Valentin Gnahoua (born September 29, 1994) is a French professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was the first overall pick by the Tiger-Cats in the

2019 European CFL Draft The 2019 CFL European Draft took place on April 11, 2019. Nine players were chosen from a pool of 18 European players who attended the 2019 CFL Combine. Background In October 2018, Canadian Football League (CFL) commissioner Randy Ambrosie outlin ...

. Gnahoua has also been a member of the

Berlin Rebels The Berlin Rebels are an American football team from Berlin, Germany. The team is playing in the German Football League, the highest level of American football in Germany. In the most recent seasons the Rebels managed to qualify for the play-offs ...

and

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

Early years

Gnahoua began playing

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

in 2011, joining a local semi-pro team, the ''Caimans du Mans'', as a sixteen-year old. He was drawn to the sport after watching a

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

game on television earlier that year. In 2016, he arrived in Canada, playing one season of collegiate football for the

McGill Redmen The McGill Redbirds (formerly the McGill Redmen) and McGill Martlets are the varsity athletic teams that represent McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Team name According to Suzanne Morton, a professor of history at McGill, the name ...

before a sudden increase in international student tuition forced him to return to France.

Professional career

Berlin Rebels

He rejoined the Caimans in 2017, playing well enough early on in the campaign to get signed by the

of the

German Football League The German Football League (GFL) is an American football league in Germany and was formed in 1979. Playing rules are based on those of the American National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA. In 1999, the league switched its name from ''Ameri ...

(GFL) midway through the 2017 GFL season. He recorded 47 tackles and nine sacks during his two seasons with the Rebels.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

In 2019, he was announced as one of the 18 European players invited to the 2019 CFL Combine in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. The following month, in April, he was selected by the

as the first overall pick in the inaugural European CFL draft, part of commissioner

Randy Ambrosie Randy Ambrosie (born March 16, 1963) is the 14th and current commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Ambrosie played Canadian football professionally as an offensive guard for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Edmo ...

's initiative to grow the league's presence internationally. He began the season as a member of the practice squad, but made his debut during their week 9 matchup against the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

on August 10, recovering an onside kick that led to a second-quarter field goal in the 35-34 victory. Gnahoua signed a contract extension with the Tiger-Cats on December 29, 2020. He was placed on the suspended list on July 19, 2021, but was later activated and played in the first regular season game of 2021. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 14, 2023.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On February 17, 2023, it was announced that Gnahoua had signed with the

. He was released during training camp.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On July 10, 2023 re-signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Personal life

His father was a professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

(soccer) player who was a member of the

Ivory Coast national football team The Ivory Coast national football team ( French: ''Équipe de football de Côte d'Ivoire'', recognized as the Côte d'Ivoire by FIFA) represents Ivory Coast in men's international football. Nicknamed ''the Elephants'', the team is managed by ...

and played professionally in France, where Valentin was born.

References

External links

Saskatchewan Roughriders bio

McGill Redmen bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gnahoua, Valentin Living people 1994 births French players of American football French players of Canadian football French sportspeople of Ivorian descent American football defensive linemen Canadian football defensive linemen McGill Redbirds football players German Football League players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players French expatriate sportspeople in Canada French expatriate sportspeople in Germany Sportspeople from Le Mans World Games gold medalists for France Black French sportspeople Saskatchewan Roughriders players Medalists at the 2017 World Games