Harlem Gnohéré

Harlem-Eddy Gnohéré (born 21 February 1988) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Nicknamed "the Bison" due to his strong body frame, Gnohéré started his career as a junior in his native France, and went on to compete in Switzerland, Belgium and Romania.

He represented in the latter country rival teams Dinamo București and FCSB, and became the top scorer of the domestic league in the 2017–18 season. The Gazeta Sporturilor daily named him Foreign Player of the Year twice in a row for his individual performances in Romania.

Career

Dinamo București On 16 July 2015, Gnohéré signed a two-year contract with Romanian team Dinamo București. He was previously unveiled as the player of Petrolul Ploiești, but was quickly released because he was deemed overweight. He scored his first goal on his second Liga I match, a 2–1 victory over ACS Poli Timișoara on 3 August.

On 22 November 2015, Gnohéré netted in a derby against FC Steaua București, which Dinamo won 3–1. After the departure of Cosmin Matei in the winter transfer window, he took over the number 10 jersey. On 17 May 2016, Gnohéré scored in the Cupa României final against CFR Cluj, but his side lost the game 4–5 at the penalty shootout. He ended his first campaign with 18 goals from 41 appearances all competitions comprised.

On 23 July 2016, Gnohéré scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a 4–1 away win against defending champions Astra Giurgiu. In early September, it was reported that cross-town rival Steaua București wished to sign him. Shortly after, he refused to extend his contract with Dinamo and was sent to play for the reserves in the third league for an undetermined period. Gnohéré was however recalled to the first team after less than a month. His last goal was netted from the penalty spot on 26 November 2016, in a 2–1 away defeat of Voluntari.

FCSB

In January 2017, after entering the final six months of his contract with Dinamo București, Gnohéré moved to FC Steaua București—later renamed FCSB—for an undisclosed transfer fee. He became the first foreigner to have played for the two Bucharest rivals.

On 19 October 2017, Gnohéré recorded his first European goals in a 2–1 away victory over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the UEFA Europa League group stages. Three days later, he scored a hat-trick in a 7–0 away rout of ACS Poli Timișoara. On 15 February 2018, Gnohéré scored the only goal of a Europa League round of 32 first leg match with Italian team Lazio. He repeated the performance in the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico, but FCSB lost the game 1–5.

Gnohéré became the first player outside Romania to net for both Steaua/FCSB and Dinamo in the Eternal derby, after opening the scoring in a 3–3 league draw on 29 July 2018. On 31 March 2019, he scored the winner in a 3–2 victory over title contenders Universitatea Craiova, representing his 50th goal in the first division.

On 4 June 2020, FCSB announced the termination of Gnohéré's contract, almost three months after being placed on technical unemployment because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He departed as the club's top foreign goalscorer in the Liga I with 41 goals, as well as the championship's third-best foreign goalscorer with 58 goals.

Return to Mouscron On 20 July 2020, Gnohéré returned to his former club Mouscron.

Personal life Born in France, Gnohéré is of Ivorian descent. His brother Arthur was also a footballer, and he too played for several clubs in France and Switzerland.

Career statistics

Honours Charleroi 2018 DigiSport Liga I Player of the Month: September 2015, October 2017 UEFA Europa League Player of the Week: 20 October 2017, Liga I top scorer: 2017–18 (shared George Țucudean) Liga I Team of the Season: 2017–18, 2018–19, Liga I Team of the Championship play-offs: 2017–18, 2018–19,