Koffi Christian Romaric N'Dri (born 4 June 1983), commonly known as Romaric, is an Ivorian 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 ...

. A versatile

midfielder 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 ...

, he could play as either a

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

central midfielder 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 ...

. He played in six countries, mainly France and Spain. He made 149 Ligue 1 appearances in the former for Le Mans and

Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...

, and played 121

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

games in the latter for

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

and

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

. In an eight-year international career for the Ivory Coast, Romaric went to two

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

and three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, finishing as runners-up in the 2008 edition of the latter.

Club career

Early years

Born in

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

, Romaric started his career at the famed youth academy of hometown club ASEC Mimosas, moving to K.S.K. Beveren in 2003. In his second season in Belgium, he scored a career-best 13 goals in 32 games, but his team narrowly avoided relegation from the Pro League.

Le Mans

In May 2005, Romaric joined French club

Le Mans UC72 Le Mans Football Club (; commonly referred to as Le Mans FC, formerly referred as Le Muc) is a French association football club based in Le Mans. The club was founded in 1985 as a result of a merger under the name Le Mans Union Club 72. In 201 ...

. In late August, however, he was involved in a serious car accident, fracturing his

collarbone The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...

and taking a blow to the head close to Liège, in Belgium. Romaric quickly recovered from his injuries and established himself in the team's starting eleven. In 2006–07, he scored five goals in 35 matches, as Le Mans easily retained its Ligue 1 status (12th position), and was also linked with a move to

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 replacement for departing

Vikash Dhorasoo Vikash Rao Dhorasoo (born 10 October 1973) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Dhorasoo spent most of his career with Lyon, winning Ligue 1 twice in 2003 and 2004, and also had a loan at Bordeaux and a spell ...

in the January

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...

– nothing came of it eventually; in his last season, he reunited at the

Stade Léon-Bollée Stade Léon-Bollée was a multi-purpose stadium in Le Mans, France. It is used mostly for football matches and was the home stadium of Le Mans UC72 until 2011, when it was replaced by MMArena The Stade Marie-Marvingt (previously MMArena) is a ...

with compatriot

Gervinho Gervais Yao Kouassi (born 27 May 1987), known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Greek Super League club Aris and the Ivory Coast national team. Gervinho began his career at ASEC Abidjan and Toumod ...

, a former teammate at Beveren.

Sevilla

On 21 May 2008, Romaric signed for

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA E ...

in Spain, penning a four-year contract for a fee believed to be around

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

8 and 10 million, and linking up with countryman

Arouna Koné Arouna Koné (born 11 November 1983) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian club VK Weerde. After making a name for himself in the Eredivisie, with Roda JC and PSV, he signed with Sevilla in 2007, where he r ...

. He scored his first

goal on 7 December, in a 4–3 away win against Real Madrid, and finished his first season with 36 matches (30 starts), as the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

ns were ranked in third position. Following the arrival of another Ivorian midfielder,

Didier Zokora Déguy Alain Didier Zokora (born 14 December 1980) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He represented the Ivory Coast national team for 14 years, beginning in 2000, and is currently the nation's mos ...

, Romaric saw his minutes significantly decreased. On 9 January 2010, he netted in a 1–2 home loss against

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league syst ...

. Romaric joined fellow league team

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...

on a

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

-long loan at the end of the 2011 summer

. Included in the agreement was an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the campaign, with the player signing a three-year contract.

Later career

On 26 July 2012, Romaric negotiated a release from Sevilla, and signed a two-year deal with fellow league team

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at L ...

under his former manager Manolo Jiménez. He played only 14 total matches, as the Aragonese ended the season with relegation, and was sent off in the ninth minute of a 1–0 home loss to Getafe CF on 6 October for a foul on

Mehdi Lacen Medhi Gregory Giuseppe Lacen ( ar, مهدي لحسن; born 15 March 1984) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. After starting out at Laval, he spent most of his professional career in Spain, repre ...

. Romaric returned to France and its top flight on 1 August 2013, joining

SC Bastia Sporting Club Bastiais ( co, Sporting Club di Bastia, commonly referred to as SC Bastia or simply Bastia) is a Corsican association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French f ...

for two years with the option of a third and reuniting with his Le Mans boss

Frédéric Hantz Frédéric Hantz (born 30 May 1966) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Managerial career Hantz formerly managed Sochaux, who had a playing career before coaching. On 18 December, he was name ...

. He played the first four matches in the Corsicans' 2014–15 Coupe de la Ligue campaign, but was an unused substitute for the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

, a 4–0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade de France. After being released by the side, he remained a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

through the summer, before moving on 10 September 2015 to

AC Omonia Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia ( el, Αθλητικός Σύλλογος Oμόνοιας Λευκωσίας, ΑΣΟΛ; ''Athlitikos Sillogos Omonias Lefkosias'', ''ASOL''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia ("Harmony"; also tran ...

of the

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division ( el, Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας) is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus, run by the Cyprus Football Association. Since February 2016, it is sponsored by Cyta and is thus officially ...

for the rest of the season. The Nicosia-based club reached the

of the domestic cup, losing 2–1 to Apollon Limassol. On 14 August 2016, Romaric moved countries again, joining

NorthEast United FC NorthEast United FC is an Indian professional football club based in Guwahati, Assam that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded on 13 April 2014 during the inaugural season of Indian Sup ...

for the upcoming edition of the

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

International career

Romaric's debut for the Ivory Coast came on 17 August 2005, in a 0–3 friendly loss with

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in Montpellier. He was called up for the following year's

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

squad, where he appeared in the 1–2 group stage defeat against

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Romaric played for the Elephants in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, with the tournament ending with a runner-up position after a final loss to hosts

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. He scored his first international goal on 29 March 2009, opening 5–0 home win after just 28 seconds against

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers; the result was overshadowed by a crush that killed 19 spectators. Romaric was selected for the final stages in South Africa, where he played in all the games in another group stage exit, netting against

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

Mbombela Stadium The Mbombela Stadium is a football and Rugby union all-seater stadium in Mbombela in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, It was one of 10 venues for the tournament and one of 5 newly constructed stadiums ...

(3–0). He was, however, not included in the squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, in which the Ivory Coast finished as runners-up.

International goals

Honours

Club

Sevilla *

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

: 2009–10 * Supercopa de España: Runner-up 2010

International

Ivory Coast * Africa Cup of Nations: Runner-up 2006

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romaric 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Abidjan Ivorian footballers Association football midfielders ASEC Mimosas players Belgian First Division A players K.S.K. Beveren players Ligue 1 players Le Mans FC players SC Bastia players La Liga players Sevilla FC players RCD Espanyol footballers Real Zaragoza players Cypriot First Division players AC Omonia players Indian Super League players NorthEast United FC players Ivory Coast international footballers 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2006 Africa Cup of Nations players 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2013 Africa Cup of Nations players Ivorian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Belgium Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Cyprus Expatriate footballers in India Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in France Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus