Malick Fofana

Biography

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. Club career 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. After he already participated in the pre-season friendlies, 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. Only a week later, he was awarded his first start against Westerlo, leading his team to a 2–1 home win. 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. In the process, he became the third Belgian player in the history of Lyon, following Eric Deflandre and Jason Denayer. International career 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. 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. Personal life Born in Belgium, Fofana is of Guinean and Filipino descent.