Sofiane Boufal

Sofiane Boufal
Boufal with Southampton in 2017
Personal information
Full name Sofiane Boufal[1]
Date of birth (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993
Place of birth Paris, France
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Celta
(on loan from Southampton)
Number 19
Youth career
2010–2012 Angers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Angers B 29 (5)
2012–2015 Angers 46 (4)
2015–2016 Lille 43 (14)
2016– Southampton 50 (3)
2018– → Celta (loan) 3 (0)
National team‡
2016– Morocco 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 September 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 May 2017

Sofiane Boufal (Arabic: سفيان بوفال‎; born 17 September 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Celta Vigo on loan from Southampton and the Morocco national team.

Club career

Angers

Boufal came through the Angers youth system, making his debut for the club at the age of 18, replacing Rayan Frikeche in the closing stages of a 1–0 home loss to FC Istres in August 2012. He made his first ever professional start the next Ligue 2 season, in a 4–2 win away at FC Istres, becoming a regular that season, making 31 appearances in all competitions. In the 2014–15 season, he helped Angers win promotion to Ligue 1. He racked up a total of 4 goals in 16 appearances in the first half of the season, before attracting interest from Ligue 1 clubs.

Lille

On 9 January 2015, Boufal transferred to Lille in Ligue 1, instantly making an impression, scoring 3 goals in 14 league games.[2] The next season, he continued to impress, scoring 12 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions and attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs around the world.[3]

Southampton

On 29 August 2016, Southampton announced they had signed Boufal on a five-year contract for a club-record undisclosed fee.[4] The fee was reported as £16 million, slightly more than the £15 million paid to Roma for Dani Osvaldo in October 2013.[5][6]

In the 2016–17 season, Boufal scored only one League Cup goal and one Premier League goal; his strike in Saints' 26 October 2016 1–0 win over Sunderland in the fourth round of the League Cup won Southampton's Goal of the Season award.[7][8]

On 21 October 2017, Boufal scored a virtuoso 85th-minute goal[9] in a home tie against West Bromwich Albion to lead his team to a 1–0 victory and send them into the top half of the Premier League. Having come on as a substitute in the 80th minute, he gained possession deep within his own half and took the ball past six opposing players before sending it past keeper Ben Foster from just inside the box.[10] This goal was voted the 2017–18 Premier League Goal of the Season.[11]

Celta Vigo

In July 2018, Boufal joined La Liga side Celta Vigo on loan for the 2018—19 campaign.[12]

International career

Boufal made his debut for the Moroccan first team on 26 March 2016 starting in a 1–0 African Cup of Nations qualification victory against Cape Verde.[13]

Career statistics

As of the end of the 2017–18 season[14]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Angers B 2012–13 CFA 2 225————225
2013–14 CFA 2 70————70
Total 295————295
Angers 2012–13 Ligue 2 201000——30
2013–14 Ligue 2 2804000——320
2014–15 Ligue 2 1641020——194
Total 46460200000544
Lille 2014–15 Ligue 1 1430020——163
2015–16 Ligue 1 29111051——3512
Total 4314107100005115
Southampton 2016–17[15] Premier League 241003120—292
2017–18[16] Premier League 2623010——302
Total 50330412000594
Career total 16826100132200019228

International

As of match played 31 May 2017.[17]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Morocco 201630
201720
Total50

Honours

Lille

Southampton

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Games played by Sofiane Boufal in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Games played by Sofiane Boufal in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Sofiane Boufal joins Southampton from Lille on five-year contract". Southampton F.C. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Lall (29 August 2016). "Southampton confirm signing of Sofiane Boufal - Sky sources believe it to be for club record £16m". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Sofiane Boufal: Southampton break transfer record to sign midfielder from Lille". BBC Sport. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Southampton 1 – 0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Boufal wins Goal of the Season". Southampton F.C. 6 May 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Fisher, Ben (21 October 2017). "Sofiane Boufal wonder goal gives Southampton win against West Brom". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  10. ↑ Reddy, Luke (21 October 2017). "Southampton 1 – 0 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Boufal wins Carling Goal of the Season". Premier League. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Boufal set to join Celta Vigo on loan". BBC Sport. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  13. ↑ "Cape Verde Islands vs. Morocco - 25 March 2016". soccerway.com. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "S. BOUFAL". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Sofiane Boufal in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Sofiane Boufal in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Sofiane Boufal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  18. ↑ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2017). "Manchester United 3 Southampton 2". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  19. ↑ "Boufal claims October Carling Goal of the Month". Premier League.
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