Serge Aurier

Lens

Aurier played for various youth teams and academies before he was accepted to join Villepinte. He then joined Lens in Ligue 1, where this started his professional footballing career. Shortly after, Aurier, who was then thirteen at the time, had to leave his friends and family as a result of joining Lens. There, Aurier was assigned to the club's reserve team and at a point, was the club's captain in the reserve team. In June 2009, Aurier signed his first professional contract with Lens. Aurier made his professional debut for the club in a 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne on 22 December 2009. Aurier was given another opportunity in the Round of 16 of Coupe de la Ligue, a 2–1 loss against Lorient. He soon sustained a shoulder injury that left him out for two or three weeks. Despite this, Aurier went on to make five appearances for Lens in his first season. Aurier's second season saw him break into the first team, and although he went on to make 26 appearances in 2010–11, the club was relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing second-last in the league table, at 19th. Prior to club's relegation, Aurier had signed a contract extension with the club through to 2015. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Aurier's performance soon attracted interest from clubs around England, with the player considering departing Lens for a new opportunity. However, Aurier ruled out a move abroad, implying that regardless of whether or not Aurier chose to stay or leave Lens, he would be footballing for a…

Despite having lived in France for over 14 years, Aurier did not hold French nationality until 2016. He had originally turned down the chance to play for the Ivory Coast. However, he was called up by manager Sabri Lamouchi in April 2013, and eventually played his first match for his homeland against the Gambia on 8 June that year. Aurier was included in Ivory Coast's 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. In the first group match, against Japan, he provided assists for both Wilfried Bony and Gervinho in a 2–1 win.

On 29 December 2014, Aurier was called up for the Africa Cup of Nations. He played six matches and impressed with his displays in the tournament, particularly in the final. He was shortlisted for the CAF Team of the Tournament. In October 2016, during a World Cup Qualifier against Mali, Aurier rushed to the aid of Mali midfielder, Moussa Doumbia, who had had an epileptic seizure, to prevent him from swallowing his tongue. Despite his good deed, Aurier later drew criticism for celebrating Ivory Coast's second goal with a 'slit throat' gesture. Aurier scored his first goal for the Elephants on 11 January 2017, in a 3–0 friendly win over Uganda in Abu Dhabi, after earlier assisting Jonathan Kodjia. He was made captain of the national team starting with a friendly against the Netherlands, followed by a match against Guinea in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification rounds in June 2017. He was also captain at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, but suffered a hamstring…

Club

As of match played 26 December 2025

International

As of match played 11 February 2024

As of match played 3 June 2022. Ivory Coast score listed first, score column indicates score after each Aurier goal.

Born in Ouragahio, Ivory Coast, Aurier moved to France when he was young, after his parents wanted their children to have a better life. He was passionate about football while growing up. Aurier's younger brother, Christopher, played for his former club Lens. In the early hours of the morning on 13 July 2020, Christopher was shot dead outside a nightclub in Toulouse, France. On 26 September 2016, Aurier was found guilty of assaulting a police officer outside a nightclub in Paris. He was sentenced to two months in prison, but remained at liberty pending an appeal. Although UK authorities granted Aurier a visa in October 2016, it was revoked on 16 November due to his conviction, and as a result, he missed the UEFA Champions League match against Arsenal in London that month. Aurier was originally banned from entering the UK for five years from his conviction, but he was permitted to move to Tottenham in 2017 because his suspended sentence had been converted into a fine.