Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (born 4 September 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab and the Belgium national team. A versatile player, Carrasco can be deployed as a left midfielder, left wing-back or left winger.
He began his career with Monaco, where he scored 20 goals in 105 professional games, winning Ligue 2 in his first season and finishing runner-up in Ligue 1 in the second. In 2015, he joined La Liga side Atletico Madrid for a reported €20 million, scoring the equaliser as Atletico lost the 2016 UEFA Champions League final. After a two-year spell with Dalian Professional in the Chinese Super League, Carrasco returned to Atletico in 2020, winning a La Liga title, before departing again for Al-Shabab in 2023.
Carrasco made his international debut for Belgium in April 2015. He played at the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020, and was part of their squad that came third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Carrasco joined Monaco from Belgian club Genk in 2010. He made his professional debut on 30 July 2012 in the opening game of the Ligue 2 season against Tours, opening a 4–0 victory on the stage at the Stade Louis II via a free kick. On 13 April 2013, he scored both goals of a 2–0 league victory over Auxerre. In his debut campaign with the club, he appeared in 27 games and scored six goals as Monaco won promotion back to Ligue 1.
His first top-flight goal came on 5 October 2013 against Saint-etienne, converting a James Rodriguez cross and helping Monaco to a 2–1 victory. He scored twice in the opening 10 minutes fifteen days later as Monaco drew 2–2 away to Sochaux; the team finished their first season back at the top as runners up to Paris Saint-Germain.
On 25 February 2015, he scored the last goal of Monaco's 3–1 away win at Arsenal in the last 16 first leg of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, after replacing Dimitar Berbatov in the 75th minute.
On 10 July 2015, Atletico Madrid announced the signing of Carrasco on a five-year deal for a reported fee of €20 million. On 18 October, he scored his first goal for Atletico in a 2–0 away victory over Real Sociedad.
On 28 May 2016, as a half-time replacement for Augusto Fernandez in the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final at the San Siro, Carrasco scored Atletico's 79th-minute equaliser against Real Madrid; his team lost in a penalty shoot-out. He was the first Belgian to score in a European Cup final.
On 15 October 2016, he scored his first professional hat-trick in a 7–1 rout of Granada CF.
On 26 February 2018, along with teammate Nicolas Gaitan, Carrasco moved to Chinese Super League newcomers Dalian Yifang (later rebranded as Dalian Professional), a club owned by Atleti's partial owner Dalian Wanda Group.[citation needed] He made his debut on 3 March in an 8–0 loss to Shanghai SIPG, and scored his first goal in his fourth match for the club on 31 March, in a 1–1 away draw with Henan Jianye, ending his club's season-opening three-game losing streak.
On 31 January 2020, Carrasco returned to Atletico Madrid on loan until the end of the season. On 8 September 2020, he rejoined the club on a permanent basis, signing a four-year contract. On 21 November 2020, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Barcelona.
On 4 September 2023, Carrasco signed a three-year contract with Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab for a reported fee of €15 million.
Carrasco made his senior international debut in March 2015, as a 69th-minute substitute for Marouane Fellaini in a 5–0 win over Cyprus in UEFA Euro 2016 qualification. He was named in manager Marc Wilmots' squad for the final tournament. On 26 June, in the last 16 in Toulouse, he scored his first international goal to conclude a 4–0 win over Hungary, after replacing Dries Mertens in the second half.
Carrasco was included in the Belgian squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup by manager Roberto Martinez. He made his debut in the opening group stage victory over Panama and was deployed as an attacking left wing back in a 3–4–3 formation. |
