Cédric Julia wise Kipré (born 9 December 1996) is a professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
defender for club
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
. Born in France, he plays for the
Ivory Coast national team internationally.
Club career
Leicester City
After coming through the Youth Academy at
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
, Kipré joined
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
in 2014 and was part of both their Under 18s and Under 21s in his debut season for the club, playing in the then
Premier League 2
The Professional Development League is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Football Association via the Elite Player Performanc ...
and
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
.
He spent the next few seasons at the
King Power Stadium
King Power Stadium (also known as the Leicester City Stadium due to UEFA sponsorship regulations and formerly known as the Walkers Stadium) is a football stadium in Leicester, England. It has been the home of Premier League club Leicester City ...
, but only managed games for the Under 21s and the Under 23s. He also formed part of the Under 23s side that played in the
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
tie against
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
in January 2017.
Corby Town (loan)
In September 2015, Kipré joined
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
side
Corby Town
Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park.
History
The club was established in 1948, taking over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team ...
on a one-month loan deal.
He made his debut for The Steelmen against
Boston United
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
the next night, turning in an excellent performance prompting boss
Tommy Wright to say: ''"Cedric looked the real deal. He was strong, powerful, very good technically on the ball and he was a breath of fresh air.''
He returned from his short loan spell having played three first-team games.
Motherwell
After his release from Leicester, Kipré joined
Motherwell
Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
on trial and played in pre-season games against
Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...
and
Livingston
Livingston may refer to:
Businesses
* Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010)
* Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline
* Livingston International, a North American custom ...
. He impressed manager
Stephen Robinson
Stephen Kern Robinson (born October 26, 1955) is an American former NASA astronaut.
Education
He was active in the Boy Scouts of America, where he achieved its second-highest rank, Life Scout. Robinson graduated from Campolindo High School, ...
so much that he was awarded an initial one-year deal on 5 July 2017.
He played his first competitive game for the club against
Queens Park at
Hampden in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
on 15 July, setting up Motherwell's fourth goal in a 5–1 win. On 23 August, he extended his contract by a further year, until the summer of 2019.
Kipré extended his contract again on 13 April 2018 until the summer of 2020.
On 28 April, he scored his first Motherwell goal with a glancing header to beat
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
2-1. He started in both the
2017 Scottish League Cup Final and the
2018 Scottish Cup final, both of which ended in defeat at the hands of
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
; he was sent off in the League Cup final.
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
signed Kipré to a three-year contract on 3 August 2018, having agreed a transfer fee with Motherwell. He made his league debut the following day, playing the full 90 minutes of the 3–2 victory over
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 3–1 defeat at
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
on 24 August 2018. On 1 January 2019 Kipré netted from close range to give
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
a 3–1 lead against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in a match that concluded with a 3–2 win for the "Latics".
West Bromwich Albion
On 4 September 2020,
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
announced the signing of Kipré on a four-year contract. He made his debut for West Brom on 16 September 2020 in a 3–0 home win against
Harrogate Town
Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.
The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...
in the second round of
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
, providing an assist for
Hal Robson-Kanu
Thomas Henry Alex "Hal" Robson-Kanu (born 21 May 1989) is a Welsh inactive professional footballer who last played as a forward for West Bromwich Albion and the Wales national team. Although he initially played primarily on the wing, he was us ...
. On 22 January 2022, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 home win against
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
.
Kipre re-established himself as first-choice centre back after returning from loan in the summer of 2023, and won the club's both players' and supporters'player of the season awards on 4 May 2024.
Loan to Charleroi
On 1 February 2021, Kipré joined
Charleroi
Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. on a six-month loan.
Cardiff City (loan)
On 15 July 2022, Kipré joined fellow Championship club
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
on a season-long loan deal.
On 22 May 2024, West Brom announced the player had been offered a new contract.
International career
Kipré is eligible to play for the
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, with his parents being born there. On 21 March 2018, he was called into the squad for the first time. He made his debut for the
under-23s on 27 March 2018, against Togo.
Personal life
Kipré's elder brother,
Steve, is also a professional footballer and has played in France, Germany and Scotland, with which he had a short spell with
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
.
Career statistics
References
External links
Cédric Kipré profileat Wigan Athletic FC official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kipre, Cedric
1996 births
Living people
French sportspeople of Ivorian descent
Black French sportspeople
French men's footballers
Ivorian men's footballers
Footballers from Paris
Men's association football defenders
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Belgian Pro League players
Leicester City F.C. players
Corby Town F.C. players
Motherwell F.C. players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Royal Charleroi S.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
French expatriate men's footballers
Ivorian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
French expatriate sportspeople in England
French expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
French expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in England
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium