Jean-Philippe Gbamin (born 25 September 1995) is 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 lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...

club

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

and the Ivory Coast national team.

Club career

Lens

Born in San Pédro, Ivory Coast, Gbamin had spells with French clubs Aire-sur-la-Lys and US Saint-Quentin Blessy, before joining

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

in 2007. In 2013, Gbamin broke into the first team after impressing in the second team, making his debut on 10 May in a 7–0 defeat against

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 7,115 as of 2020, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...

, in which he replaced Alexandre Coeff fourteen minutes in. Gbamin was assigned the number 25 ahead of the 2013–14

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

campaign. On 17 August 2013, Gbamin was given his first Lens start by manager

Antoine Kombouaré Antoine Krilone Kombouaré (; born 16 November 1963) is a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Nantes. Playing career Born in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Komboua ...

in a 4–1 victory against

Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...

. On 30 September 2013, Gbamin scored his first goal for Lens in a 3–2 victory over

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. On 23 November 2013, he scored again in a 2–0 victory over

Châteauroux Châteauroux ( ; ; ) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Châteauroux te ...

. On 13 February 2014, Gbamin scored the winning goal in extra time, helping Lens to a 2–1 victory over

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

side

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2013–14 Coupe de France. By the end of the 2013–14 campaign, Gbamin started to make his Lens breakthrough as a regular starter, assisting them in their promotion to Ligue 1.

Mainz 05

On 13 July 2016, Gbamin joined

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

side

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

on a five-year contract. On 12 May 2018, Gbamin scored his first goal for Mainz in a 1–2 loss to

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. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...

. On 4 November 2018, he scored another goal against Werder Bremen, this time in a 2–1 victory. He scored again on the next match day, 10 November 2018, opening the scoring in a 3–1 victory over

SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions ...

at the

Dreisamstadion Dreisamstadion is a football stadium in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was formerly the home of Bundesliga team SC Freiburg between 1954 and 2021, until a new stadium — the Europa-Park Stadion — was built in October 2021. The ...

. He made 86 league appearances for Mainz over three seasons, featuring at both the defensive midfield and center back positions.

Everton

Gbamin signed for

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club Everton on 2 August 2019 on a five-year contract for a £25 million fee. He made appearances in the club's first two games of the season, before being ruled out for eight weeks due to a thigh injury. In October, it was announced Gbamin would be out injured until January 2020 after having surgery on a thigh injury, but in January he suffered a further setback when additional surgery would keep him out until the end of the season. In May, he injured an Achilles tendon in training, with it estimated he would be injured until November. Everton manager

Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti (; born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Brazil national team. Nicknamed "Carletto" in Italy and "Don Carlo" in Spain, he is regarded as one of the greatest ...

stated during an interview in January 2021 that he was hopeful to have Gbamin back in training as soon as possible, but stressed the need for patience with his recovery, insisting he had a role to play in the team despite an extended spell on the sidelines. On 5 April, Gbamin came on as a substitute for

James Rodríguez James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or Winger (association football), winger for Liga MX club Club León, León and Captain (associ ...

in Everton’s 1–1 home league draw against

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

, making his first appearance for the club since August 2019 due to injury, but a week later Gbamin would again be sidelined following a knee injury. Gbamin made a return from injury in October 2021 when he was listed for selection on the Everton bench for three successive Premier League games. Then on the 2nd of November 2021 Gbamin was listed on Everton’s starting 11 to face off against

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

away from home.

CSKA Moscow loan

On 21 February 2022,

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

announced the loan signing of Gbamin until the end of the season. On 20 March 2022, Gbamin scored his first goal with CSKA in a 6–1 rout of

Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (; ) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–2 ...

. On 19 May 2022, CSKA confirmed that Gbamin would leave the club upon the expiration of his loan term.

Trabzonspor loan

On 22 August 2022, Gbamin joined

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

on loan for the season. Gbamin made his debut with Trabzonspor on 28 August 2022, coming on for

Emmanouil Siopis Emmanouil "Manolis" Siopis (; born 14 May 1994) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Super League Greece club Panathinaikos and the Greece national team. Club career Olympiacos Born in Tychero, Siopis bega ...

at halftime in a 0–0 draw with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

. He ended the season making 24 appearances for the Turkish side.

Return to Everton and departure

On 30 May 2023, Gbamin's agent said the player's time at Everton had been "a nightmare" and he wanted to leave the club, even though he had one season left on his contract. Gbamin's contract was terminated on 2 September 2023.

Dunkerque

On 8 November 2023, Gbamin joined

club

Dunkerque Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

on a free transfer, signing a contract until the end of the season. On 3 May 2024, Gbamin scored his first goal with Dunkerque, the winner in an important 2–1 victory over Quevilly-Rouen, a match between two sides trying to avoid relegation. A week later, on 10 May 2024, Gbamin scored another important goal for Dunkerque, the equalizer in a 2–2 draw with

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

, a result that helped maintain his club in

Nantes

On 28 August 2024, Gbamin signed for

club

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

for one season.

Zürich

On 3 February 2025, Gbamin signed a half-season contract with

in Switzerland.

International career

Gbamin has represented

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 level, making his under-21 debut in a 1–1 draw against Italy U20 on 13 November 2014. Gbamin is also eligible to represent

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

at international level due to his parents' nationalities and his birthplace. In April 2017, it was announced that Gbamin had committed himself to playing for the Ivory Coast internationally. He made his senior debut for Ivory Coast in a 5–0 friendly loss to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

on 4 June 2017.

Honours

France U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

runner-up:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links