Jonathan Bamba is a French-Ivorian footballer known for his versatility as a midfielder.
He plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire.
Bamba made his Ligue 1 debut on January 25, 2015, against Paris Saint-Germain.
Biography
Early Life and Background
Jonathan Fousseni Bamba, a talented French-Ivorian footballer, was born in France and has roots in Ivory Coast. He began his football journey at a young age, joining the youth academy of AS Saint-Étienne in 2011, where he honed his skills and developed into a promising player.
Career Development
Bamba made his professional debut for Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1 on January 25, 2015, against Paris Saint-Germain. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first competitive goal for the club on September 20, 2015, in a match against Nantes. Over the next few years, he experienced various loan spells, including stints at Paris FC, Sint-Truiden, and Angers SCO, before signing a five-year deal with Lille OSC in July 2018. At Lille, he continued to shine, making his debut and scoring in a victory over Stade Rennais shortly after joining.
In March 2023, Bamba made a significant decision to switch his international allegiance from France to Ivory Coast, participating in the Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches. He was later named in the Ivory Coast squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he played a key role in their opening match against Guinea-Bissau.
Achievements and Honors
Throughout his career, Bamba has achieved notable success, including winning Ligue 1 with Lille in the 2020-21 season and the Trophée des Champions in 2021. Individually, he has been recognized as the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month on two occasions, showcasing his talent and contributions on the field. As of 2023, he continues to play professionally, currently representing PFC CSKA Moscow.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
Saint-Étienne
Jonathan Fousseni Bamba is a graduate of Saint-Étienne youth academy, which he joined in 2011. Bamba made his Ligue 1 debut on 25 January 2015 against Paris Saint-Germain replacing Yohan Mollo after 82 minutes in a 0–1 home defeat. During the summer of 2015 he scored against Ajax Amsterdam in a pre-season friendly. On 20 September 2015, he started in the Ligue 1 match against Nantes and scored in the 26th minute to register his first competitive goal for Saint-Étienne's first team in a 2–0 home win. On 18 January 2016, Bamba joined Ligue 2 club Paris FC on loan until the end of the 2015-16 season, with Paris FC not given an option to buy him when the loan expired. Bamba was loaned to Belgian First Division A club Sint-Truiden in the summer of 2016. However Sint-Truiden sent him back early to Saint-Etienne during the winter break of the 2016–17 season. On 4 January 2017, Bamba was loaned to Ligue 1 club Angers until the end of the 2016-17 season. On 24 September 2017, Bamba scored Saint-Étienne's second equalizing goal from the penalty spot in a 2–2 Ligue 1 home draw against Rennes to register his fourth Ligue 1 goal (three of which were penalties) of the 2017–18 season.
Lille
On 2 July 2018, Bamba signed a five-year deal with Lille OSC. On 11 August 2018, Bamba made his competitive debut for Lille and scored the final goal of the match in the 3–1 Ligue 1 home win over Stade Rennais. Two weeks later, he played his third Ligue 1 match for…
Bamba was born in France and is of Ivorian descent. He is a dual-national, and was able to choose to represent either France or Ivory Coast internationally.
After representing France at various youth levels, he switched his allegiance to the latter in March 2023, as he accepted a call-up to the Ivorian senior national team for two Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Comoros. In December 2023, Bamba was named in the Ivory Coast's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He was in the starting XI for Ivory Coast's 2–0 win over Guinea-Bissau in the tournament's opening match.
Club
As of match played 17 October 2026
International
As of match played 26 March 2024
Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bamba goal.
- Club
- AS Saint-Étienne (2015–2018)
- Club
- PFC CSKA Moscow (2023–)
- Club
- France national under-16 association football team (2011–2011)
- Club
- France national under-18 association football team (2013–2013)
- Club
- France national under-20 association football team (2015–2015)
- Club
- Paris FC (2016–2016)
- Club
- France national under-21 association football team
- Club
- Sint-Truidense V.V. (2016–2017)
- Club
- Angers SCO (2017–2017)
- League
- Major League Soccer
- National team
- France
- National team
- Ivory Coast
Legacy
Lille
Ligue 1: 2020–21 Trophée des Champions: 2021 Ivory Coast
Africa Cup of Nations: 2023 Individual
UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: April 2019, October 2020
Clubs
- PFC CSKA Moscow2023current
- France national under-21 association football teamcurrent
- France national under-16 association football team2011–2011
- France national under-18 association football team2013–2013
- AS Saint-Étienne2015–2018
- France national under-20 association football team2015–2015
- Paris FC2016–2016
- Sint-Truidense V.V.2016–2017
- Angers SCO2017–2017
Played together with
Aaron Samuel OlanarePFC CSKA Moscow · 2016
Abbosbek FayzullaevPFC CSKA Moscow · 2023–2025- Abdallah YaisienFrance national under-16 association football team · 2009–2010
- Abdallah YaisienFrance national under-18 association football team · 2011–2011
- Abdallah YaisienFrance national under-20 association football team · 2013–2013
- Abdelaziz KamaraAS Saint-Étienne · 2000–2006
- Abdelaziz KamaraFrance national under-16 association football team · 1998–1998
- Abdelaziz KamaraFrance national under-18 association football team · 2000–2000
Abdelhamid El KaoutariFrance national under-16 association football team- Abdelhamid El KaoutariFrance national under-18 association football team · 2007–2008
Abdelkader FerhaouiAS Saint-Étienne · 1998–2000
Abdelkrim MerryAS Saint-Étienne · 1986–1987
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Jonathan Fousseni Bamba is a professional footballer who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire. Born in France, he played for the Ivory Coast national team.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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