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Nicolas Pépé

Nicolas Pépé (born 29 May 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger or forward for La Liga club Villarreal. Born in France, he plays for the Ivory Coast national team.

Nicolas Pépé
Pépé playing for Lille in 2019
Personal information
Full name Nicolas Pépé[1]
Date of birth (1995-05-29) 29 May 1995 (age 29)[2]
Place of birth Mantes-la-Jolie, France
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Right winger, forward
Team information
Current team
 Villarreal
Number 19
Youth career
Solitaire Paris Est
Poitiers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Poitiers 9 (2)
2013–2015 Angers II 41 (9)
2013–2017 Angers 40 (3)
2015–2016 → Orléans (loan) 29 (7)
2017–2019 Lille 74 (35)
2019–2023 Arsenal 80 (16)
2022–2023 → Nice (loan) 19 (6)
2023–2024 Trabzonspor 19 (5)
2024– Villarreal 11 (1)
International career‡
2016– Ivory Coast 47 (11)
Medal record
Representing  Ivory Coast
Men's football
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 2023 Ivory Coast
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:14, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 October 2024

Pépé began his senior club career with Poitiers in the Championnat de France Amateur 2. He signed for Angers in 2013, aged 18, and spent a season on loan at Orléans in 2015. He signed for Lille in 2017, and was named to the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year in the 2018–19 season.[4] That summer, Pépé joined Arsenal for a then club-record fee of £72 million, and won the FA Cup in his debut season.[5][6]

Pépé, who was born in France to Ivorian parents, made his debut for the Ivory Coast national team in 2016. He was selected for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Early life

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Pépé was born in Mantes-la-Jolie, Île-de-France, and grew up in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.[7][8]

Club career

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Poitiers

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He started his career originally playing as a goalkeeper for local side Solitaire Paris Est until he was 14 years old.[9] When his father Celestin, a prison guard, was transferred to Poitiers, Pépé began his senior career as an outfield player with Poitiers FC in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 (fifth tier) in 2012–13.[10]

Angers

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Pépé signed for Angers in 2013, and spent his first season with the reserves in the CFA 2.

He made his professional debut in the second round of the Coupe de la Ligue in a 2–1 home loss to Arles-Avignon on 26 August 2014, as a 73rd-minute substitute for Yohann Eudeline. His first Ligue 2 match was on 21 November 2014, starting in a 1–1 Ligue 2 draw away to Ajaccio.[11][12]

Orléans (loan)

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Pépé was loaned to Orléans for the 2015–16 Championnat National, and helped the club to promotion from the third tier as runners-up.[13] He returned to an Angers side playing in Ligue 1 and which reached the 2017 Coupe de France Final, where he started in a 1–0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade de France.[14]

Lille

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On 21 June 2017, Pépé signed a five-year deal with Lille, for a maximum transfer fee of €10 million,[15] after being signed by head coach Marcelo Bielsa who had scouted the player by watching footage of every Ligue 1 game he had played in for Angers, before scouting him in person.[16][17] Pépé described Bielsa as "special" and a "great coach".[18] He started the season playing as a striker after being converted into playing the position under Bielsa, before finishing the season under the new Lille head coach Christophe Galtier, playing as a winger.[19]

During the entirety of the 2017–18 Ligue 1 season, he was a regular in a Lille side that narrowly avoided relegation, missing only two games and scoring 13 times, including two apiece in away wins at Metz and Toulouse.[20]

On 15 September 2018, during the 2018–19 Ligue 1 season, Pépé scored a hat-trick, including two penalties, in the 3–2 away win over Amiens.[21] Days later, it was confirmed by club president Gérard Lopez that Barcelona were among several clubs that were interested in signing him.[5] On 14 April 2019, Pépé scored a goal and provided two assists in the 5–1 home win over Paris Saint-Germain.[22] He finished the 2018–19 Ligue 1 season with 22 goals, second only to PSG's Kylian Mbappé,[4] with 11 assists, and was named in the UNFP Team of the Year and as the Lille Best Player of the season winning the Dogue de la saison award.[23][24][25]

Arsenal

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On 1 August 2019, it was announced that Pépé had joined Premier League club Arsenal in a then club-record fee of €79 million (£72 million),[6] eclipsing the previous record of €62 million for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Upon signing for Arsenal, he was handed the number 19 shirt.[26]

Pépé made his Arsenal debut in a 1–0 away win over Newcastle United on 11 August, as a substitute for Reiss Nelson in the 71st minute.[27] His first start for the club came two weeks later in a 3–1 loss to Liverpool, in which he played the full 90 minutes.[28] He scored his first Arsenal goal, from the penalty spot, in the team's 3–2 home win over Aston Villa on 22 September.[29] He scored his first European goals in Arsenal's UEFA Europa League 3–2 home win over Vitória de Guimarães on 24 October, two free-kicks.[30]

On 1 January 2020, Pépé scored Arsenal's first goal in a 2–0 home victory over Manchester United, marking new head-coach Mikel Arteta's first win.[31] On 16 February, Pépé scored once and assisted twice in a 4–0 win over Newcastle United.[32] On 28 June, he scored his first FA Cup goal in a 2–1 away win against Sheffield United in the quarter-finals, giving Arsenal the lead in the 25th minute from the penalty spot.[33] On 1 August, he played the whole 90 minutes of the FA Cup Final match against Chelsea to win his first club trophy as an Arsenal player, contributing the assist for Aubameyang's second goal.[34]

On 22 November 2020, Pépé received the first red card of his career in a 0–0 away draw against Leeds United after clashing heads with Ezgjan Alioski in the 51st minute.[35] On 2 February 2021, he beat two defenders before scoring in a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers; that goal was later voted as Goal of the Month for February on Arsenal's official website.[36][37]

On 24 February 2022, Pépé scored his first goal of the 2021–22 Premier League season in a 2–1 win against Wolverhampton with an 82nd-minute strike, and was instrumental in the buildup of forcing an own goal in the 95th minute to cap a late comeback.[38]

Loan to Nice

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On 25 August 2022, Pépé joined Ligue 1 club Nice on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season without an option to buy.[39]

Trabzonspor

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Pépé moved to Süper Lig side Trabzonspor on 8 September 2023.[40] He departed Arsenal on a free transfer, having had one year left on his contract.[40]

Villarreal

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On 4 August 2024, Pépé signed for La Liga club Villarreal on a free transfer.[41]

International career

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Pépé was born in France to Ivorian parents.[citation needed] He received a call up to the Ivory Coast national team in November 2016, and was an unused substitute in the goalless draw away to Morocco in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification on 12 November.[42] He made his debut three days later in a friendly of the same score against his birth nation, France, at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, playing the final four minutes in place of Max-Alain Gradel.[43]

Pépé was named in Michel Dussuyer's 23-man squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, but took no part as the Elephants were eliminated in the group stage.[44]

On 24 March 2018, in a friendly against Togo in France, Pépé scored his first international goals in the first half of a 2–2 draw.[45] He followed it three days later, with another goal in a 2–1 win against Moldova in the same stadium.[46]

Pépé was called up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.[47] He was absent from their quarter-final penalty shootout defeat by Algeria, having been dropped for Max Alain Gradel due to a lack of form.[48]

Style of play

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Pépé is known as a quick and skilled attacking winger who is comfortable on both flanks, but usually plays on the right wing cutting onto his left foot; he was also converted from playing in wide positions by former Lille head coach Marcelo Bielsa to play as a striker on either the inside or central channel.[19][49]

Media

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Pépé was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.[50][51]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 9 November 2024[52][53]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Poitiers 2012–13 CFA 2 9 2 — — — 9 2
Angers II 2013–14 CFA 2 19 3 — — — 19 3
2014–15 CFA 2 22 6 — — — 22 6
Total 41 9 0 0 0 0 — 41 9
Angers 2014–15 Ligue 2 7 0 — 1 0 — 8 0
2016–17 Ligue 1 33 3 5 0 1 0 — 39 3
Total 40 3 5 0 2 0 — 47 3
Orléans (loan) 2015–16 Championnat National 29 7 2 1 1 0 — 32 8
Lille 2017–18 Ligue 1 36 13 2 1 — — 38 14
2018–19 Ligue 1 38 22 3 1 1 0 — 42 23
Total 74 35 5 2 1 0 — 80 37
Arsenal 2019–20 Premier League 31 5 5 1 0 0 6[c] 2 42 8
2020–21 Premier League 29 10 2 0 3 0 13[c] 6 47 16
2021–22 Premier League 20 1 0 0 3 2 — 23 3
Total 80 16 7 1 6 2 19 8 112 27
Nice (loan) 2022–23 Ligue 1 19 6 1 0 — 8[d] 2 28 8
Trabzonspor 2023–24 Süper Lig 19 5 4 1 — — 23 6
Villarreal 2024–25 La Liga 11 1 0 0 — — 11 1
Career total 322 84 24 5 10 2 27 10 383 101
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup, Turkish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

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As of match played 11 October 2024[54]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Ivory Coast 2016 1 0
2017 6 0
2018 4 3
2019 9 2
2020 4 0
2021 4 1
2022 9 4
2024 10 1
Total 47 11
As of match played 11 October 2024
Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pépé goal.[54]
List of international goals scored by Nicolas Pépé
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 24 March 2018 Stade Pierre Brisson, Beauvais, France   Togo 1–0 2–2 Friendly
2 2–0
3 27 March 2018 Stade Pierre Brisson, Beauvais, France   Moldova 2–0 2–1 Friendly
4 23 March 2019 Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast   Rwanda 1–0 3–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
5 13 October 2019 Stade de la Licorne, Amiens, France   DR Congo 2–0 3–1 Friendly
6 11 October 2021 Stade de l'Amitie, Cotonou, Benin   Malawi 1–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 16 January 2022 Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon   Sierra Leone 2–1 2–2 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
8 20 January 2022 Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon   Algeria 3–0 3–1 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
9 25 March 2022 Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France   France 1–0 1–2 Friendly
10 16 November 2022 Stade de Marrakech, Marrakesh, Morocco   Burundi 4–0 4–0 Friendly
11 11 October 2024 Laurent Pokou Stadium, San-Pédro, Ivory Coast   Sierra Leone 1–0 4–1 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours

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Arsenal

Ivory Coast

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Cote d'Ivoire" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 15 June 2019. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Nicolas Pépé: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Nicolas Pépé". Lille OSC. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b Dunn, Connor (19 June 2019). "The amazing statistics that prove Nicolas Pepe could've been perfect transfer for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b Marsden, Sam (22 September 2018). "Barcelona interest in Nicolas Pepe confirmed by Lille president". ESPN. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Nicolas Pepe completes move to Arsenal from Lille for club-record £72m". Sky Sports. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Nicolas Pépé". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Nicolas Pépé, la nouvelle star de la Ligue 1". leparisien.fr (in French). 10 February 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Lille's Nicolas Pepe credits goalkeeping experience for goalscoring form". Goal. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  10. ^ Holyman, Ian (1 August 2019). "Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal: Who is the £72m Gunners signing and how will he fit in?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  11. ^ "AC Ajaccio vs. Angers SCO" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Nicolas Pépé, le juvénile atout offensif du Sco" [Nicolas Pépé, SCO's young attacking asset]. Ouest-France (in French). 24 November 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  13. ^ "FOOTBALL L'ancien Poitevin Nicolas Pépé monte en Ligue 2 avec Orléans" [FOOTBALL Former Poitiers player Nicolas Pépé promoted to Ligue 2 with Orléans]. Centre-Presse (in French). 5 June 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Angers 0–1 Paris Saint Germain". BBC Sport. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Nicolas Pépé et Hervé Koffi signent au Losc pour cinq ans (off.)" [Nicolas Pépé and Hervé Koffi sign for LOSO for five years (official)]. L'Équipe (in French). 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Love at First Sight: How Nicolas Pepe Sent Europe's Top Clubs Weak at the Knees". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  17. ^ Bairner, Robin (29 October 2019). "The French Connection: Nicolas Pepe – Europe's most wanted". Goal. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  18. ^ "LOSC: The confidences of Nicolas Pepe on Marcelo Bielsa". 10 Sport. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Nicolas Pepe: All you need to know about Lille star linked with Arsenal". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  20. ^ White, Adam; Devin, Eric (14 May 2018). "Lille have pulled off a miraculous escape from relegation – or have they?". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Pepe hat-trick lifts Lille into second". Ligue 1. 15 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  22. ^ "Brilliant Lille blow away PSG". Ligue 1. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  23. ^ a b "TROPHÉES UNFP 2019 : LE PALMARÈS COMPLET" (in French). LFP. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  24. ^ Sarl, Nas (15 May 2019). "Lille : Sans surprise, Nicolas Pépé est élu meilleur joueur de la saison". Mondialsport.ci (in French). Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Expert view on Nicolas Pepe – The best player in France behind Mbappe who was shaped by Bielsa". Euro Sport. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  26. ^ "#PepeIsHere | Nicolas Pepe becomes record signing". Arsenal F.C.
  27. ^ "Newcastle United 0–1 Arsenalpublisher=BBC". BBC Sport. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  28. ^ "Liverpool 3–1 Arsenal". BBC. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  29. ^ Ames, Nick (22 September 2019). "Aubameyang breaks Aston Villa hearts as 10-man Arsenal bounce back late on". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Arsenal 3-2 Vitoria Guimaraes: Nicolas Pepe rescues Gunners in Europe". BBC Sport. 24 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Arsenal 2-0 Man Utd: Gunners secure first win under Mikel Arteta". BBC Sport. 1 January 2020.
  32. ^ "Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle: Gunners beat Magpies to end run of draws". BBC Sport. 16 February 2020.
  33. ^ "Sheffield United 1-2 Arsenal: Dani Ceballos' late goal sends Arsenal to FA Cup semis". BBC Sport. 28 June 2020.
  34. ^ "FA Cup final 2020: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea - Aubameyang double secures victory". BBC Sport. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  35. ^ Begley, Emlyn (22 November 2020). "Leeds United 0-0 Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe sent off in goalless draw". BBC Sport.
  36. ^ "Wolves beat nine-man Arsenal at Molineux". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  37. ^ "Pepe tops our February Goal of the Month poll". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  38. ^ "Arsenal vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers - Football Match Summary - February 24, 2022". ESPN.com. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  39. ^ "Nicolas Pépé joins OGC Nice on loan". OGC Nice. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Nicolas Pepe: Arsenal winger joins Trabzonspor". BBC Sport. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  41. ^ "Villarreal CF sign Nicolas Pépé!". Villarreal CF. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  42. ^ "Morocco 0–0 Côte d'Ivoire". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  43. ^ "Friendlies 2014–16 – France-Ivory Coast". UEFA. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  44. ^ "Afcon 2017: Wilfried Zaha in Ivory Coast's final squad". BBC Sport. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  45. ^ "Togo/Cote d'Ivoire: Amical – La difficile semaine des eléphants" [Togo/Ivory Coast: Friendly – The Elephants' difficult week] (in French). All Africa. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  46. ^ "Amical – La Côte d'Ivoire l'a emporté sur la Moldavie" [Friendly – The Ivory Coast swept past Moldova] (in French). Made in Foot. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  47. ^ Barrie, Mohamed Fajah (9 June 2019). "Africa Cup of Nations: Bony named in Ivory Coast's final squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  48. ^ "Algeria edge Ivory Coast on penalties to make Africa Cup of Nations semis". France 24. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  49. ^ "Scout Reports: Nicolas Pépé: Premier League Player Watch". Coaches' Voice. Wyscout. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  50. ^ "Full 'All Or Nothing' trailer released". Arsenal F.C. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  51. ^ All or Nothing: Arsenal | Official Full Trailer 🎬. Amazon Prime Video Sport. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022 – via YouTube.
  52. ^ Nicolas Pépé at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  53. ^ "Nicolas Pépé". ogol. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  54. ^ a b "Nicolas Pépé". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  55. ^ Hytner, David (1 August 2020). "Aubameyang at the double as Arsenal turn tables on Chelsea to win FA Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  56. ^ Stevens, Rob (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  57. ^ "NICOLAS PÉPÉ, JOUEUR DU MOIS DE SEPTEMBRE !" (in French). UNFP. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  58. ^ "NICOLAS PÉPÉ, JOUEUR DU MOIS DE JANVIER !" (in French). UNFP. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  59. ^ "Prix Marc-Vivien Foé 2019: le Lillois Nicolas Pépé plébiscité" (in French). Radio France Internationale. 19 May 2019.
  60. ^ Smith, Peter (11 August 2019). "Nicolas Pepe: All you need to know about Arsenals new record signing". SkySports. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  61. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season 2020/21". UEFA. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
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