Loïc Kouagba

Loïc Kouagba's route to Ligue 2 ran through several seasons of French lower-league football before it paid off. He came through the academy at AC Boulogne-Billancourt, staying with the club until 2013 and going on to make 30 appearances and score once for the first team across the CFA and CFA 2 divisions, with a loan spell at CS Sedan Ardennes along the way. From there he moved through Martigues and Béziers, playing sparingly at the latter before a longer stint at USL Dunkerque.

The turning point came with Red Star FC, which he joined as a free agent in January 2022. In the 2023–24 season, Kouagba was part of the side that won the Championnat National title and secured promotion to Ligue 2, the most significant achievement of his career so far. His performances that season earned him a place in the Championnat National Team of the Year for 2023.

He is of Ivorian descent through his mother, though he has not been capped at senior international level by either France or Ivory Coast. His career has been built largely on free transfers and modest moves between French lower-division clubs rather than significant fees.