Bradley Barcola (born 2 September 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Lyon.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bradley Barcola | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-09-02) 2 September 2002 (age 20) | ||
| Place of birth | Villeurbanne, France | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Lyon | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 0000–2010 | AS Buers Villeurbanne | ||
| 2010–2021 | Lyon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020– | Lyon B | 13 | (5) |
| 2021– | Lyon | 7 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2020 | France U18 | 0 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 November 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 November 2021 | |||
Bradley Barcola was born in Villeurbanne, in a family with Togolese origins.[2][3][4][5][6] He started playing football in his home town, in Lyon's suburb, before joining Olympique Lyonnais as an 8 years old.[3][4]
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,[3] before signing a junior contract in January 2021.[2]
After being called with the first team by Peter Bosz during the 2021–22 pre-season—even scoring his first goal against Bourg-en-Bresse[7]— Barcola signed his first professional contract in September 2021, tying him to the club until 2024.[4][8][9]
He made his professional debut for Olympique Lyonnais on the 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.[10] He managed to deliver an assist for Karl Toko Ekambi on Lyon 3rd goal, helping his side to a win that would make them the first team to officially qualify for this edition round of 16.[11]
On 1 February 2022, Barcola played his first Ligue 1 game as a late substitute for Malo Gusto during a 2–1 win against Marseille.
Barcola started on the pitch for the first time against Olympique de Marseille, with the game ending with a 3-0 away win for Lyon at Stade Velodrome.
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.[2][4][9][12]
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.[3][13]
Barcola's brother Malcolm is also a professional footballer playing for Tuzla City, he also plays internationally with the Togolese selection.[8]
Olympique Lyonnais – current squad | |
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