Jonathan Fousseni Bamba

Two loan spells and a starting role at Saint-Étienne were enough to get Lille to sign Jonathan Fousseni Bamba in 2018. Over five seasons he made 167 appearances and scored 27 goals for the club.

He came up through the Saint-Étienne academy after starting out at CA Paris and UJA Alfortville, and broke into the first team in 2015 following two years with the reserves. Loans followed at Paris FC, Sint-Truiden and Angers before he settled back into the senior side, then left for Lille. A move to Celta de Vigo in 2023 brought two seasons in Spain, 39 appearances and three goals, before he joined Chicago Fire, where he has made 49 appearances and scored seven goals.

Bamba came through the French youth ranks, from the under-16s up to the under-21s, scoring five goals in 21 appearances at that level. He switched allegiance to Ivory Coast, the country of his other nationality, and made his senior debut for them in March 2023. He has won ten caps and scored once, and was part of the squad that won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.