Emmanuel Philippe Imorou (born 16 September 1988) is a former 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 ...
Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...
, before joining the reserve team from Châteauroux in 2005. In 2007, he was promoted to the senior side. After two seasons of being rarely used, he was loaned out to the Championnat National club
Gueugnon
Gueugnon () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
Population
Economy
The primary industry in the town is a stainless-steel factory run by Aperam. A huge part of Gueugnon ...
. At Gueugnon, he played non-league games and returned to Châteauroux for the 2010–11 season. For Imorou, that season was undoubtedly the most successful. Following this, he attracted much interest from clubs in France and abroad.
In the summer of 2011, he joined
Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
team Braga on an undisclosed fee on a five-year contract. He was signed to fill in the gap in the full-back position left by Sílvio, who was sold to
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
for €8 million. At Braga, his playing time was hampered by injuries, as well as a lack of playing time. He managed to play five games in the whole season and was mainly used as a backup in the full-back positions to Miguel Lopes and
Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
. After a year with Braga, he left the club and signed for French side
Clermont Foot
Clermont Foot 63 (Occitan language, Occitan: ''Clarmont d'Auvèrnhe''; commonly referred to as Clermont Foot or simply Clermont) is a Football in France, French association football club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The first incarnation of the c ...
of
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
in the summer of 2012 on a free transfer. On 24 June 2014, he joined the newly promoted
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
side
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Thonon Evian.
International career
Imorou was born in France to Beninese parents, which grants him the right to play for the Benin national team. He was called up the national side for the very first time 2010 to be a part of the squad which would play at the
2010 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange (telecommunications), Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial association football, football championship of Africa (Confederat ...
.
He was called up by
Michel Dussuyer
Michel Dussuyer (born 28 May 1959) is a French football coach and former professional player.
Playing career
Dussuyer played club football as a goalkeeper for Cannes, Nice and Alès.
Coaching career
Dussuyer was an assistant coach at Cannes bet ...
, who gave him his debut as a player against Mozambique during the group stage phase, where he came on as a substitute for
Félicien Singbo
Félicien Houenou Singbo (born 25 October 1980) is a Beninese former professional footballer who played as a defender. Between 2002 and he made 19 appearances for the Benin national team. In 2003, he received French nationality.
Club career
...
. His nation finished third in their group behind eventual winners Egypt and Nigeria.
Since the Africa Cup of Nations, he has been called up on a regular basis to take part in qualification games and international friendlies.
He played at
2019 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (abbreviated as AFCON 2019 or CAN 2019), known as the Total 2019 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men's football champion ...