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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| Date of birth | 14 November 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Yaoundé, Cameroon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | 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 | 91 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Lecce (loan) | 25 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Lille | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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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Honours
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Samuel Umtiti, born on November 14, 1993, is a French professional footballer. He plays as a centre back for Lille, a team in France's top league, Ligue 1.
Samuel started his football journey with Lyon in 2012. He quickly won two major trophies: the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions. After playing 170 games for Lyon, he moved to Barcelona in Spain in 2016. There, he won three Copa del Rey titles and two league titles. Later, he played on loan for Lecce in Italy before returning to France with Lille in 2023.
Umtiti also played for the French youth teams, earning 47 caps and scoring three goals. He helped France 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 a key player in the squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He even scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Belgium.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to France
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. Samuel became a French citizen on September 25, 2008, through his mother's naturalization.
Club Football Career
Starting at Lyon
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Samuel joined a local football club called Ménival when he was five. At nine, he joined the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy. He first appeared with Lyon's senior team on August 16, 2011. This was during a Champions League match against Rubin Kazan.
He made his official professional debut on January 8, 2012. He played the whole game in a 3–1 win against AS Lyon-Duchère in the Coupe de France. Six days later, he played his first Ligue 1 game against Montpellier. In his first season (2011–12), Umtiti played 18 games.
In the 2012–13 season, he became a regular player for Lyon. On January 12, 2013, he scored his first career goal against Troyes. He ended that season with 32 appearances and two goals.
Playing for Barcelona
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On June 30, 2016, Umtiti joined La Liga club Barcelona for €25 million. He played his first game for Barcelona on August 17, helping them win the 2016 Supercopa de España against Sevilla.
In September 2016, he got a knee injury during training. On March 4, 2017, he scored his first goal for Barcelona against Celta de Vigo. He also played a key role in a famous Champions League comeback. Barcelona won 6–1 against Paris Saint-Germain after losing the first game 4–0. He finished his first year in Spain by winning the 2016–17 Copa del Rey. He also became a first-choice defender alongside Gerard Piqué.
In his second season, Umtiti continued to play well. On December 2, he injured his right hamstring. On April 14, he scored the winning goal against Valencia CF. A week later, he helped Barcelona win the 2018 Copa del Rey Final with a 5–0 victory over Sevilla. He also won his first La Liga title that season. He played 40 games and scored one goal.
On June 3, 2018, Umtiti signed a new five-year contract with Barcelona. However, he suffered a knee injury in 2018. He chose not to have surgery so he could play in the 2018 World Cup. This choice led to him being injured often in the following seasons.
In August 2020, Umtiti tested positive for COVID-19. Due to ongoing fitness problems, he played less for Barcelona.
Loan to Lecce
On August 25, 2022, Barcelona loaned Umtiti to Serie A club Lecce until June 30, 2023. He made his debut for Lecce on October 9, playing the full 90 minutes against Roma.
On January 4, 2023, Umtiti and his teammate Lameck Banda faced racist abuse from some away fans during a game against Lazio. The referee had to stop the game briefly. Lecce fans supported Umtiti and Banda, and the club's president also spoke out against the abuse. FIFA president Gianni Infantino also showed his support. Umtiti played 24 games for Lecce and helped them stay in Serie A.
Contract Ends at Barcelona
On June 30, 2023, Barcelona and Umtiti agreed to end his contract early. It was supposed to last until the 2025–26 season.
Joining Lille
On July 21, 2023, Umtiti signed with Lille in Ligue 1 until 2025.
International Career
Youth Teams
Umtiti played for various French youth teams, from under-17 to under-21. He was a key player when France won their first ever U-20 World Cup in 2013. He missed the final against Uruguay because of a red card in the semi-final.
Senior National Team
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Samuel Umtiti was born in Cameroon. The Cameroonian Football Federation tried to get him to play for their national team, but he chose to represent France.
Umtiti was chosen by France's coach, Didier Deschamps, for the European Championship in 2016. This happened after another player, Jérémy Mathieu, got injured. Umtiti made his senior debut on July 3 in the quarter-final against Iceland. He played the entire match, replacing a suspended player. He was the first outfield player since 1966 to make his first cap for France in a major tournament final. He played very well, completing all 77 of his passes in France's 5–2 win. His performance in the semi-final against Germany also received high praise.
On June 13, 2017, Umtiti scored his first goal for France. He equalized against England in a friendly match, which France won 3–2.
On May 17, 2018, he was selected for France's 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 from a corner kick. On July 15, Umtiti started in the final, where France beat Croatia 4–2 to win the World Cup.
Playing Style and Injuries
Umtiti is a strong and quick left-footed central defender. He is known for his physical strength, ability to anticipate plays, speed, and tackling skills. He is also good at heading the ball. He can carry the ball out from defense and start attacks with his passing. Experts have praised his understanding of the game and his timing.
However, Umtiti has faced many knee and muscle injuries since 2017. Before the 2018 World Cup, doctors advised him to have surgery. But he chose to play through the pain to be part of the World Cup-winning team. While he won the World Cup, this choice has led to many more injuries throughout his career. He is now known to be very prone to injuries.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| 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 |
Football Achievements
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 National Team
- FIFA World Cup: 2018
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016
