Samuel Umtiti facts for kids
Umtiti with France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup final
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Samuel Yves Um Titi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 November 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Yaoundé, Cameroon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Lille | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2002 | Menival | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2012 | Lyon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Lyon II | 21 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Lyon | 131 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2023 | Barcelona | 134 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Lecce (loan) | 25 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Lille | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | France U17 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | France U18 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | France U19 | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | France U20 | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | France U21 | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | France | 31 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:31, 26 November 2023 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Samuel Umtiti is a French professional footballer born on November 14, 1993. He plays as a centre back for Ligue 1 club Lille.
Umtiti started his professional career with Olympique Lyonnais in 2012. He won the Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions in his first year. He played 170 games for Lyon before moving to La Liga club Barcelona in 2016. At Barcelona, he won three Copa del Rey titles and two league titles. After a loan spell in Italy with Lecce, he returned to France to play for Lille in 2023.
Umtiti played for France at different youth levels, earning 47 caps. He helped the youth team win the U-20 World Cup in 2013. He made his debut for the senior national team at UEFA Euro 2016, where France reached the final. Two years later, he was part of the team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He scored an important goal in the semi-final against Belgium.
Contents
Early Life and French Nationality
Samuel Umtiti was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon. When he was two years old, his family moved to Lyon, France. They first lived in Villeurbanne before settling in the Ménival area of Lyon. Umtiti became a French citizen on September 25, 2008. This happened because his mother became a French citizen.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Lyon
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Umtiti began playing football at a local club called Ménival when he was five. At nine years old, he joined the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy. He made his first professional appearance for Lyon on January 8, 2012. This was in a Coupe de France match, where Lyon won 3–1. Six days later, he played his first Ligue 1 game. In his first season, he played 18 matches.
In the 2012–13 season, Umtiti became a regular player for Lyon. He scored his first goal on January 12, 2013, in a 2–1 win against Troyes. He ended that season having played 32 games and scored two goals.
Moving to Barcelona
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On June 30, 2016, Umtiti joined La Liga club Barcelona for €25 million. He made his first appearance for Barcelona on August 17, helping them win the 2016 Supercopa de España trophy. In March 2017, he scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 5–0 win.
Umtiti played a key role in a famous Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona came back from a 4–0 loss in the first game to win 6–1 in the second. This was the biggest comeback in Champions League history. He finished his first year in Spain by winning the 2016–17 Copa del Rey. He also became a first-choice defender for Barcelona.
In his second season, Umtiti continued to play well under the new manager. He scored the winning goal against Valencia CF in April. A week later, he helped Barcelona win the 2018 Copa del Rey Final with a 5–0 victory. He also won his first La Liga title that season.
On June 3, 2018, Umtiti signed a new five-year contract with Barcelona. His release clause was set at €500 million. He won his fifth trophy with Barcelona in the 2018 Supercopa de España.
In 2018, Umtiti had a knee injury. He chose not to have surgery so he could play in the 2018 World Cup, which France won. However, this choice led to him having many more injury problems in the following seasons. These injuries affected his playing time at Barcelona. In August 2020, he also tested positive for COVID-19.
Loan to Lecce
On August 25, 2022, Umtiti joined Serie A club Lecce on loan until June 30, 2023. He made his debut for Lecce on October 9.
On January 4, 2023, Umtiti and his teammate Lameck Banda faced racist abuse from some fans during a game against Lazio. The referee had to stop the game for a few minutes. Lecce fans supported Umtiti and Banda, trying to drown out the abuse with cheers. Umtiti was very emotional after the game but played well. The club president and FIFA president Gianni Infantino also showed their support. Umtiti played an important role in defense, helping Lecce stay in Serie A.
Leaving Barcelona
On June 30, 2023, Barcelona and Umtiti agreed to end his contract early. His contract was originally set to last until the 2025–26 season.
Joining Lille
On July 21, 2023, Umtiti signed with Ligue 1 club Lille. His contract with Lille is until 2025.
International Career for France
Youth Teams
Umtiti played for various French youth national teams, from under-17 to under-21 levels. He was a key player in the team that won France's first ever U-20 World Cup in 2013. He missed the final match due to a red card in the semi-final.
Senior National Team
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Umtiti was born in Cameroon and lived there for his first two years. The Cameroonian Football Federation tried to get him to play for their national team, but he chose to represent France.
In 2016, Umtiti was chosen for the France squad for UEFA Euro 2016 after another player got injured. He made his senior debut on July 3, playing in the quarter-final against Iceland. He played very well in this game and in the semi-final against Germany. This made many people excited about his future in football.
On June 13, 2017, Umtiti scored his first goal for France. It was an equalizer against England in a friendly match that France won 3–2.
On May 17, 2018, he was selected for France's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In the semi-final against Belgium on July 10, he scored the only goal of the game with a header. On July 15, Umtiti started in the final, where France beat Croatia 4–2 to win the World Cup.
Playing Style and Challenges
Umtiti is a strong and fast left-footed central defender. He is known for his physical strength, ability to predict plays, speed, and good tackling. He is also good at passing the ball and starting attacks from the back. Experts have praised his understanding of the game and his timing.
However, Umtiti has faced many knee and muscle injuries. In 2018, doctors advised him to have surgery for a knee injury. But he chose to play in the World Cup instead. While France won the World Cup, this decision led to more serious and frequent injuries. These injuries have greatly affected his career since then.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon II | 2010–11 | CFA | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2011–12 | CFA | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||||
| 2012–13 | CFA | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||||
| Lyon | 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| Total | 131 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 170 | 5 | ||
| Barcelona | 2016–17 | La Liga | 25 | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 91 | 2 | 16 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 133 | 2 | |||
| Lecce (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| Lille | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 274 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 50 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 362 | 7 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2016 | 4 | 0 |
| 2017 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 31 | 4 | |
- France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Umtiti goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 June 2017 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 8 |  England |
1–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 1 June 2018 | Allianz Riviera, Nice, France | 18 |  Italy |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 10 July 2018 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia | 24 |  Belgium |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
| 4 | 25 March 2019 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 29 |  Iceland |
1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
Honours and Awards
With Lyon
- Coupe de France: 2011–12
- Trophée des Champions: 2012
With Barcelona
- La Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Copa del Rey: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21
- Supercopa de España: 2016, 2018
With France U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2013
With France Senior Team
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016
Special Recognition
- Knight of the Legion of Honour: 2018 (a high award in France)
See also
In Spanish: Samuel Umtiti para niños
