|
Elye Wahi
Sepe Elye Delmas Wahi (born 2 January 2003) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Marseille. Early lifeSepe Elye Delmas Wahi[2] was born on 2 January 2003[3] in Courcouronnes, Essonne.[4] He is of Ivorian descent.[5] Wahi's father died when he was two years old. He grew up with his mother Olga, his sister, and his stepfather Richmond.[6] Club careerCaenWhile a youth player at Caen, Wahi made headlines for scoring 89 goals in the 2016–17 season as an under-14 and under-15 player.[5][7] MontpellierOn 17 October 2019, Wahi signed his first professional contract with Montpellier.[8] He made his professional debut in a 2–0 Ligue 1 loss to Metz on 16 December 2020.[9] Wahi scored his first goal for Montpellier in a 3–2 loss to Monaco on 15 January 2021. In doing so, he became the club's second-youngest ever goal scorer at the age of 18 years and 13 days.[10] On 14 March 2022, Wahi signed a contract extension at Montpellier.[11] On 29 December 2022, by scoring his twentieth career Ligue 1 goal in a 2–0 away win over Lorient, Wahi became only the second teenager after Kylian Mbappé to reach this milestone in the previous forty years.[12] He quickly became the second youngest player in the history of Ligue 1 to reach the landmark of 25 goals in the competition.[13] On 7 May 2023, he scored four goals in fifteen minutes for Montpellier in a 5–4 away defeat to Lyon.[14] LensOn 20 August 2023, Wahi signed a five-year contract with Lens following a €35 million transfer from Montpellier.[15] The deal became Lens's record arrival, Montpellier's record sale, and the second-biggest transfer between two Ligue 1 clubs.[16] On the same day, he was presented to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis ahead of a match against Rennes, holding his new number 9 shirt.[17] On 29 September, he scored his first goal at the club in a 1–0 away win over Strasbourg.[18] On 3 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal and provided an assist in a 2–1 home victory over Arsenal, winning the player of the match award.[19] MarseilleOn 13 August 2024, Wahi joined fellow Ligue 1 club Marseille for a fee of €25 million, plus €5 million in potential bonuses.[20][21] It was reported by the media, but not confirmed by the club, that he had signed a five-year contract.[22] International careerWahi is a youth international for France. He had a single cap with France U17, where he played against Italy U17 on 3 December 2019. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[citation needed] With France U19, he scored a goal against England U19 on 6 October 2021, in a 3–1 win. He then also scored in the next game against Mexico U19, which ended in a 4–1 victory.[citation needed] In September 2022, Wahi was called up for the first time with France U21 by manager Sylvain Ripoll.[23] He went on to score his first goal on his second cap for the national side against Belgium U21.[24] ControversiesIn March 2018, Wahi was expelled from the Collège Jean-Moulin, a secondary school in partnership with Caen's youth academy.[6] On 12 March 2018, the Collège had summoned Wahi's stepfather, his legal representative, to a disciplinary committee on the grounds that Wahi had committed the following actions: "Under the verbal threat of physical violence, [Wahi] ordered three of his classmates to follow him into the restrooms and forced them to undress."[6] In November 2021, investigative reporter Romain Molina alleged that Wahi had pressured the three students to masturbate in front of him.[25][7] In October 2021, a 22-year old woman filed a legal complaint against Wahi for violence that resulted in her being incapable to work. She claimed that he had punched her in the nose during an evening out at the L'Entrepôt nightclub in Lattes, Hérault, on the night of 12–13 September a month earlier.[26] The woman received treatment from emergency services for her injuries.[27] Wahi's entourage denied the allegations, and the case was eventually closed without further action.[6] Career statistics
HonoursIndividual References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elye Wahi. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
