El Hadji Papy Mison Djilobodji (born 1 December 1988) is a Senegalese 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 for Turkish club

Gaziantep F.K. Gaziantep Futbol Kulübü is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Gaziantep. Founded in 1988, the club currently plays in the Süper Lig, the highest tier of Turkish football. The club was founded as Sankospor in 19 ...

and the Senegal national team. He is capable of playing at

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and

defensive midfield A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. After beginning his career in his homeland with

ASC Saloum Association Sportive et Culturelle Saloum is a Senegalese football club based in Kaolack. Its uniform colors features a red-black striped t-shirt with red-edged black shorts and socks with red stripes on top used during home games and a white t- ...

, he moved to France in 2009 to play for amateur team

US Sénart-Moissy US Sénart-Moissy is a French football club based in Moissy-Cramayel, France. History It was founded on 24 September 1932 and play at the Stade André Trémet, which has a capacity of 2,500. The color of the club is blue. Notable former player ...

, where his performances quickly earned him a transfer to

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

. He played regularly over five-and-a-half seasons for them, the final two in

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 ...

. In 2015, he signed for

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, making a sole substitute appearance 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 ...

and being loaned to

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

team

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...

before signing for

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

for £8 million at the end of the season. After Sunderland were relegated in his first season there, he was loaned to

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

in 2017, and sacked in September 2018 for breach of contract for returning to the club over a month late and in an unfit condition. He then signed for

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guinga ...

in 2019. Djilobodji made his international debut for Senegal in 2013. He was part of their squad at the

2015 Africa Cup of Nations The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the Africa Cup of Nations, the international men's football championship of Africa. It was orga ...

Club career

Early years

Born in

Kaolack Kaolack ( ar, كاولاك; wo, Kawlax) is a town of 172,305 people (2002 census) on the north bank of the Saloum River and the N1 road in Senegal. It is the capital of the Kaolack Region, which borders The Gambia to the south. Kaolack is an ...

, Djilobodji began his career with hometown team

, making his senior debut in the 2007–08 season. After two successful seasons in the

Senegal Premier League Senegal Premier League is the top division of the Senegal Football Association, it was founded in 1966. The league also hosts a domestic cup, the Coupe de la Ligue. Football clubs from the Senegal Premier League also compete for the Senegal FA Cup ...

, he transferred to French club

in October 2009. He played a good first half of the 2009–10 season in the

Championnat de France amateur 2 The Championnat National 3, commonly referred to as simply National 3 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur 2, is a football league competition. The league serves as the fifth division of the French football league system behind ...

, which led to him being bought by

on 27 December 2009.

Nantes

On 14 May 2010, Djilobodji made his debut for

FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, a ...

in a 3–1

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 ...

defeat against eventual champions

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,Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

clubs such as

and

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

, neither of whom made bids for him.

Chelsea

On 1 September 2015, Djilobodji signed for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

champions

on a four-year contract, for a fee reported to be in the region of £2.7 million to £4 million. The following day, he was not included in their 25-man squad for the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. He made his only Blues appearance in the third round of the

away to

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

, replacing

Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Rayo Vallecano and often captains the Colombia national team. Nicknamed "''El Tigre''" (Spanish for ''The Tige ...

in added time at the end of a 4–1 victory. On 21 January 2016, Djilobodji signed for

until the end of the 2015–16 season. Three days later, he made his debut in the

in a 3–1 win away to

Schalke Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rh ...

and was praised for his performance. On 13 February, Djilobodji scored his first Werder Bremen goal in a 1–1 draw against

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg. Originally founded in 1899 ...

, netting a 13th-minute equalizer. In March, he received a retrospective two-match ban for making a throat-slitting gesture at

Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...

Pablo de Blasis Pablo Ezequiel de Blasis (born 4 February 1988) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder or a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Pl ...

. In the final game of the season, Djilobodji scored a late winner against

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

, saving his team from relegation and confining the opponents to the relegation play-off.

Sunderland

On 5 August 2016, Djilobodji signed for

on a four-year deal for a fee reported to be in the region of £8 million. He made his

debut 16 days later in a 2–1 home loss to

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

, and the ''

Sunderland Echo The ''Sunderland Echo'' is a daily newspaper serving the City of Sunderland, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Easington (district), East Durham areas of North East England. The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey, Edward Backhouse, Edward Tem ...

'' mentioned his performance as a "rare positive" in the defeat. On 19 November, he was sent off in the last minute of a 3–0 win over

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

at the

Stadium of Light The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...

. He was charged with violent conduct by

The FA The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and ...

in January 2017 after catching

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 ...

Darren Fletcher Darren Barr Fletcher (born 1 February 1984) is a Scottish football coach and former professional player who is currently the technical director of Manchester United, where he spent the majority of his playing career. He mostly played as a cent ...

in the face in a 2–0 loss, and subsequently received a four-match ban. He totalled 23 games over the season as Sunderland were relegated. Djilobodji returned to France's top flight on 31 August 2017, signing on loan for

for the whole season. He made his debut for them nine days later, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 loss at

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,EFL League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

in 2018, Djilobodji was one of several players who expressed their desire to leave the club rather than play in England's third tier. He reached a deal with the new administration of owner

Stewart Donald Stewart Donald (born 1974/1975) is an English businessman and football administrator. Based in Witney, Oxfordshire, he is the former chairman and majority shareholder of Sunderland A.F.C. and former CEO of Bridle Insurance. Career As of 2018, Do ...

that he could remain on unpaid leave during July in order to secure a move away from the club. The deal included a proviso that he maintain his fitness should he need to return to Sunderland. He failed to return to training in August, and Donald suggested that Djilobodji and fellow absentee Didier Ndong were "willfully devaluing themselves" in order to secure cheap moves away from the club. On 2 September 2018, Djilobodji informed Sunderland of his intention to return to training, insisting he had done nothing wrong. He failed a fitness test and more training sessions, and Donald suggested Djilobodji was guilty of "gross misconduct". On 12 September 2018, he was sacked for breaching his contract and failing a fitness test.

Guingamp

On 31 December 2018,

En Avant de Guingamp En Avant Guingamp (, en, Forward Guingamp), commonly referred to as EA Guingamp, EAG, or simply Guingamp (), is a professional football club based in the commune of Guingamp in France's Brittany region. The club was founded in 1912 and play in ...

announced that they signed Djilobodji in a six-month deal. He made his debut on 19 January in a 9–0 loss at holders

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 ...

as a 73rd-minute substitute for

Yeni Ngbakoto Yeni Atito Ngbakoto (born 23 January 1992) is a professional footballer who plays for Danish Superliga club Vejle Boldklub. Born in France, he plays for the DR Congo national team internationally. He primarily plays as a winger, but is capable ...

. Three days later he started in a Coupe de France last 32 match at Nancy, and scored the winner in extra time. On 26 January, he was sent off in a 1–0 home loss to

Stade de Reims Stade de Reims () is a French professional association football, football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2017–18 Ligue 2, 2018. ...

for breaking Pablo Chavarría's nose with a kick, and was handed a six-match ban.

Gazişehir Gaziantep

On 22 July 2019, Djilobodji joined Turkish club Gazişehir Gaziantep.

International career

Djilobodji was part of the

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

squad at the

in Equatorial Guinea. He played two games in their elimination from

Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...

, being substituted at half time for

Lamine Gassama Lamine Gassama (born 20 October 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a right back for Swiss club Lausanne-Ouchy and the Senegal national team. Career Early career Gassama grew up in the neighbourhood of La Castellane in ...

in the first, a 2–1 win over eventual finalists

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

at the

Estadio de Mongomo The Estadio de Mongomo is a multi-sports stadium in Mongomo, Equatorial Guinea. In November 2014, it was announced the stadium will be a venue for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cu ...

Career statistics

References

External links

*
Foot-National Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djlobodji, Papy 1988 births Living people People from Kaolack Serer sportspeople Senegalese men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Senegal men's international footballers Senegal men's A' international footballers 2009 African Nations Championship players 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players Ligue 1 players Ligue 2 players Premier League players Bundesliga players Süper Lig players US Sénart-Moissy players FC Nantes players Chelsea F.C. players SV Werder Bremen players Sunderland A.F.C. players Dijon FCO players En Avant Guingamp players Gaziantep F.K. footballers Kasımpaşa S.K. footballers Senegalese expatriate men's footballers Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in France Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Senegalese expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey