Pape Gueye

Pape Alassane Gueye (born 24 January 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Villarreal. Born in France, he plays for the Senegal national team.

Club career Le Havre

Gueye made his professional debut for Le Havre in a 0–0 Ligue 2 tie with Chamois Niortais on 5 May 2017. He signed his first professional contract on 20 June 2017.

Watford On 29 April 2020, it was revealed that Gueye had agreed to join Premier League team Watford when his contract with Le Havre expired on 1 July 2020. Gueye signed a five-year contract with Watford and wore the club's jersey, according to promotional material and a press release made by the club. Twenty-four hours later, Watford agreed a deal for Gueye's transfer to Ligue 1 club Marseille, which included a sell-on clause for Watford. Gueye claimed his agent had given “bad advice”, citing his Watford contract contained a salary of £45,000 per month, not the £45,000 per week that Gueye was originally quoted by his agent.

Marseille On 1 July 2020, Gueye signed a four-year deal with Ligue 1 side Marseille, for a reported fee of €3 million (£2.7 million).

Loan to Sevilla On 30 January 2023, Gueye was loaned out to La Liga club Sevilla for the remainder of the season. He was cup-tied for Sevilla's victorious 2022–23 UEFA Europa League campaign.

Villarreal On 5 July 2024, Gueye joined La Liga club Villarreal on a free transfer for a four-year deal.

International career

Gueye was born in France and is Senegalese by descent. He represented both the France national under-18 football team and the France U19s. However, he decided to represent Senegal on senior level. He debuted with the Senegal national team in a 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Congo on 14 November 2021.

He was part of Senegal's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations; the Lions of Teranga went on to win the tournament for the first time in their history.

Gueye was appointed a Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall following the nation's victory at the tournament.

Gueye played in three of Senegal's four matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, starting the 2–1 win over Ecuador that qualified the nation for the round of 16 for the first time since its debut in 2002. In December 2023, he was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast.

On 18 January 2026, Gueye scored the winning goal for Senegal in the loss against Morocco in extra time, leading Senegal to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, however, the match was later deemed forfeited by Senegal and the victory was awarded to Morocco on the 18th of March 2026, due to the Senegalese team walking off the pitch.

On 21 May 2026, Gueye was officially selected by Senegal's coach Pape Thiaw from his list of 28 players to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A month later, on 26 June, he scored his first World Cup goals, netting a brace and earning the Man of the Match award after coming on as a substitute in a 5–0 victory over Iraq.

Style of play Gueye is a box-to-box midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. He also has a good game viewing and physical strength.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Senegal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gueye goal.

Honours Senegal Africa Cup of Nations: 2021; runner-up: 2025

Individual Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022