Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 2 September 2002 | ||
Place of birth | Villeurbanne, France | ||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Forward, winger[1] | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
Number | 29 | ||
Youth career | |||
2008–2010 | AS Buers Villeurbanne | ||
2010–2021 | Lyon | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2020–2023 | Lyon II | 22 | (5) |
2021–2023 | Lyon | 40 | (5) |
2023– | Paris Saint-Germain | 25 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2022 | France U20 | 1 | (0) |
2023– | France U21 | 12 | (4) |
2024– | France U23 | 1 | (0) |
2024– | France | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 02:01, 16 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:55, 5 June 2024 (UTC) |
Bradley Barcola (born 2 September 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team.
Barcola was born on 2 September 2002 in Villeurbanne, a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon,[2] to a French mother and Togolese father.[3][4][5][6][7] He started playing football in his home town, before joining Lyon at the age of eight.[4][5]
During the 2020–21 season Barcola started playing with the Lyon reserve in National 2 while also being a prolific goalscorer with the under-19 who played in the UEFA Youth League,[4] before signing a junior contract in January 2021.[3]
After being called up to the Lyon first team by Peter Bosz during the 2021–22 pre-season—scoring his first goal against Bourg-en-Bresse[8]— Barcola signed his first professional contract in September 2021, tying him to the club until 2024.[5][9][10]
Barcola made his professional debut for Lyon on 4 November 2021, replacing Rayan Cherki at the 81st minute of a 3–0 home win against Sparta Prague in the group stage of the Europa League.[11] He managed to provide an assist for Karl Toko Ekambi on Lyon's third goal, helping his side to a win that would make them the first team to officially qualify for this edition round of 16.[12]
Barcola had more playing time during the 2022–23 season, contributing to Lyon's front line alongside top scorer Alexandre Lacazette. On 7 May 2023, he assisted three goals for Lyon and Lacazette for a comeback win against Montpellier in a nine-goal thriller, canceling out four goals scored by striker Elye Wahi.[13]
On 31 August 2023, Barcola joined fellow Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a reported €45 million fee,[14] signing a five-year contract with the club.[14][15] He was assigned the number 29 jersey.[15] On 3 September, Barcola made his debut as a substitute in a 4–1 away win over his former club Lyon. He became the 500th player to make an appearance for Paris Saint-Germain.[16] On 24 September, Barcola made his first start for PSG in a 4–0 win over Le Classique rivals Marseille.[17] On 29 October, he recorded his first goal contribution for the club, an assist for Warren Zaïre-Emery's opening goal in a 3–2 away win over Brest.[18] On 9 December, Barcola scored his first goal for PSG in a 2–1 win over Nantes.[19]
On 14 February 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 2–0 victory over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the round of 16.[20] The French winger received great praise for his performance in a 4–1 away victory over Barcelona in the Champions League quarter finals second leg on April 16, 2024.[21] He gave a key assist to Ousmane Dembele for the equalizing goal in the match, and was key throughout as Paris overturned a 3–2 deficit.[22]
Barcola was first selected with France under-18 in January 2020 to play two friendlies. However, he did not earn an official cap as most junior encounters were cancelled due to COVID-19 during the following seasons.[3][5][10][23]
On 16 May 2024, Barcola received his first call-up to the France national team for UEFA Euro 2024.[24] Barcola made his debut on 5 June 2024 in a friendly against Luxembourg. He substituted Marcus Thuram in the 81st minute of a 3–0 victory at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz,[25] he got his first goal contribution with an assist to Kylian Mbappé.[26]
Barcola is a versatile forward, able to play on both sides of a front three or as a centre forward. He takes inspiration from players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.[4][27]
Barcola holds French and Togolese nationalities.[28] His brother Malcolm is also a footballer.[9]
Club | Season | League | Coupe de France | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Lyon B | 2020–21 | Championnat National 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | |||
2021–22 | Championnat National 2 | 14 | 3 | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | ||||
2022–23 | Championnat National 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
Total | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | 22 | 5 | |||||
Lyon | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 7 | |||
2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
Total | 40 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 47 | 7 | |||
Paris Saint-Germain | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10[b] | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 39 | 5 |
Career total | 87 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 17 |
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
France | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
Total | 1 | 0 |
Paris Saint-Germain