James Lea Siliki

James-Edward Manfred Léa Siliki (born 12 June 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Born in France, he represented Cameroon at international level.

Early life Léa Siliki was born in Sarcelles, France, to Cameroonian parents. He acquired French nationality on 18 November 1998, through the collective effect of his parents' naturalization.

Club career Léa Siliki made his Ligue 1 debut with Rennes on 28 January 2017 against Nantes, replacing Aldo Kalulu after 78 minutes.

On 31 August 2021, Léa Siliki joined EFL Championship club Middlesbrough on loan for the duration of the 2021–22 season. Having not played a single minute since the manager who had brought Léa Siliki to Teesside, Neil Warnock, had been replaced by Chris Wilder, the midfielder was told by Wilder that he could leave the club during the January transfer window. His return to action came in February 2022, being replaced at half-time during a 3–2 defeat to struggling Barnsley.

On 22 July 2022, Léa Siliki signed for Primeira Liga club Estoril on a three-year contract. On 1 September 2023, Estoril announced that Léa Siliki's contract had been terminated by mutual agreement, after he had been frozen out of the squad by manager Álvaro Pacheco.

On 9 February 2024, Siliki signed with Gençlerbirliği in Turkey until the end of the 2023–24 season.

International career He played for the France U19 national team in 2014. He debuted with the senior Cameroon national team in a 1–0 friendly win over Nigeria on 4 June 2021.

Personal life In March 2022, Léa Siliki was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram after posting a celebration of Cameroon's qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

International

Honours Rennes B CFA 2 — Group A: 2015–16

Rennes Coupe de France: 2018–19 Trophée des Champions runner-up: 2019

Cameroon Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2021