Emmanuel Eboué is a former professional footballer from Ivory Coast, born in 1983.
Eboué played for Arsenal F.C. from 2005 to 2011, where he became a fan favorite.
After leaving Arsenal, Eboué joined Galatasaray S.K. and played there until 2015.
Biography
Early Life
Emmanuel Eboué was born in 1983 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He began his football journey at the ASEC Mimosas youth academy, where he honed his skills before making his professional debut. His talent quickly caught the attention of scouts, leading him to move to Belgium in 2002 to play for K.S.K. Beveren.
Career
Eboué's career took off in Europe when he joined Arsenal F.C. in 2005. Initially, he struggled to secure a starting position, but he made a significant impact during the 2005-06 season, scoring his first goal in a League Cup match against Sunderland. His performances helped Arsenal reach the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, where he faced top teams like Real Madrid and Juventus. After six successful years with Arsenal, he transferred to Galatasaray S.K. in 2011, where he continued to showcase his skills until 2015. He also had a brief stint with Sunderland A.F.C. in 2016.
On the international stage, Eboué represented the Ivory Coast national team from 2004 to 2013, earning a reputation as a reliable right-back. He scored his first international goal in a friendly against Germany in 2009 and was part of the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Personal Life
Off the pitch, Eboué is a devoted Christian and is married to Aurélie, with whom he has three children. However, his personal life took a downturn after his divorce, leading to financial struggles and mental health challenges. He has openly discussed the impact of these issues on his life, including a strained relationship with his children, particularly his son, who is now a player in the Chelsea academy. Despite these challenges, Eboué's legacy as a talented footballer remains intact, and he continues to be a figure of interest in the football community.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
Early career
Born in Abidjan, Eboué began his football career in the ASEC Mimosas youth academy. In 2002, Eboué moved to ASEC's Belgian parent club KSK Beveren and spent three seasons there. His impressive performances in Belgium caught the eye of Arsenal's scouts.
Arsenal
2004–05 season
Eboué's debut came only days after signing from Beveren, in the FA Cup against Stoke City. Although he was not initially a first team regular, making just one FA Premier League appearance, as a substitute, in 2004–05, Eboué was regularly in Arsenal's reserve team. He did however contribute three appearances to Arsenal's victorious 2004–05 FA Cup campaign.
2005–06 season
In 2005–06, Eboué made his breakthrough into the Arsenal side. He started the season mainly as a reserve player, though he scored his first goal for Arsenal in the club's 3–0 League Cup third round victory at Sunderland on 25 October 2005. Despite leaving for the African Cup of Nations in January 2006, he was immediately sent into action on his return; he made his first career Premiership start at right back against Liverpool at Anfield, replacing the injured Lauren. With Lauren injured for the rest of the season, Eboué unexpectedly held his place for the remainder of Arsenal's 2005–06 campaign.
Eboué's run in the Arsenal side included matches in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase against Real Madrid, Juventus, and Villarreal. Impressed with the way the Ivorian adapted to the…
Eboué debuted for Ivory Coast in 2004 and had generally been a regular fixture in the defence operating at right-back for the Elephants, along with former teammate Kolo Touré. On 18 November 2009, Eboué scored his first goal for Ivory Coast in a 2–2 draw against Germany. He was named in Sven-Göran Eriksson's Ivory Coast squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Club
Source: Allocation of appearances in the various seasons before his Arsenal career is uncertain, and therefore applied to the League section for each club, as per time he spent there.
International
Source:
International goals
Source:
- Club
- Ivory Coast men's national football team (2004–2013)
- Club
- ASEC Mimosas (2001–2002)
- Club
- Galatasaray S.K. (2011–2015)
- Club
- Arsenal F.C. (2005–2011)
- Club
- K.S.K. Beveren (2002–2005)
- Club
- Sunderland A.F.C. (2016–2016)
- League
- Premier League
- National team
- Ivory Coast
Personal
Eboué is a Christian. He had three children with his Belgian wife, Aurélie, whom he married before joining Arsenal. Their son, Mathis, is currently a player of the Chelsea academy. In December 2017, Eboué told the Sunday Mirror that he is poor and homeless due to his divorce and bad investments that were under his former wife's control. In June 2019, Eboué spoke about his ongoing struggles with mental health. In 2026, he claimed he has been ruined by his divorce, having lost everything, his relation with his ex-wife being really difficult : "she even refuses to give recent pictures of my children", his relation with his son who has signed professional with Chelsea is non-existent
Clubs
- ASEC Mimosas2001–2002
- K.S.K. Beveren2002–2005
- Ivory Coast men's national football team2004–2013
- Arsenal F.C.2005–2011
- Galatasaray S.K.2011–2015
- Sunderland A.F.C.2016–2016
Played together with
Aaron RamsdaleArsenal F.C. · 2021–2024
Aaron RamseyArsenal F.C. · 2008–2019
Abdoulaye TraoréASEC Mimosas · 1985–1986- Abdoulaye TraoréASEC Mimosas · 1990–1995
Abdul Kader KeïtaGalatasaray S.K. · 2009–2010
Abdullah ErcanGalatasaray S.K. · 2003–2004- Abel XavierGalatasaray S.K. · 2002–2003
- Abel XavierGalatasaray S.K. · 2003–2003
Abou DiabyArsenal F.C. · 2006–2015
Adam JohnsonSunderland A.F.C. · 2012–2016
Adam MatthewsSunderland A.F.C. · 2015
Adil AouchicheSunderland A.F.C. · 2023–2025
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Emmanuel Eboué is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a right back.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
…