Mahdi Camara

Mahdi Cherno Philippe Camara (born 30 June 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Rennes.

Club career A product from the club's youth academy, Camara signed his first professional contract with Saint-Étienne on 15 March 2018. He made his professional debut with ASSE in a 2–1 Ligue 1 win over Guingamp on 11 August 2018. In January 2019, he was loaned to Laval until the end of the season.

Under manager Claude Puel, Camara was Saint-Étienne's captain. However, with the arrival of Pascal Dupraz in December 2021, he was stripped of the captain's armband. On 26 August 2022, Camara joined Ligue 1 side Brest on a season-long loan with an option-to-buy for a reported fee of €3.5 million.

On 24 February 2024, Camara scored his first hat-trick for Brest against Strasbourg in a 3–0 away win. On the final matchday of the 2023–24 season, he scored the opener and provided an assist in a 3–0 away win over Toulouse, helping his club to secure a third-place finish in the league and first ever qualification to the UEFA Champions League.

On 13 August 2025, Camara joined fellow Ligue 1 side Rennes for a reported fee of €8m, signing a four-year contract.

International career Having played for France at youth levels. He was called up to the Gambian provisional squad ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, but he was not on the final list of 28 players called up by coach Tom Saintfiet.

Personal life Born in France, Camara is of Gambian descent.

In early April 2022, Camara was suspended from Saint-Étienne's squad for five days after being involved in a physical fight with reserve goalkeeper Yanis Bourbia. Camara broke Bourbia's nose and split his lip, which caused him to be hospitalized. The cause of the fight was tensions between the Camara and Bourbia families in the stands of the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard during a match against Marseille several days earlier.

Career statistics

Honours Saint-Étienne Coupe de France runner-up: 2019–20