Aliou Badara Balde

Balde was born in Baghagha, a village in Senegal's Ziguinchor region, and came through the youth ranks at Diambars FC before Feyenoord signed him in January 2021. His breakthrough came away from Rotterdam: on loan at FC Dordrecht between August 2022 and January 2023, he finished as the club's top scorer with eight goals in 15 Eerste Divisie appearances.

Feyenoord let him go permanently to FC Lausanne-Sport at the end of that January, and within months he had earned a move to Ligue 1. OGC Nice signed him from Lausanne in September 2023 on a contract running to 2028. He was sent out on loan twice more, first to VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga and then back to Lausanne-Sport, before FC St. Gallen took him on loan in July 2025.

That switch to Switzerland reshaped his career. Balde became a regular starter for St. Gallen, and in the 2025-26 Swiss Super League season he scored 11 goals in 36 appearances. Nice made the move permanent in June 2026 for a fee of around €3 million.

Although born in Senegal, where he played for the under-17 side at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Balde switched allegiance and made his senior debut for Guinea on 10 June 2024 against Mozambique in a World Cup qualifier. He went on to represent Guinea at the 2024 Paris Olympics.