Yahia Fofana

Yahia Fofana (born 21 August 2000) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.

Club career

Le Havre A product of Le Havre's academy, Fofana signed his first professional contract on 4 July 2019, with the deal lasting until 2022. His debut came not long after, as he started a Coupe de la Ligue match against Clermont on 13 August. The match ended in a 4–3 victory for Clermont on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

Fofana's Coupe de France debut came on 19 January 2021, as his side lost to Paris FC by a score of 1–0. On 30 January, he played his first match in Ligue 2, coming on as a substitute after Mathieu Gorgelin had been handed a red card in a 0–0 draw away to Chamois Niortais. In the 2021–22 season with Le Havre, he broke into the first team as the starting goalkeeper, surpassing Gorgelin in the pecking order.

Angers

On 30 May 2022, Fofana signed a four-year contract with Ligue 1 side Angers, joining the club on 1 July following the expiration of his contract with Le Havre.

Fofana had committed to Angers in January 2022, agreeing to a four-year contract that would take effect from 1 July after his Le Havre contract expired. Initially expected to be Angers' first-choice goalkeeper, he was replaced by Paul Bernardoni after the summer pre-season and began the 2022–23 season as a substitute, with Bernardoni starting in goal in the opening league match against Nantes, which ended in a 0–0 draw. After a difficult start to the season, with two draws and four consecutive defeats while conceding 15 goals, he made his Ligue 1 debut on 11 September 2022 in a 2–1 victory over Montpellier. He made a costly error against Strasbourg on matchday 10, in a 3–2 defeat, failing to hold a routine free kick from Sanjin Prcić, allowing Habib Diallo to score Strasbourg's third goal. Suffering from knee discomfort, he underwent meniscus surgery during the December break. After recovering from the operation, he returned to the bench, with Bernardoni having regained the starting goalkeeper position. At the end of the season, Fofana started in the final three league matches.

At the end of the 2022–23 season, the club was relegated to Ligue 2. For the 2023–24 campaign in the second tier, Fofana was named the club's first-choice goalkeeper. He enjoyed a strong season, making 33 appearances out of 38 league matches, missing only the fixtures in January and February due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. Angers finished second and earned promotion back to Ligue 1.

International career Born in France, Fofana is of Ivorian descent. He has represented France at U16, U17, U18, and U19 level over the years.

Fofana was called up to the Ivory Coast national team for a set of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches in September 2023. He debuted in a 1–0 win over Lesotho on 9 September 2023.

In December 2023, Fofana was named to the Ivory Coast's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He played in all matches but the opening one. Ivory Coast ended up winning the tournament.

Fofana is included in the list of Ivorian players selected by head coach Emerse Faé to participate in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

On May 15, 2026, Fofana was integrated by Ivory Coast coach Emerse Faé in his list of 26 players in order to participate in the 2026 World Cup.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations: 2023