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One To Watch

Malick Fofana: Ready to make up for lost time

After missing most of last season due to injury, Lyon's Belgian winner Malick Fofana is ready to help Les Gones return to the Champions League
E. DEVIN
Published on 07/28/2026 at 15:00
3-minute read
Malick Fofana missed most of Lyon's 2025/26 season due to injury

After missing most of last season due to injury, Lyon's Belgian winner Malick Fofana is ready to help Les Gones return to the Champions League. Learn more about his story with our Latest One to Watch.

In the footsteps of fellow Red Devils

There's something to be said for tricky Belgian wingers emerging from Ligue 1. Whether it be Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas or Jérémy Doku in years past, or LOSC's Matias Fernandez-Pardo at the moment, there's a well-worn path from the north to Ligue 1 and plenty of success along with it, with Fofana key in that history.

A product of the youth academy at KAA Gent, the same club that helped LOSC Lille's Jonathan David and his former teammate, striker Gift Orban, Fofana is of Guinean and Filipino descent. With his father a former professional footballer, and having evinced his talent at an early age, Fofana was even sought by Guinea to play for their senior side, but he averred in a recent interview with Le Progrés that he feels more Belgian than Guinean, saying, “I only went to Guinea once when I was a child, but I will go back because I want to meet the family,”

After impressing with the first team in Gent, he joined Lyon in January 2024, part of an extensive restructuring of the squad that saw the team not only move away from the relegation battle but eventually qualify for Europe. He scored a handful of goals after arriving, but was often sidelined by fellow winter arrival Saïd Benrahma. Despite scoring three goals, he only made three starts in the league, and despite his dazzling blend of pace and dribbling ability, could sometimes seem an afterthought.

 

The 2024/25 season has been another, story, though, with Fofana having seemingly displaced Benrahma as Pierre Sage's first choice on the left flank, in the wake of a grim loss to Marseille. After scoring a stoppage-time winner to beat Toulouse, Fofana then started each of the team's next two matches, notching a brace and an assist in a comprehensive win away to Rangers in the Europa League and was off to the races, finishing the season with 11 goals and six assists.  

After going from strength to strength two years ago, last season was cut short by injury, as he featured in just a dozen matches.  Now, however, after an exodus of talent around him, he will be key as Lyon look to navigate the Champions League playoffs and reach the league phase, and he has sparkled in preseason. Speaking after a recent friendly against Wolfsburg, teammate Clinton Mata underscored this, saying, We’re all happy, we know it’s been a tough year for him and seeing him back on the pitch, we’re very happy,” It must be a pleasure to play a high-intensity match again."

There are more matches to come, but for the moment, Lyon's hopes of returning to Europe's top table have been boosted immensely by the 21 year old' availability for Paulo Fonseca.

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