegal through his family heritage. He played youth football for France at U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 levels. Featuring in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship for France. [8]
In 2022, Kamara was contacted directly by Senegal manager Aliou Cissé to convince him to declare for the Senegalese team after their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations victory to fill the space of aging midfielders Idrissa Gueye and Cheikhou Kouyaté. [16]
However, despite Cissé stating that there was an "agreement in principle" between the parties, on 19 May 2022, Kamara was selected in the France first team for the first time. [17] Kamara made his debut on 6 June 2022, as a second half substitute in a 1–1 away UEFA Nations League draw against Croatia, thus committing his international future to France. [18]
Kamara was born in France to a Senegalese father and a French mother. [19] Kamara has been a supporter of OM since he was a child after going to the Stade Vélodrome with his mother Cathy. [20] He has two sons and a daughter with Coralie Porrovecchio. [21] According to BBC, Kamara is a Muslim. [22]
Club | Season | League | National cup [lower-alpha 1] | League cup [lower-alpha 2] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Marseille II | 2015–16 | Championnat National 2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
2016–17 | Championnat National 2 | 15 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||||
2017–18 | Championnat National 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||||
2018–19 | Championnat National 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
Total | 28 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||||||
Marseille | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 [lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 [lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | ||
2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | |||
2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 5 [lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 1 [lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 43 | 0 | ||
2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 12 [lower-alpha 6] | 0 | — | 48 | 1 | |||
Total | 130 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 170 | 4 | ||
Aston Villa | 2022–23 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||
2023–24 | Premier League | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 [lower-alpha 7] | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | ||
Total | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 56 | 1 | |||
Career total | 202 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 254 | 5 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
France | 2022 | 3 | 0 |
2023 | 2 | 0 | |
Total | 5 | 0 |
Marseille
Olympique de Marseille, also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM, is a French professional football club based in Marseille that competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Founded in 1899, the club has won nine league titles, ten Coupe de France titles, three Coupe de la Ligue titles, three Trophée des Champions titles, a national record of one UEFA Champions League and a joint national record of one UEFA Intertoto Cup. Additionally, Marseille has played in three UEFA Europa League finals. In 1993, coach Raymond Goethals led the team to become the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League, defeating Milan 1–0 in the final, the first under the UEFA Champions League branding of the tournament. In 2010, Marseille won its first Ligue 1 title in 18 years under the management of former club captain Didier Deschamps.
Habib Frédéric Beye is a former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He is the manager of Championnat National club Red Star.
Steve Mandanda Mpidi is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and is the captain of Ligue 1 club Rennes.
Unai Emery Etxegoien is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the manager of the Premier League club Aston Villa.
Idrissa Gana Gueye is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Everton and the Senegal national team.
Jordan Marcel Gilbert Veretout is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the France national team.
Benjamin Mendy is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ligue 1 club Lorient.
Morgan Stéphane Sanson is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nice, on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa.
Clinton Mua N'Jie is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Süper Lig club Sivasspor and the Cameroon national team. He is known for his pace and dribbling skills.
Youri Marion A. Tielemans is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Belgium national team.
Jordan Kévin Amavi is a French professional footballer who plays as a left back for Ligue 1 club Brest, on loan from Marseille. He has previously played professionally for Aston Villa and Nice. He has played regularly for France as a youth player and was called into the senior squad in late 2017 but is yet to make his debut.
Diego Carlos Santos Silva, known as Diego Carlos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Aston Villa.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, also known as Frank Anguissa, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Napoli and the Cameroon national team.
Ismaïla Sarr is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the Senegal national team.
Pape Alassane Gueye is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Marseille. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.
Moussa Diaby is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Premier League club Aston Villa and the France national team.
Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacke Dieng is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lorient and the Senegal national team.
Iliman Cheikh Baroy Ndiaye is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 club Marseille. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.
The 2021–22 season was the 72nd season in the existence of Olympique Lyonnais and the club's 33rd consecutive season in the top flight of French football. In addition to the domestic league, Lyon participated in this season's editions of the Coupe de France and the UEFA Europa League. The club was expelled from the domestic cup due to crowd trouble during their game against Paris FC.
The 2022–23 season was the 117th season in the history of Olympique de Marseille and their 27th consecutive season in the top flight. The club participated in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Champions League. The season covers the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.