Eric Bailly facts for kids
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Bailly playing for Beşiktaş in 2023
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 April 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bingerville, Ivory Coast | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Villarreal | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Espanyol | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Espanyol B | 21 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Espanyol | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Villarreal | 35 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2023 | Manchester United | 70 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Marseille (loan) | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Beşiktaş | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2023– | Villarreal | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Ivory Coast Olympic | 4 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2015– | Ivory Coast | 50 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Eric Bertrand Bailly (born 12 April 1994) is a professional footballer from Ivory Coast. He plays as a centre-back for the Spanish club Villarreal and for his country's national team. Sometimes, he also plays as a right-back.
Bailly started his career in Spain with Espanyol. Later, he moved to Villarreal. After two seasons there, he joined Manchester United in 2016. He played over 100 games for Manchester United and also spent some time on loan at Marseille.
He first played for the Ivory Coast national team in 2015. That same year, he helped them win the Africa Cup of Nations. He also played in two more African tournaments and the 2020 Olympics.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Espanyol
Eric Bailly was born in Bingerville, Ivory Coast. He joined the youth team of Espanyol in Spain in December 2011 when he was 17. A scout from Espanyol saw him play in a youth tournament in Burkina Faso.
He got his work permit in October 2012. He then started playing for Espanyol's reserve team, Espanyol B, in the 2013–14 season.
On 5 October 2014, Bailly played his first game for the main Espanyol team in La Liga. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Real Sociedad. Soon after, he became a full member of the main squad.
Moving to Villarreal
On 29 January 2015, Bailly signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Villarreal, another team in La Liga. He joined for about €5.7 million. He made his first appearance for Villarreal on 22 February, starting in a 1–0 win against Eibar.
On 19 March, Bailly played his first UEFA Europa League game. He was sent off during a 2–1 loss to Sevilla.
On 18 October 2015, Bailly was sent off again in a 2–1 loss to Celta de Vigo. He played seven games as Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. On 22 October, he scored his first goal for the team in a 4–0 win over Dinamo Minsk.
Time at Manchester United
First Season and Europa League Win (2016–17)
On 8 June 2016, Bailly joined Premier League club Manchester United. The transfer fee was reported to be £30 million. He signed a four-year contract and was the first player signed by the new manager, José Mourinho.
He played his first official game for Manchester United on 7 August. They won 2–1 against Leicester City to win the FA Community Shield. Bailly was named the best player of the match. He also won this award in his first Premier League game a week later, a 3–1 win against Bournemouth.
Fans voted him Manchester United's Player of the Month for August 2016. He said that his awards came from hard work. On 23 October 2016, Bailly had to leave a game early because of a serious knee injury during a 4–0 loss to Chelsea. He played 11 games as Manchester United won the Europa League. He was also chosen for the Europa League Squad of the Season.
2017–18 Season
On 19 August 2017, Bailly scored his first league goal for Manchester United. This was his only goal for the club. It happened in a 4–0 away win against Swansea City. He scored after Paul Pogba's header hit the crossbar.
On 8 November 2017, Bailly got an ankle injury. He was out of action for about 100 days. He returned on 17 February 2018, coming on as a substitute in an FA Cup game. He played a total of 18 games that season and scored one goal.
Injuries and Contract Extensions (2018–2021)
Bailly continued to have injury problems in the 2018–19 season. He played only 18 games in all competitions, with 12 of those in the Premier League. On 30 December 2018, he was sent off in a 4–1 win against AFC Bournemouth for a foul.
In July 2019, Bailly was out for another four months due to a knee injury. This happened during a friendly game against Tottenham Hotspur in China. He returned from injury on 10 January 2020, playing for Manchester United's under-23 team. On 17 January 2020, Bailly signed a new two-year contract with United. He played his first Premier League game of the season on 17 February, helping his team win 2–0 against Chelsea.
He played his 100th game for Manchester United in a 1–1 draw against AC Milan in the Europa League. On 26 April 2021, he signed another contract, keeping him at the club until 2024.
On 23 September 2021, Bailly played his first game of the new season in an EFL Cup match against West Ham United. Manchester United lost that game 1–0.
Loan to Marseille (2022–23)
On 24 August 2022, Bailly joined Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille on loan for the 2022–23 season. He played his first game for Marseille as a substitute in a 3–0 win over OGC Nice on 28 August.
On 7 January 2023, during a Coupe de France match, Bailly was sent off for a serious foul. This led to him being suspended for seven matches by the French Football Federation.
Bailly played 17 games for Marseille during the 2022–23 Ligue 1 season.
Short Spell at Beşiktaş
On 4 September 2023, the Turkish club Beşiktaş announced they had signed Bailly for one year.
On 11 December 2023, Beşiktaş announced that Bailly had left the squad due to disagreements within the team. On 29 December 2023, his contract was officially ended.
Returning to Villarreal
On 30 December 2023, Bailly returned to Villarreal. He signed a contract to play for them until 30 June 2025.
International Career
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On 29 December 2014, Eric Bailly was chosen for the Ivory Coast squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He played his first game for his country on 11 January 2015, in a friendly match against Nigeria. He played in all six games during the tournament, and his team won the championship. He was also part of the Ivory Coast squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. He played all three matches, but his team did not get past the group stage.
On 12 October 2018, Bailly scored his first goal for Ivory Coast. It was in a 4–0 win against the Central African Republic. In April of the next year, he got a knee injury, which meant he could not play in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
On 3 July 2021, Bailly was chosen to play for the Ivory Coast Olympic team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He played his first Olympic game on 22 July in a 2–1 win against Saudi Arabia. He played four games in the tournament and scored one goal in a quarter-final match against Spain, which his team lost.
At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, held in early 2022, Bailly suffered an injury during a 2–2 draw with Sierra Leone. Because of this, he missed the next game against Algeria. He wore a special cap in the next match against Egypt. In the penalty shootout, his shot was saved, and Ivory Coast lost the game.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Espanyol B | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Espanyol | 2014–15 | La Liga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Villarreal | 2014–15 | La Liga | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 35 | 1 | |||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| Manchester United | 2016–17 | Premier League | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 70 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 113 | 1 | ||
| Marseille (loan) | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 17!!0!!1!!0 | — | 5!!0 | — | 23!!0 | |||||||
| Beşiktaş | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 5!!0!!0!!0 | — | 3!!0 | — | 8!!0 | |||||||
| Villarreal | 2023–24 | La Liga | 10!!0!!1!!0 | — | 2!!0 | — | 13!!0 | |||||||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 9!!0!!0!!0 | — | — | — | 9!!0 | ||||||||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 172 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 239 | 2 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | 2015 | 12 | 0 |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 2 | |
- Ivory Coast score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bailly goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 2018 | Stade Bouaké, Bouaké, Ivory Coast | 32 |  Central African Republic |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 23 March 2019 | Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | 34 |  Rwanda |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
Honours and Awards
Manchester United
- EFL Cup: 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17; runner-up: 2020–21
- FA Cup runner-up: 2017–18
Ivory Coast
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2015
Individual Awards
- CAF Team of the Year: 2016, 2017, 2018
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
- IFFHS CAF Men's Team of the Decade 2011–2020
See also
In Spanish: Eric Bailly para niños
