David Datro Fofana (born 22 December 2002) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Göztepe, on loan from Premier League club Chelsea, and the Ivory Coast national team.

David Datro Fofana
Personal information
Full name David Datro Fofana[1]
Date of birth (2002-12-22) 22 December 2002 (age 21)[1]
Place of birth Ouragahio, Ivory Coast
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Göztepe
(on loan from Chelsea)
Number 99
Youth career
2018–2019 Abidjan City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Abidjan City
2019–2020AFAD (loan)
2021–2022 Molde 42 (15)
2023– Chelsea 3 (0)
2023–2024Union Berlin (loan) 12 (1)
2024Burnley (loan) 15 (4)
2024–Göztepe (loan) 2 (1)
International career
2023– Ivory Coast U23 3 (1)
2019– Ivory Coast 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:10, 5 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 July 2023

Club career

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Early career

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Fofana began his career in the Ivory Coast with Abidjan City, before joining AFAD on loan in 2019.[3] He was heavily scouted by French, Belgian and Norwegian clubs.[4] On 2 February 2021, Fofana signed a professional contract with Norwegian club Molde on a free transfer, signing for four years.[5] He debuted with Molde in a 3–3 UEFA Europa League tie with Hoffenheim on 18 February 2021, scoring his side's third goal in the 74th minute.[6]

Chelsea

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On 28 December 2022, it was announced that Fofana would join English Premier League side Chelsea on 1 January 2023.[7] On 8 January 2023, Fofana came off the bench to make his Chelsea debut in a 4–0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup.[8]

Loan to Union Berlin

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On 11 July 2023, Chelsea announced that Fofana would join Bundesliga side Union Berlin on a season-long loan. [9] He was recalled by Chelsea on 11 January 2024.[10]

Loan to Burnley

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Two days after returning to Chelsea, Fofana was loaned to fellow Premier League club Burnley until the end of the season.[11][12] On 3 February 2024, he scored his first goals for Burnley by netting a brace in a 2–2 draw against Fulham.[13] On 21 May 2024, Burnley confirmed the player was returning to Chelsea.[14]

Loan to Göztepe

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On 13 September 2024, Fofana was loaned to newly-promoted Turkish club Göztepe until the end of the 2024–25 season.[15][16]

International career

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Fofana made his international debut with the Ivory Coast national team in a 2–0 CHAN 2020 loss to Niger on 22 September 2019.[17] On 22 March 2023, Fofana was the captain of the Ivory Coast's U23 national team in a friendly game against Morocco U23, which Ivory Coast won 3–2.[18]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 11 May 2024[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Molde 2021 Eliteserien 18 0 3 1 5[b] 1 26 2
2022 Eliteserien 24 15 5 3 10[c] 4 39 22
Total 42 15 8 4 15 5 65 24
Chelsea 2022–23 Premier League 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
Union Berlin (loan) 2023–24 Bundesliga 12 1 1 0 4[d] 1 17 2
Burnley (loan) 2023–24 Premier League 15 4 15 4
Career total 72 20 10 4 0 0 19 6 101 30
  1. ^ Includes Norwegian Cup, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. ^ Three appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

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As of match played 19 November 2022[19]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Ivory Coast 2019 1 0
2022 2 0
Total 3 0

Honours

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Molde

References

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  1. ^ a b c David Datro Fofana at Soccerway
  2. ^ "David Datro Fofana: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  3. ^ Sang, Kiplagat (22 December 2022). "Datro Fofana: Six quick facts about Chelsea's Ivory Coast wonderkid". goal.com. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  4. ^ Ould-Saada, Arilas Berg (11 February 2021). "Fransk klubb bød 10 mill. for afrikansk stjerneskudd - Molde fikk ham «gratis»". VG (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ "David Fofana er nå klar for Molde FK". Molde.
  6. ^ "Molde vs. Hoffenheim - 18 February 2021". Soccerway.
  7. ^ "David Datro Fofana agreement". Chelsea F.C. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  8. ^ Aarons, Ed (13 January 2023). "David Datro Fofana: Chelsea player's first club claim Molde 'stole' him". The Guardian.
  9. ^ "David Fofana leaves Chelsea on loan". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  10. ^ "David Fofana recalled from Union Berlin loan". www.chelseafc.com. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Fofana joins Burnley on loan". Chelsea FC. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Fofana checks in at Turf Moor". Burnley FC. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Burnley 2–2 Fulham". BBC Sport. 3 February 2024.
  14. ^ "CLUB CONFIRM RETAINED LIST | BurnleyFC". www.burnleyfootballclub.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  15. ^ "David Fofana completes loan move". 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  16. ^ "David Datro Fofana Göztepe'mizde" (in Turkish). Göztepe. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  17. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "CHAN 2020 : le Niger barre la route à la Côte d'Ivoire". CAFOnline.com.
  18. ^ "@DatroDavid". Twitter. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  19. ^ "David Datro Fofana". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
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