FRANCE - SAGNOL APOLOGISES FOR HIS COMMENTS ON AFRICAN PLAYERS

Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol has apologised and explained his comments earlier this week about African players. Senegal's Lamine Sane has backed his coach at Bordeaux Willy Sagnol over the comments.

6 Nov 2014
NATIONAL TEAM - MAURITANIA - COACH - Corentin Martins appointed as new coach

The 45-year-old succeeds his compatriot Patrice Neveu, who was sacked in August after the team exited qualifying for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

8 Oct 2014
COACHES - TUNISIA - Troussier leaves Sfaxien after Champions League defeat

Frenchman Troussier, 59, is a former coach of the Japan and Ivory Coast national teams.

29 Sep 2014
STARS IN EUROPE - IVORY COAST - MAX GRADEL EXTENDS CONTRACT AT FRENCH CLUB ST. ETIENNE

Ivory Coast international midfielder Max Gradel has signed a new contract with French club Saint Etienne.

28 Sep 2014
STARS IN EUROPE - CAMEROON - CLINTON N'JIE EXTENDS CONTRACT

Cameroon international Clinton N'Jie signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side Lyon and then scored his first goal for the club.

25 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - MOROCCO - Marseille sign Abdelaziz Barrada

Barrada started his career at Paris Saint-Germain before making his name in Spain with Getafe. The 25-year-old scored 15 goals in 34 appearances for Al Jazira last season.

17 Aug 2014
Transfer - Senegal - West Ham have signed striker Diafra Sakho from French side FC Metz

The 24-year-old Senegal international has moved to Upton Park after agreeing a four-year contract. His 43 goals over the last two seasons helped Metz win back-to-back promotions into France's Ligue 1.

16 Aug 2014
COACHES - IVORY COAST - Herve Renard appointed Ivory Coast boss

Frenchman Herve Renard has been appointed coach of Ivory Coast. The 45-year-old had two spells as Zambia coach and led them to the Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012.

3 Aug 2014
TRANSFER - IVORY COAST - Serge Aurier joins Paris St-Germain on loan from Toulouse

The 21-year-old right-back played in all of his country's matches at the World Cup in Brazil.

25 Jul 2014

Manu Koné    
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 08/2026

Personal information
Full name
Kouadio Emmanuel Boris Koné

Date of birth
17 May 2001

Place of birth
Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Height
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)

Position
Midfielder

Team information
Current team
Roma

Number
17


Youth career

Villeneuve-la-Garenne
2007-2012

Paris FC
2012-2015

Boulogne-Billancourt
2015-2016

Toulouse
2016-2018


Senior career*

Toulouse B
2018-2020
19x apps 1x goal

Toulouse
2019-2021
50x apps 3x goals

Borussia Mönchengladbach
2021-2025
79x apps 4x goals

→ Roma (loan)
2024-2025
34x apps 2x goals

Roma
2025-
29x apps 2x goals


International career‡

France U18
2018-2019
5x apps 1x goal

France U19
2019
8x apps 0x goal

France U21
2022-2023
11x apps 0x goal

France Olympic
2024
9x apps 0x goal

France
2024-
19x apps 0x goal


* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:21, 24 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 July 2026


Kouadio Emmanuel Boris "Manu" Koné is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma and the France national team.


Early life
Koné was born in Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, and holds Ivorian and French nationalities.


Club career

Toulouse

Koné made his professional debut for Toulouse in a 2:1 loss to Dijon on 24 May 2019.


Borussia Mönchengladbach

On 21 January 2021, Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach announced the signing of Koné on a deal running until 2025, while also confirming that he would finish the 2020–21 season at Toulouse.

The reported fee for the midfielder was €9 million.

After completing the move in the summer, Koné was given the number 17 jersey at Mönchengladbach.

Upon signing for the new club, he stated that Gladbach was desperate to get him, and at some point, he could not say no: "They tried everything, and that impressed me".

Koné scored his first goal for Gladbach in a 5:0 DFB-Pokal win over Bayern Munich on 27 October 2021.

Koné was tied for most yellow cards in the 2022–23 season in the Bundesliga with Jeffrey Gouweleeuw of FC Augsburg, as they both accumulated 12 bookings over the course of the league competition.

Koné played a total of 30 league matches, scoring his only goal on 11 November 2022 in a 4:2 win against Borussia Dortmund, as Gladbach finished the season in the 10th position.

The beginning of Koné's 2023-24 season was disrupted by a knee injury, suffered while being on international duty in June.

Koné once again scored his only league goal against Dortmund, this time in a 4:2 loss on 25 November 2023.

He was sidelined for another month after injuring his thigh playing an international friendly match on 28 March.


Roma

On 30 August 2024, Koné moved to Italy and joined Serie A club Roma for an estimated € 18 million fee, signing a five-year contract. 
The deal was structured as a loan for the 2024-25 season, followed by an obligation to buy.

Koné made his debut for the Gialorossi two days later, on 1 September, as a substitute in the 0:0 draw against Juventus.

He made his first start for his new team on 15 September in a 1:1 draw against Genoa. 

On 27 October, he scored his first goal for Roma in a 5:1 loss against Fiorentina in Serie A.

Koné quickly established himself as an indispensable figure in Roma's midfield, with particularly notable performances in the UEFA Europa League, where he delivered standout displays, such as in the 3:0 victory over Braga on 12 December, where he registered an assist, made 7 key passes, and completed 46 out of 51 passes.

After Roma finished fifth in the Serie A for the 2024-25 season, after a late surge under new manager Claudio Ranieri, Koné described the season as "complicated", lamenting the fact that the club changed three coaches during the season: Daniele De Rossi, Ivan Jurić and Ranieri.

International career

Koné represented France as a youth international, competing at the U18, U19, and U21 level.

Koné was also a member of France's team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal after losing 5:3 in the final against Spain.

Koné made his debut for the senior France national team on 6 September 2024 in a Nations League game against Italy at the Parc des Princes.

He substituted Youssouf Fofana in the 58th minute of a 3:1 loss for France.

On 14 May 2026, Koné was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.