Yves Bissouma (born 30 August 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Born in the Ivory Coast, he represents the Mali national team.

Yves Bissouma
Bissouma training pre-match for Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018
Personal information
Full name Yves Bissouma[1]
Date of birth (1996-08-30) 30 August 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Issia, Ivory Coast
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Tottenham Hotspur
Number 8
Youth career
2009–2014 Majestic SC / JMG Academy Bamako
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Real Bamako
2016–2017 Lille II 14 (3)
2016–2018 Lille 47 (3)
2018–2022 Brighton & Hove Albion 112 (3)
2022– Tottenham Hotspur 60 (2)
International career
2015 Mali U23 3 (0)
2016– Mali 43 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:23, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:30, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Early career

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Born in Issia, Ivory Coast, Bissouma trained at the prestigious Majestic SC academy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, an academy partnered with Jean-Marc Guillou Academy in Bamako, Mali.[3][4] At age 13, he was scouted to the academy in Mali, trained there for five years, where he played with future Mali international Adama Traoré. At age 18, he joined AS Real Bamako.[4][3]

Lille

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He caught the attention of French scouts in the African Nations Championship in February 2016.[3] On 7 July 2016, four months after having arrived at Lille OSC from AS Real Bamako, Bissouma signed his first professional contract with the club, with a duration of three years.[5]

Brighton & Hove Albion

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On 17 July 2018, Bissouma transferred to English side Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee, signing a five-year contract with the club.[6] He made his debut for the Sussex club on the opening day of the 2018–19 Premier League season in a 2–0 away loss to Watford where he came on as a substitute.[7] He made his first start in Brighton's third match of the season, a single-goal defeat at Liverpool.[8] On 5 January 2019, Bissouma scored his first Albion goal on his FA Cup debut in a 3–1 away win against south coast rivals Bournemouth in the third round.[9]

He scored his first Premier League goal on the last day of the 2019–20 season with a long-range shot in a 2–1 away win against Burnley.[10]

Bissouma was given a straight red card late on in Brighton's 3–0 away victory over Newcastle in their second league match of the 2020–21 season for catching Jamal Lewis in the face with his boot.[11] He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 away defeat against Everton on 3 October.[12] On 23 January 2021, in a fourth round FA Cup tie, Bissouma scored a 30-yard goal to put Brighton ahead in a 2–1 home win against Blackpool.[13]

On 21 August, in Brighton's second match of the 2021–22 season he made his first Albion assist, to Neal Maupay in a 2–0 home victory over Watford.[14] Bissouma scored his first goal of the season on 5 February 2022, putting Brighton one behind Tottenham in an eventual 3–1 away loss in the FA Cup fourth round.[15] In April, he was suspended for Brighton's 3–0 away loss at Manchester City and 2–2 home drew against Southampton after picking up ten yellow cards.[16][17][18] Returning from suspension, Bissouma scored a 20-yard effort finding the bottom corner, scoring Albions' third in a 3–0 away victory over Wolves taking Brighton's point tally to 44, breaking their record of 41 in the Premier League.[19] A week later, Bissouma played the whole match of the 4–0 home win against Manchester United, which at the time was tied for Brighton's largest top-flight victory.[20]

Tottenham Hotspur

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On 14 June 2022, Tottenham Hotspur agreed a £30m deal for Bissouma.[21] Three days later, Tottenham confirmed the signing of Bissouma, with the Malian signing a four-year deal.[22] On 6 August, Bissouma made his debut for the club, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 4–1 win over Southampton in the Premier League.[23]

Bissouma started the 2023–24 season with two-consecutive Man of the Match performances in the first two matches, against Brentford and Manchester United.[24][25]

On 24 August 2024, in his first appearance of the 2024-25 season, Bissouma scored his first competitive goal for Tottenham in a 4-0 home win over Everton.[26] In a 4-0 away win against Manchester City on 23 November 2024, Bissouma was booked 14 seconds into the game after a foul on Phil Foden, which surpasses Sadio Mané's record in 2022 (15 seconds) of the quickest yellow card in the Premier League history.[27]

International career

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Born in the Ivory Coast and moving to Mali aged 13 to pursue a professional football career, Bissouma participated at the 2016 African Nations Championship with Mali.[28] In the semi-final against the Ivory Coast, he was brought on as a substitute in the 76th minute and scored the only goal of the game, in the 89th minute. They went on to lose in the final against DR Congo.[29]

Bissouma was named in Mali's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations to be played in January 2022.[30] He made an appearance in the first match on 13 January, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute, replacing Adama Traoré, in a controversial 1–0 victory over Tunisia, with the referee blowing for full-time early on two occasions.[31] Bissouma played in all four of Mali's matches as they were knocked out via penalties against Equatorial Guinea in the round of 16 on 26 January.[32][33][34]

Personal life

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Bissouma has been banned from driving in the United Kingdom on two occasions due to repeated speeding offences in 2019 and 2021.[35] On 6 October 2021, Sussex Police arrested him on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman. He was led out of The Arch, a nightclub in Brighton, in handcuffs. He was initially bailed until 3 November; his bail was later extended to 6 December.[36] On 8 December, it was announced that he had been bailed for a further four weeks.[37] A further update in January 2022 from Sussex Police noted that he was currently released under investigation while enquiries continued.[38] On 29 June, Bissouma was cleared of all allegations.[39]

In August 2024, Tottenham suspended Yves Bissouma from the opening match of the next Premier League season. The reason was a video posted on Snapchat in which the footballer inhaled laughing gas from a balloon. In the UK, this substance is considered a drug.[40]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 28 November 2024[41]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lille B 2016–17 Championnat National 2 14 3 14 3
Lille 2016–17 Ligue 1 23 1 3 0 0 0 1[a] 0 27 1
2017–18 Ligue 1 24 2 2 1 2 0 28 3
Total 47 3 5 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 55 4
Brighton & Hove Albion 2018–19 Premier League 28 0 5 1 1 0 34 1
2019–20 Premier League 22 1 1 0 0 0 23 1
2020–21 Premier League 36 1 3 1 0 0 39 2
2021–22 Premier League 26 1 1 1 1 0 28 2
Total 112 3 10 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 124 6
Tottenham Hotspur 2022–23 Premier League 23 0 1 0 1 0 3[b] 0 28 0
2023–24 Premier League 28 0 0 0 0 0 28 0
2024–25 Premier League 9 2 0 0 1 0 4[a] 0 14 2
Total 60 2 1 0 2 0 7 0 0 0 70 2
Career total 233 11 16 4 6 0 8 0 0 0 253 15
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

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As of match played 19 November 2024[42]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Mali 2015 1 0
2016 5 1
2017 9 2
2018 4 0
2022 10 0
2023 3 0
2024 11 2
Total 43 5
Scores and results list Mali's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bissouma goal.
List of international goals scored by Yves Bissouma[42]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 February 2016 Kigali Pelé Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda   Ivory Coast 1–0 1–0 2016 African Nations Championship
2 25 January 2017 Stade d'Oyem, Oyem, Gabon   Uganda 1–1 1–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
3 10 June 2017 Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali   Gabon 2–1 2–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4 6 September 2024 Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali   Mozambique 1–1 1–1 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
5 10 September 2024 Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, South Africa   Eswatini 1–0 1–0

Honours

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Mali

References

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  1. ^ "2018/19 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Yves Bissouma: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Pousset, Maxime. "Qui-es-tu-yves-bissouma" (in French). LOSC.fr. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Brighton's Yves Bissouma: 'At 13 it was hard to leave my parents'". The Guardian. 4 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Lille : Yves Bissouma signe son premier contrat professionnel". L'Equipe (in French). 7 July 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Yves Bissouma: Brighton sign Mali international from Lille". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Watford 2–0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Liverpool 1–0 Brighton: Mohamed Salah goal sends Liverpool top – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  9. ^ "FA Cup: AFC Bournemouth 1–3 Brighton & Hove Albion highlights – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Burnley 1–2 Brighton: Yves Bissouma's stunning strike sees of Clarets – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Newcastle United 0–3 Brighton & Hove Albion: Neal Maupay scores two in superb Seagulls win – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Everton 4–2 Brighton: Calvert−Lewin scores again as Toffees go top – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Brighton 2–1 Blackpool: Bissouma stuuner helps hosts progress in FA Cup". BBC Sport. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion: 2–0 Watford: Brighton make best start to a top-flight campaign – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Tottenham 3–1 Brighton: Harry Kane praises 'brilliant' Antonio Conte as Spurs progress in FA Cup – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Man City 3–0 Brighton: City go back top with six games to play – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 2–2 Southampton: Ward-Prowse hits two entertaining draw – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Man City team news: Bissouma suspended, Alzate returns – Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Wolves 0–3 Brighton: Mac Allister, Trossard and Bissouma earn excellent away win – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Brighton 4–0 Manchester United: Big defeat ends United's Champions League hopes – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  21. ^ "Yves Bissouma: Tottenham agree £30m deal for Brighton midfielder – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Bissouma joins from Brighton". Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Biggest-ever opening day victory in Premier League era - report and reaction". Tottenham Hotspur. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur, 2023/24 | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur v Man Utd, 2023/24 | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  26. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton: Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  27. ^ "14 seconds: Ange Postecoglou will be fuming at £35m Tottenham star's crazy opening action vs Man City". Caught Offside. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  28. ^ "Ivoirien d'origine, malien de nationalité, le footballeur Yves Bissouma, fait la fierté du Mali". 28 January 2017.
  29. ^ a b Kamasa, Peter (5 February 2016). "[PHOTOS]: Bissouma inspires Mali to CHAN final". The New Times (Rwanda). Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Afcon 2021 squads: Nigeria, Ghana Cameroon & every official tournament squad list – Goals.com". BBC Sport. 25 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Afcon 2021: Mail beat Tunisia after controversial ending – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  32. ^ "Afcon 2021: The Gambia and Mali close in on last 16 after draw – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  33. ^ "Afcon 2021: Mali see off Mauritania to group group – BBC Sport". Goals.com. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  34. ^ "Afcon 2021: Keeper Owono the hero as Equatorial Guinea shock Mali on penalties – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  35. ^ Doherty-Cove, Jody. "Albion's Yves Bissouma caught speeding five times in Brighton". The Argus. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  36. ^ le Duc, Frank (3 November 2021). "Police bail Brighton and Hove Albion footballer for a further five weeks". Brighton & Hove News. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  37. ^ "Police bail Brighton and Hove Albion footballer for a further four weeks". Brighton and Hove News. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  38. ^ "Brighton player sexual assault UPDATE: Sussex Police statement in full – what does released under investigation mean?". Brighton and Hove Independent. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Yves Bissouma: Tottenham midfielder cleared after sexual assault allegation". The Athletic. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Tottenham suspends Bissouma for Premier League opener after video showing him inhaling nitrous oxide". Associated Press. 15 August 2024.
  41. ^ "Y. Bissouma". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Yves Bissouma". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
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