Christian Michael Kouamé Kouakou (born 6 December 1997) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Italian Serie A club Empoli on loan from Fiorentina, and the Ivory Coast national team.
Club career
Kouamé started playing football on the streets of Bingerville, a suburb of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. At the age of 16, he moved with other Ivorian teenagers to Italy to participate in trials with several clubs. Eventually he was signed by Prato and as still a minor at that time, grew up with an Italian foster family he is still close with.[1]
Kouamé made his professional debut in the Lega Pro for Prato on 6 September 2015 in a game against Pisa.[2]
On 13 July 2018, Kouamé signed with Serie A side Genoa.[3]
On 31 January 2020, he joined Fiorentina on loan with an obligation to buy.[4]
On 3 February 2025, Kouamé moved on loan to Empoli.[5]
International career
Kouamé debuted for the Ivory Coast U23s in a pair of 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification matches in March 2019.[6][7] He was called-up for the final tournament in November 2019,[8] suffering a knee injury.[9]
He made his debut for the Ivory Coast senior national team on 13 October 2019 in a friendly against DR Congo.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 26 February 2025[11]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Prato | 2015–16 | Lega Pro | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Cittadella (loan) | 2016–17 | Serie B | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| Cittadella | 2017–18 | Serie B | 40 | 11 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 47 | 13 | |
| Total | 55 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 63 | 15 | ||
| Genoa | 2018–19 | Serie A | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 49 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 9 | ||
| Fiorentina (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2020–21 | Serie A | 33 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 12[b] | 1 | — | 43 | 5 | |||
| 2023–24 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[b] | 1 | — | 27 | 1 | |||
| Total | 109 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 11 | ||
| Anderlecht (loan) | 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 31 | 8 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 36 | 13 | ||
| Empoli (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 260 | 38 | 24 | 7 | 32 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 320 | 48 | ||
- ^ Includes Coppa Italia, Belgian Cup
- ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2022 | Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast |  Zambia |
2–0 | 3–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 24 March 2023 | Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast |  Comoros |
1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 3 | 20 November 2023 | National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |  Gambia |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Fiorentina
- Coppa Italia runner-up: 2022–23[12]
- UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2022–23,[13] 2023–24
Ivory Coast U23
- Africa U-23 Cup of Nations runner-up: 2019[14]
Ivory Coast
References
- ^ "Football KOUAME Christian - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". olympics.com. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 6 September 2015.
- ^ "Kouamé signed with Genoa". Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ "KOUAME COMPLETES FIORENTINA MOVE" (Press release). Fiorentina. 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Christian Kouamé è un nuovo calciatore azzurro" [Christian Kouamé is a new Empoli footballer] (in Italian). Empoli FC. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ Marc, ALLA Jean (14 March 2019). "CAN U23 : Nicolas Tié, Kouamé Christian, Guiagon Parfait… les surprises du chef Kamara". Mondialsport.net.
- ^ "CAF - Competitions - Qualifiers of Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations - Match Details". www.cafonline.com.
- ^ "Ivory Coast under-23 secure release of striker Kouame". BBC Sport. 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Ivory Coast striker Christian Kouame leaves U-23 Nations Cup with knee injury". BBC Sport. 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Ivory Coast v DR Congo game report". ESPN. 13 October 2019.
- ^ Christian Kouamé at Soccerway
- ^ Mackenzie, Alasdair (24 May 2023). "Fiorentina 1-2 Inter Milan - Lautaro Martinez scores double as the Nerazzurri defend Coppa Italia". Eurosport. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Stone, Simon (7 June 2023). "Fiorentina 1–2 West Ham United: Jarrod Bowen goal decides Europa Conference League final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "CAN U23 "Egypte 2019" : Voici les Eléphants sélectionnés | Fédération Ivoirienne de Football". Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Stevens, Rob (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
External links
- Profile at the ACF Fiorentina website (in Italian)
- Christian Kouamé at WorldFootball.net
- Christian Kouamé at National-Football-Teams.com
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