Lohoré Steve Ulrich Gohouri (8 February 1981 – December 2015) was an Ivorian 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 played as a
defender.
Gohouri started his career in France, playing in the youth teams at CS Brétigny and
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 ...
. Due to a lack of
first team opportunities, he had a brief spell in Israel with
Bnei Yehuda before moving to Switzerland and joining
Yverdon-Sport. He spent the next seven seasons in the Swiss leagues, later playing for
Vaduz
Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...
, where he made his debut in a European competition, and
Young Boys, where he won a runners-up medal in the
Swiss Cup
The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1925–26 by the Swiss Football Association. Since 1999 the winner earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference L ...
.
In 2007, he signed for
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
in the
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 ...
. He struggled to become a regular in the first team, and was eventually demoted to the reserves in 2009. He was released by the club at the end of the year, and 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 ...
side
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, ...
. He also represented
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 ...
at international level, but only played sporadically since first appearing for his country in 2006.
On 12 December 2015, Gohouri was reported missing, and he was found dead in the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
river almost three weeks later, on New Year's Eve (31 December).
Club career
Early career
Gohouri was born in
Treichville
Treichville is a neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is one of the 10 urban communes of the city. Treichville is one of four communes of Abidjan that are entirely south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Port-Bouët, Koumassi, and Marcory. ...
, Ivory Coast. At the age of five, he moved to France with his family, and grew up in the suburbs of Paris. He started his career with CS Brétigny, where he played in the same youth team as
Patrice Evra
Patrice Latyr Evra (; born 15 May 1981) is a French football coach and former professional player. Originally a forward, he primarily played as a left-back. Evra served as captain for both Manchester United and the France national team. His ...
. He then spent two years 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 ...
,
but failed to break into the first-team. He signed for Israeli side
Bnei Yehuda midway through the
1999–2000 season. He made his debut on 5 February 2000 against
Hapoel Haifa
Hapoel Haifa Football Club ( he, מועדון הכדורגל הפועל חיפה, ''Moadon HaKaduregel Hapoel Haifa'') is an Israeli football club located in the city of Haifa. The club won one championship (1998–99) and 4 Israeli cups ( ...
, scoring the opening goal in a 1–1 draw. He scored two more goals in the next game – a 2–1 win against
Beitar Jerusalem
Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים, Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply as Beitar (), is an Israeli football club based in the city of Jerus ...
,
and instantly became a fan favourite at the club. He finished the season with four goals in 13 appearances as the club avoided relegation from the
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...
with an 11th-place finish.
Switzerland
He left the club at the end of the season and joined
Yverdon-Sport in Switzerland. He was initially signed by the club as a
striker, scoring nine goals in his first season at the club as they were relegated from
Nationalliga A. He has since played primarily as a central defender, but can also play at right-back or left-back. In January 2003, he moved to
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
on loan for six months, but did not appear in
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
during the spell. He moved to
Vaduz
Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...
the following summer. In July 2004, he made his debut in European competition in a
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
Preliminary Round tie against
Longford Town
Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...
. In September 2005 he signed for
Young Boys, having agreed a four-year contract with the club.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Gohouri left
Young Boys for
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
on a three and a half-year contract on 28 December 2006 for a transfer fee of €1.5 million. He made his
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 ...
debut on 27 January 2007 against
Energie Cottbus
FC Energie Cottbus ( Lower Sorbian: ''Energija Chóśebuz'') is a German football club based in Cottbus, Brandenburg. It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, Energie played six seasons i ...
. In September 2008, Borussia coach
Jos Luhukay
Jos Luhukay (born 13 June 1963) is a Dutch football manager and former player, who was most recently head coach of VVV-Venlo.
Playing career
He began his career at the age of 15 at his hometown club FC VVV and he made his league debut in Januar ...
sent Gohouri to the reserve team after he failed to attend several appointments with the club's medical staff during an injury. He returned to the first team later that month, starting in a 1–0 defeat against
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
. In October 2008, he scored his first Bundesliga goal for the club, heading in the opening goal in a 2–2 draw against
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has spent 35 seas ...
. In summer 2009, he was again demoted to Borussia's reserves and was ultimately released in December 2009.
Wigan Athletic
On 12 January 2010, Gohouri joined
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, ...
of the
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 ...
, signing until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for Wigan on 3 May 2010 against
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
. The equalizer brought the game to 2–2 and relegated Hull, prompting a pitch invasion at the
DW Stadium
The DW Stadium is a stadium in Robin Park, in Wigan, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The ground is owned and managed by Wigan Football Company Limited, which is 85% owned by Wigan Athletic and 15% owned ...
.
On 7 May 2010, Gohouri signed a new two-year contract with Wigan to extend his stay at the club until the end of the 2011–12 campaign. During the 2010–11 season, he made 28 appearances in all competitions, including a goal Gohouri scored against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in a 1–1 draw on 12 February and was rewarded with another contract extension, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2013. Unfortunately the 2011–12 season started badly for Gohouri, getting sent off against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
after picking up a second yellow card during a match on 24 September as well as falling down to the pecking order, making just 10 league appearances. Subsequently, Gohouri was released by Wigan when his contract expired at the end of the 2011–12 season.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
At the beginning of the 2012/13 season, Gohouri returned to Israel when he joined the ranks of Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first season of Jordy Cruyff as the professional manager. Gohouri participates in 10 league games in which he played as defender. He was released from the team mid-season.
Skoda Xanthi
On 29 June 2013, Gohouri joined
Skoda Xanthi F.C. in the Greek Superleague. He made his debut in the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
against
Linfield, and made a further two appearances in the league before leaving the club in September 2013.
Return to Germany
In October 2014, Gohouri signed a contract with German
3. Liga side
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt is a German association football club based in Erfurt, Thuringia.
History Foundation to World War II
The club has roots that go back to a cricket club founded in 1895. As they broadened their interests they came to be calle ...
until the end of the year. The club extended his contract for a further six months in December 2014.
On 3 December 2015, he signed a one-year contract with
TSV Steinbach
TSV Steinbach Haiger is a German Association football, association football club from Steinbach, near Haiger, Hesse.
The club's greatest success has been to earn promotion to the German football league system, tier four Regionalliga Südwest in ...
in the
Regionalliga
The Regionalliga () is the fourth tier in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier in Germany. In 1994, it was introduced as the third tier. Upon the creation of the new nationwide 3. Liga in 2008, it became the four ...
.
International career
Gohouri made his debut for the
Ivory Coast national team in August 2006 against
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
.
In March 2007, he scored his first two goals for the team in a
friendly against
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
. He also played in the
2008 African Cup of Nations qualifier against
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
in
Antananarivo
Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...
, scoring the opening goal in the 3–0 victory.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Ivory Coast's goal tally first.''
Disappearance and death
On 12 December 2015, Gohouri was declared missing after his family filed a missing person's report. He was last seen at
TSV Steinbach
TSV Steinbach Haiger is a German Association football, association football club from Steinbach, near Haiger, Hesse.
The club's greatest success has been to earn promotion to the German football league system, tier four Regionalliga Südwest in ...
's Christmas party, and was expected to visit his family in Paris, but never arrived. On 2 January 2016, German police confirmed that Gohouri had been found dead on New Year's Eve in the river
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
near
Krefeld
Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...
.
See also
*
List of solved missing person cases
Lists of solved missing person cases include:
* List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000
* List of solved missing person cases: post-2000
See also
* List of kidnappings
* List of murder convictions without a body
* List of people who dis ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gohouri, Steve
1981 births
Place of birth missing
Footballers from Abidjan
2008 Africa Cup of Nations players
2010 FIFA World Cup players
2010s missing person cases
2015 deaths
Missing person cases in Germany
Deaths by drowning
Association football defenders
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
3. Liga players
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Expatriate footballers in Greece
Expatriate footballers in Israel
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Liechtenstein
Expatriate footballers in Switzerland
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt players
FC Vaduz players
Formerly missing people
French sportspeople of Ivorian descent
Ivorian emigrants to France
Israeli Premier League players
Ivory Coast international footballers
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Israel
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in England
Ivorian footballers
Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. players
Bologna F.C. 1909 players
Borussia Mönchengladbach players
BSC Young Boys players
Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. players
Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players
Premier League players
Swiss Super League players
Wigan Athletic F.C. players
Xanthi F.C. players
Yverdon-Sport FC players
Borussia Mönchengladbach II players
Ivorian expatriate sportspeople in Liechtenstein