Bradley Barcola

Bradley Barcola (born 2 September 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lyon.[2]

Bradley Barcola
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-09-02) 2 September 2002
Place of birth Villeurbanne, France
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Lyon
Number 26
Youth career
2008–2010 AS Buers Villeurbanne
2010–2021 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Lyon B 22 (5)
2021– Lyon 34 (5)
International career‡
2022– France U20 1 (0)
2023– France U21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 March 2023

Early life

Bradley Barcola was born in Villeurbanne, in a family with Togolese origins.[3][4][5][6][7] He started playing football in his home town, in Lyon's suburb, before joining Olympique Lyonnais as an 8 years old.[4][5]

Club career

During the 2020–21 season Barcola started playing with the Lyon reserve in National 2 while also being a prolific goalscorer with the under-19 who played in the UEFA Youth League,[4] before signing a junior contract in January 2021.[3]

After being called up to Olympique Lyonnais first team by Peter Bosz during the 2021–22 pre-season—scoring his first goal against Bourg-en-Bresse[8]— Barcola signed his first professional contract in September 2021, tying him to the club until 2024.[5][9][10]

Barcola made his professional debut for Lyon on 4 November 2021, replacing Rayan Cherki at the 81st minute of a 3–0 home win against Sparta Prague in the group stage of the Europa League.[11] He managed to deliver an assist for Karl Toko Ekambi on Lyon third goal, helping his side to a win that would make them the first team to officially qualify for this edition round of 16.[12]

Barcola had more playing time during the 2022–23 season, contributing to Lyon's front line alongside top scorer Alexandre Lacazette. On 7 May 2023, he assisted three goals for Lyon and Lacazette for a comeback win against Montepllier in a nine-goal thriller, canceling out four goals scored by opponent striker Elye Wahi.[13]

International career

Barcola was first selected with France under-18 in January 2020 to play two friendlies. However, he did not earn an official cap as most junior encounters were cancelled due to COVID-19 during the following seasons.[3][5][10][14]

Style of play

Barcola is a versatile forward, able to play on both sides of a front three or as a center forward. Fast and precise in front of the goal, he takes inspiration from players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.[4][15]

Personal life

Barcola's brother Malcolm is also a professional footballer playing for Tuzla City, he also plays internationally with the Togo national team.[9]

Career statistics
As of match played 7 May 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coupe de France Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lyon B 2020–21 Championnat National 2 42——42
2021–22 Championnat National 2 143——143
2022–23 Championnat National 2 40——40
Total 225——225
Lyon 2021–22 Ligue 1 110002[lower-alpha 1]0130
2022–23 Ligue 1 23552—287
Total 3455220417
Career total 561052206312
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

References
  1. "Bradley Barcola". Olympique Lyonnais. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. Bradley Barcola at Soccerway
  3. Hattabi, Dahbia (17 January 2020). "Officiel : Bradley Barcola signe un contrat stagiaire à l'OL". Foot Mercato (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  4. Hattabi, Dahbia (21 February 2020). "Coupe Gambardella : ces cinq pépites qui font le bonheur de l'Olympique Lyonnais". Foot Mercato (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. "OL : premier contrat professionnel pour l'attaquant Bradley Barcola". Le Progrès (in French). 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  6. "Bradley Barcola : le jeune attaquant aussi passe professionnel". Africa Top Sports (in French). 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  7. "Football : le franco-togolais Bradley Barcola signe un contrat pro". We Love Sport (in French). 14 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  8. "Après OL – Bourg : les jeunes dans tous les bons coups". OL.fr (in French). 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  9. "L'attaquant Bradley Barcola (OL) signe son premier contrat professionnel". L'Équipe (in French). 14 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. "Bradley Barcola signe son 1er contrat professionnel avec l'OL jusqu'en 2024". OL.fr (in French). 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  11. Ferreira, Sébastien (4 November 2021). "Résultat et résumé OL - Sparta Prague, Ligue Europa, 4e journée Gr. A". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  12. Olivès-Berthet, Cyril (4 November 2021). "L'OL qualifié pour les 8es de finale de la Ligue Europa après sa victoire face au Sparta Prague". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  13. "L'OL arrache une victoire complètement folle face à Montpellier (5-4)". L'Équipe (in French). 7 May 2023.
  14. "Sélection : première convocation pour Bradley Barcola". OL.fr (in French). 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  15. Youcef, Rafik (31 July 2018). "Turfu [9/20] - Bradley Barcola (Olympique Lyonnais) : " Je kiffe regarder les vidéos de Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang "". Onze Mondial (in French). Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
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