Dayot Upamecano

Early career

Upamecano began playing football with local club Évreux, alongside the likes of Ousmane Dembélé, Rafik Guitane and Samuel Grandsir. He covered a variety of positions in his youth, before being fixed on the centre-back position. He joined the youth academy of Valenciennes in 2013. Described during the time as a youth in an adult body, Upamecano shaped his play after Sergio Ramos, and developed into a physically imposing defender.

Red Bull Salzburg

After attracting the attention of a number of major European clubs, Upamecano joined Red Bull Salzburg in July 2015 for a reported fee of €2.2 million. He was an unused substitute in Red Bull's UEFA Champions League game against Malmö FF on 29 July 2015. He made his professional debut for Red Bull's farm team, FC Liefering, two days later, in a 2–1 league win against St. Pölten. On 19 March 2016, he made his league debut with Red Bull Salzburg in a 2–1 win over SV Mattersburg. In the first half of the 2016–17 season, Upamecano earned a regular place with the first team in both league and Europa League matches.

RB Leipzig

On 13 January 2017, Upamecano joined RB Leipzig on a 4+1⁄2-year deal, for a reported €10 million fee. On 4 February 2017, he made his Bundesliga debut under coach Ralph Hasenhüttl in a 1–0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund. On 13 September 2017, he made his Champions League debut in a 1–1 draw against Monaco. On 9 February 2018, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 win over…

Upamecano played for the France under-16 team that finished third in the 2014 Aegean Cup. He played in three of his country's four games and was named the competition's best defender. He subsequently moved up to the France under-17 squad, making his debut in a European Championship qualifier against Cyprus on 27 October 2014. France won the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, with Upamecano playing in all six of his country's matches and being named in the team of the tournament. He debuted for France under-18 in a 0–0 friendly draw with United States under-18 on 4 September 2015. On 5 September 2020, Upamecano debuted for the French senior squad, starting in a UEFA Nations League group stage match against Sweden. Three days later on 8 September, he scored his first international goal in a 4–2 victory against Croatia. Upamecano played a pivotal role in France's 2022 FIFA World Cup, starting five of France's seven matches. This included playing the entire 120 minutes in the final in an eventual 3–3 loss in penalties to Argentina. On 14 May 2026, Upamecano was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Upamecano and the rest of the team would finish the tournament in fourth place as England won the third-place match 6–4.

Club

As of match played 5 September 2026

International

As of match played 18 July 2026

As of match played 18 July 2026 Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Upamecano goal

Dayotchanculle Oswald Upamecano was born on 27 October 1998 in Évreux, Eure, and is of Bissau-Guinean descent. He was raised in La Madeleine, a neighbourhood with many African immigrants. He was named after his great-grandfather, who was king of the village on the island of Jeta in Guinea-Bissau, where his parents are from. His mother is Senegalese. He is the first son after four daughters, and has one younger brother. He acquired French nationality on 19 November 2002, through the collective effect of his mother's naturalization. As a 15-year-old, he followed speech therapy sessions to overcome dyslexia and stuttering disorders, which caused shyness and certain difficulties in expressing himself.