Youssouf Fofana certainly took an unconventional route to the summits of French football. As a teenager, Fofana integrated the prestigious Clairefontaine Academy. Clairefontaine is a springboard into the professional game for many players, but not for Fofana, who left the academy aged 15 without a club. He was given a lifeline by RC Strasbourg Alsace, and having grasped that opportunity, he has never looked back.
2023 has been the year in which Fofana has consolidated his rise in the game. He had been a peripheral figure prior to the World Cup, however, he played 224 minutes of football in Qatar. In 2023, he consolidated his place in Didier Deschamps’ setup, starting in both EURO 2024 qualifiers in the most recent international break and scoring in both matches, against Gibraltar and Greece.
In an interview with Get French Football News, Fofana described his 2022/23 season as “his most complete”, however, like many of his teammates, he did not replicate his pre-World Cup form in the early part of 2023. As a result, Monaco slipped out of contention for Champions League football, before missing out on European qualification. There is plenty of blame to be shared around the dressing room, but as an experienced and integral part of Les Monégasques, some of that blame does fall on the shoulders of Fofana.
Fofana’s influence transcends statistics
However, he has reacted well at the start of this season. There were doubts whether he would even remain at the Principality club amidst interest from Premier League sides, but Fofana’s decision is paying off for all parties. In the absence of the increasingly peripheral Wissam Ben Yedder, Fofana has worn the armband on occasions this season, a sign of his status within the squad, and his importance.
He seemingly likes the responsibility as he has performed well when wearing the armband. He has quickly struck up a good understanding with Denis Zakaria, and the defensive stability that the latter affords has had a liberating effect on Fofana, who has added statistics to his game this season. He already has one goal and three assists this season. He registered just two assists and two goals in the entirety of last season.
Fofana doesn’t attribute much importance to statistics. “They’re for people who don’t watch the game,” he said in December. In many ways he is right. His influence for Monaco is much more far-reaching. There is an unshakeable feeling that any season could be Fofana’s last at Monaco, but if that is to be the case this year, he is doing a good job at increasing his value and – potentially – leading the club back into Europe.
