Bradley Barcola
Personal information
Full name Bradley Laurent Barcola
Date of birth (2002-09-02) 2 September 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth Villeurbanne, France
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Forward, winger[1]
Team information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain
Number 29
Youth career
2008–2010 AS Buers Villeurbanne
2010–2021 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Lyon II 22 (5)
2021–2023 Lyon 40 (5)
2023– Paris Saint-Germain 16 (2)
International career‡
2022 France U20 1 (0)
2023– France U21 12 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:14, 11 February 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:37, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Bradley Laurent Barcola (born 2 September 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

Early life

Barcola was born on 2 September 2002 in Villeurbanne, a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon,[2] to a French mother and Togolese father.[3][4][5][6][7] He started playing football in his home town, before joining Lyon at the age of eight.[4][5]

Club career

Lyon

During the 2020–21 season Barcola started playing with the Lyon reserve in National 2 while also being a prolific goalscorer with the under-19 who played in the UEFA Youth League,[4] before signing a junior contract in January 2021.[3]

After being called up to Lyon first team by Peter Bosz during the 2021–22 pre-season—scoring his first goal against Bourg-en-Bresse[8]— Barcola signed his first professional contract in September 2021, tying him to the club until 2024.[5][9][10]

Barcola made his professional debut for Lyon on 4 November 2021, replacing Rayan Cherki at the 81st minute of a 3–0 home win against Sparta Prague in the group stage of the Europa League.[11] He managed to deliver an assist for Karl Toko Ekambi on Lyon third goal, helping his side to a win that would make them the first team to officially qualify for this edition round of 16.[12]

Barcola had more playing time during the 2022–23 season, contributing to Lyon's front line alongside top scorer Alexandre Lacazette. On 7 May 2023, he assisted three goals for Lyon and Lacazette for a comeback win against Montepllier in a nine-goal thriller, canceling out four goals scored by opponent striker Elye Wahi.[13]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 31 August 2023, Barcola joined fellow Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for a reported €45 million fee,[14] signing a five-year contract with the club.[14][15] He was assigned the number 29 jersey.[15] On 3 September, Barcola made his debut as a substitute in a 4–1 away win over his former club Lyon. He became the 500th player to make an appearance for Paris Saint-Germain.[16] On 24 September, Barcola made his first start for PSG in a 4–0 win over Le Classique rivals Marseille.[17] On 29 October, he recorded his first goal contribution for the club, an assist for Warren Zaïre-Emery's opening goal in a 3–2 away win over Brest.[18] On 9 December, Barcola scored his first goal for PSG in a 2–1 win over Nantes.[19] On 14 February 2024, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 2–0 victory over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the round of 16.[20]

International career

Barcola was first selected with France under-18 in January 2020 to play two friendlies. However, he did not earn an official cap as most junior encounters were cancelled due to COVID-19 during the following seasons.[3][5][10][21]

Style of play

Barcola is a versatile forward, able to play on both sides of a front three or as a centre forward. He takes inspiration from players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.[4][22]

Personal life

Barcola holds French and Togolese nationalities.[23] His brother Malcolm is also a footballer.[9]

Career statistics

As of match played 14 February 2024[24]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lyon II 2020–21 Championnat National 2 4 2 — — — 4 2
2021–22 Championnat National 2 14 3 — — — 14 3
2022–23 Championnat National 2 4 0 — — — 4 0
Total 22 5 — — — 22 5
Lyon 2021–22 Ligue 1 11 0 0 0 2[b] 0 — 13 0
2022–23 Ligue 1 26 5 5 2 — — 31 7
2023–24 Ligue 1 3 0 0 0 — — 3 0
Total 40 5 5 2 2 0 — 47 7
Paris Saint-Germain 2023–24 Ligue 1 16 2 1 0 5[c] 1 1[d] 0 23 3
Career total 78 12 6 2 7 1 1 0 92 15
  1. ^ Includes Coupe de France
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Appearance in Trophée des Champions

Honours

Paris Saint-Germain

References

  1. ^ "Bradley Barcola". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Bradley Barcola". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Hattabi, Dahbia (17 January 2020). "Officiel : Bradley Barcola signe un contrat stagiaire à l'OL". Foot Mercato (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Hattabi, Dahbia (21 February 2020). "Coupe Gambardella : ces cinq pépites qui font le bonheur de l'Olympique Lyonnais". Foot Mercato (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "OL : premier contrat professionnel pour l'attaquant Bradley Barcola". Le Progrès (in French). 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Bradley Barcola : le jeune attaquant aussi passe professionnel". Africa Top Sports (in French). 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Football : le franco-togolais Bradley Barcola signe un contrat pro". We Love Sport (in French). 14 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Après OL – Bourg : les jeunes dans tous les bons coups". OL.fr (in French). 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b "L'attaquant Bradley Barcola (OL) signe son premier contrat professionnel". L'Équipe (in French). 14 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Bradley Barcola signe son 1er contrat professionnel avec l'OL jusqu'en 2024". OL.fr (in French). 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  11. ^ Ferreira, Sébastien (4 November 2021). "Résultat et résumé OL - Sparta Prague, Ligue Europa, 4e journée Gr. A". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  12. ^ Olivès-Berthet, Cyril (4 November 2021). "L'OL qualifié pour les 8es de finale de la Ligue Europa après sa victoire face au Sparta Prague". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  13. ^ "L'OL arrache une victoire complètement folle face à Montpellier (5-4)". L'Équipe (in French). 7 May 2023.
  14. ^ a b "PSG confirm €45m signing of French wonderkid Bradley Barcola from Lyon". Goal.com. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  15. ^ a b "France U21 international Bradley Barcola joins Paris!". Paris Saint-Germain. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Barcola becomes 500th Paris Saint-Germain player". EN.PSG.FR. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Barcola (PSG) après la victoire contre l'OM : « C'était incroyable »". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  18. ^ "At the end of the suspense, Paris defeats Brest!". EN.PSG.FR. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  19. ^ "PSG-Nantes : magnifique premier but de Bradley Barcola sous le maillot de Paris". Le Parisien (in French). 9 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Bradley Barcola Scores First Champions League Goal With Superb Solo Strike As PSG Beat Real Sociedad". Sports Illustrated. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Sélection : première convocation pour Bradley Barcola". OL.fr (in French). 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  22. ^ Youcef, Rafik (31 July 2018). "Turfu [9/20] - Bradley Barcola (Olympique Lyonnais) : " Je kiffe regarder les vidéos de Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang "". Onze Mondial (in French). Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  23. ^ https://www.unfp.org/joueur/bradley-barcola-23619/
  24. ^ "B. Barcola: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Paris start 2024 with Trophée des Champions triumph!". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.

External links

Paris Saint-Germain F.C. – current squad
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