Papy Djilobodji

As of match played 3 June 2023

Early years

Born in Kaolack, Djilobodji began his career with hometown team ASC Saloum, making his senior debut in the 2007–08 season. After two successful seasons in the Senegal Premier League, he transferred to French club Sénart-Moissy in October 2009. He played a good first half of the 2009–10 season in the Championnat de France amateur 2, which led to him being bought by Nantes on 27 December 2009.

Nantes

On 14 May 2010, Djilobodji made his debut for Nantes in a 3–1 Ligue 2 defeat against eventual champions Caen. He was regular in his second year, playing 27 games and scoring twice, ending with a record of 186 appearances and 9 goals. In the Summer transfer window of 2015, it was reported that he had caught the attention of many English Premier League clubs such as Sunderland and Aston Villa, neither of whom made bids for him.

Chelsea

On 1 September 2015, Djilobodji signed for Premier League champions Chelsea on a four-year contract, for a fee reported to be in the region of £2.7 million to £4 million. The following day, he was not included in their 25-man squad for the UEFA Champions League. He made his only Blues appearance in the third round of the League Cup away to Walsall, replacing Radamel Falcao in added time at the end of a 4–1 victory. On 21 January 2016, Djilobodji signed for Werder Bremen until the end of the 2015–16 season. Three days later, he made his debut in the Bundesliga in a 3–1 win away to Schalke and was praised for his…

Djilobodji was part of the Senegal squad at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. He played two games in their elimination from Group C, being substituted at half time for Lamine Gassama in the first, a 2–1 win over eventual finalists Ghana at the Estadio de Mongomo.