Gueïda Fofana (born 16 May 1991 in Le Havre) is a French football player who currently plays for French club Lyon in Ligue 1. He is a French youth international and has captained at all levels of youth. In 2010, Fofana captained the France team that won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship on home soil. He operates as a defensive midfielder, but can also play as a defender and is known for his physical style of play.
Le Havre
Fofana began his career playing for hometown club ES Mont-Gaillard. The youngster drew the interest of Le Havre, which he initially rejected preferring to play with his friends and remain close to his family. However, after constant inquiries, Fofana accepted and joined the club at age 12. While in the club's training center, Fofana developed into youth international and one of the club's most promising prospects, alongside the now-departed Paul Pogba, captaining several of the team's youth squads. In 2008, he signed an élite contract until June 2011. In the 2008–09 season, despite being 17 years old, he appeared on the bench as a senior team player for several matches, though he didn't make an appearance, mainly due to dealing with the rigorous effects of a herniated disc. The club suffered relegation from Ligue 1 in the 2008–09 season and, for the 2009–10 season, Fofana began training with the first team on a permanent basis.
In the club's first competitive match of the new campaign, Fofana appeared on the bench in the club's 2–1 loss to Tours in the Coupe de la Ligue. He made his professional debut on 18 August 2009 in a league match against Tours appearing as a substitute in the 78th minute. Le Havre, again, lost to Tours 2–0. Fofana earned his first start on 26 September 2009 playing the entire 90 minutes in the club's 2–0 victory over Metz. On 26 November, Fofana scored his first professional goal in the club's 1–0 victory over AC Ajaccio. Two weeks later, Fofana earn his first professional red card after accumulating two yellow cards in only 26 minutes in a 1–0 defeat to Clermont. He finished the campaign with 31 total appearances and one goal.
Fofana began the 2010–11 season as a starter in the midfield. On 20 August 2010, he assisted on Le Havre's opening goal in a 2–1 victory over Stade Reims. On 3 December, Fofana scored his first goal of the season in a 2–1 victory over Metz. After a failed January 2011 transfer to English club Aston Villa, on 28 January 2011, Fofana signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Le Havre. |
