Yanis Djamil Barka

Yanis Barka's route to Ligue 2 ran through the lower tiers of French football rather than a traditional academy path to the top. Born in Saint-Quentin, he came through Nancy's youth ranks and made his senior debut for the club in Ligue 2 against Ajaccio, turning professional weeks later. A loan at Marignane Gignac in the Championnat National produced his best individual return of that period: he finished the season as joint top scorer of the Championnat National 2 with 15 goals in all competitions, where he made 34 league appearances but scored only twice. The following years took him away from the professional divisions altogether. A free move to Beauvais, interrupted by a short spell at Paris 13 Atletico, saw him score 24 goals in 56 league matches across two spells there. A further season at Étoile Fréjus Saint-Raphaël in the Championnat National preceded Dijon signing him on a free transfer at the end of January 2025. At Dijon, Barka scored five goals in 15 appearances in his first half-season. Since then he has taken his tally for the club to 15 goals in 44 league appearances. Internationally, Barka represented France at Under-19 level and played at the 2017 Toulon Tournament with the Under-20s, scoring on his only appearance there. He has not been capped by the senior France or Algeria sides.