Nicolas Julio Nkoulou Ndoubena (born 27 March 1990), known as Nicolas Nkoulou, is a Cameroonian 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

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

for

Sakaryaspor Sakaryaspor Kulübü Derneği is a Turkish professional football club playing in the TFF First League, which is the second level of Turkish football. History The club was formed in 1965 after the merger of ''Adapazarı Gençlerbirliği'', ''Adap ...

on loan from Turkish TFF 1. Lig club Amedspor and the Cameroon national team. Nkoulou began his career in the French league with

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, where he spent three years before signing for

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

in 2011. With Marseille, he won his first senior trophy, the

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

in the 2011–12 season. In 2016, he left Marseille for

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 ...

, but after a disappointing year he left to join Italian club

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, initially on loan but later on a permanent basis. Though initially impressing, he fell out of favour, and left the club in 2021, before signing for English club

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

Internationally, Nkoulou played 75 times for Cameroon between 2008 and 2017, and decided to retire shortly after winning the

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Africa Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

, scoring the equalising goal in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. He represented Cameroon in three

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 name is ...

and three Africa Cup of Nations. In September 2022, he was called up to the national team for the first time after 5 years.

Club career

Monaco

Nkoulou began his career at Kadji Sports Academy in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...

, the same academy that produced the likes of

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian Association football, football administrator and former Football player, player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. He is often regarded as one of the ...

Carlos Kameni Idriss Carlos Kameni (born 18 February 1984) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He spent the vast majority of his career in Spain, mainly with Espanyol for whom he appeared in 229 official games over eight La Li ...

, and

Eric Djemba-Djemba Eric Daniel Djemba-Djemba (born 4 May 1981) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He previously played club football in France, England, Qatar, Denmark, Israel, Serbia, Scotland, India and Indonesia. In int ...

. In late 2007, it was announced that he was acquired by the

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

-based side

AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, commonly referred to as AS Monaco (), is a professional football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. Although not in France, they are a member of the French Football Federation (FFF) and currently ...

. He agreed to a three-year professional contract with the club. He spent the latter portion of the 2007–08 season playing with Monaco's CFA squad, before joining the squad for preseason in July 2008, where he was handed the number 3 kit. Nkoulou made two appearances during the pre-season starting their opening friendly match against fellow Ligue 1 side

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

and also starting against Croatian side

NK Zagreb Nogometni klub Zagreb (''Zagreb Football Club''), commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb (), is a Croatian football club based in the capital city of Zagreb. It currently competes in the fifth tier league competition of Croatian footbal ...

. He made his professional debut on 13 September 2008 in a 2–0 victory over

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

starting the match before being substituted in the 65th minute. Though he made 24 appearances in the 2008–09 season, The 2009–10 season saw Nkoulou to play as defensive midfielder for most of the season under the new management of

Guy Lacombe Guy Hubert Georges Lacombe (born 13 June 1955) is a French football manager and former professional player. Playing career Lacombe was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. ...

and new signing, Sébastien Puygrenier. As the 2009–10 season progressed, Nkoulou signed a new contract with the club, keeping him until 2012 and was then reverted to central defence. NKoulou also played in the Coupe de France Final, coming on as a substitute for

Eduardo Costa Eduardo Nascimento Costa (born 23 September 1982), known as Eduardo Costa, is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current head coach of Atlético Catarinense. Career ...

in the 111th minute, in a 1–0 loss against PSG and went on to make 23 appearances in the 2009–10 season despite being committed to the African Cup of Nation. In the 2010–11 season, Nkoulou found himself in the transfer speculation and ended up staying at the club despite fallen out with Lacombe. Nkoulou continued remain in the first team, playing in the defensive midfielder position for most of the season and central defence. Despite suffering from injuries and suspension, Nkoulou finished the 2010–11 season, making 30 appearances. However, following their relegation to

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 ...

, Nkoulou was among key players to be expected to leave the club. His performances with Monaco have led to him being scouted by several prominent European clubs. English club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, Spanish sides

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) 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. Seville ...

and

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

and French champions

Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and p ...

have all declared their interests in the Cameroonian defender. During his time at AS Monaco, Nkoulou made 78 appearances and has started every match since playing the full 90 minutes in them all. He has yet to score a goal.

Marseille

On 29 June 2011, Nkoulou passed his medical and signed for four years with

for €3.5 million. Marseille and Lyon found themselves competing over their interest signing Nkoulou before he chose Marseille. After missing two matches, due to suspension he received while at Monaco, Nkoulou made his Marseille debut on 14 August 2011, in a 2–2 draw 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 ...

. In the next match against Saint Étienne on 21 August 2011, Nkoulou was involved in an incident with

Florent Sinama Pongolle Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle (born 20 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was signed at only 16 by Liverpool, but could never impose himself in the first team. He also spent several seasons ...

. But following the reviewing by the Disciplinary Committee of the LFP, he was received a three match ban. While serving his suspension in the league, he made his Champions League debut on Matchday 1 of the Group–stage, helping a club kept a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win against

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

on 13 September 2011 and went on to play ten Champions League Matches. Eight days later on 21 September 2011, Nkolou made his return to the first team, in a 2–0 win over

Evian Evian (, ; , stylized as evian) is a French brand that bottles mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. Evian is owned by Danone, a French multinational corporation. In addition to the miner ...

. His performance throughout October saw him earned the club's player of the month of October. Nkolou continued to remain in the first team for the 2011–12 season despite another suspension (which he got a two match ban against

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

) and a knee injury. Despite this, Nkoulou helped the club win against Lyon 1–0 in the final of Coupe de la Ligue, winning the cup for their first piece of silverware since 1981, as well as, being named Man of the Match. After finishing the 2011–12 appearance, making 46 appearances in all competition, Nkoulou was named

Trophées UNFP du football The Trophées UNFP du football are a number of awards given annually by the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNFP) to players playing in France's Ligue 1, Ligue 2, and Division 1 Féminine, as well as to managers and referees. The ...

's Team of the Year of

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and was nominated for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé Award, but finished as runner–up to

Younès Belhanda Younès Belhanda (; born 25 February 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al-Shamal. Born in France, he played for the Morocco national team. Early life Belhanda was born in Avigno ...

. Nevertheless, Nkoulou was awarded 2011–12 Olympique de Marseille Player of the Season. In the 2012–13 season saw Nkoulou found himself in the transfer speculation when the club began to suffer financial trouble, but stayed at the club and insisting on honouring his contract. Nkoulou was ever–present in the 2012–13 season, having played all the match in the league and scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win against

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

on 3 March 2013. During the season, Nkoulou suffered a knee ligament injury and was sidelined for weeks, but managed to return to the league. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Nkoulou was named

's Team of the Year of

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 ...

for the second time running. Prior to the 2013–14 season, Nkoulou stated he was prepared to leave Marseille in the summer, prompting attracted interests from his former club Monaco, who were just promoted back to Ligue 1, and Arsenal. After the club set a higher price tag on him, Nkoulou remained at the club and started a bad start when he conceded a goal, in a 3–1 win over

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 the opening game of the season. Despite this, Nkoulou redeemed himself soon after to continuously remain in the first team under the new management of

Élie Baup Élie Baup (; born 17 March 1955) is a French football manager and a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His last post was the manager of Ligue 1 side Marseille. Managerial career 1994–2009 As the club manager of Bordeaux, Baup won ...

. On 4 January 2014, Nkoulou extended his contract with Marseille, keeping him until 2016. As the 2013–14 season progressed, Nkoulou suffered a knee injury, which kept him sidelined for one match. After making his return, Nkoulou went on to score two goals later in the season against Saint Étienne and

Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy ...

. Nkoulou made 46 appearances and scoring twice in all competitions in the 2013–14 season. Ahead of the 2014–15 season, the club were keen on selling Nkoulou, but following a friendly match against

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, it appeared hinted that he wanted to stay at the club. His good performance against Guingamp on 23 August 2014 earned him Team of the Week on Matchday 3. Then on 19 October 2014, Nkoulou scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over

. Two weeks later, on 2 November 2014, Nkoulou scored again, in a 2–1 win over

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'') ...

. However, as the 2014–15 season, his appearance was soon restricted to 26 appearances in competition, due to injuries and international commitment with Cameroon. After two months without playing, Nkoulou made his first team return on 12 April 2015, in a 1–0 loss against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and went on to help the finished the season in the 4th place at two points of a qualification in the Champions League. Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Nkoulou's contract set to expire and haven't renewed his contract, though his future remained undecided. In the 2015–16 season, Nkoulou made his first appearance of the season, having missed through opening game of the season, in a 1–0 loss against

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

on 16 August 2015. In a match against

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

on 29 January 2016, Nkoulou captained Marseille for the first time following

Steve Mandanda Steve Mandanda Mpidi (; born 28 March 1985) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais FC, Rennes. A product of the Le Havre AC, Le Havre academ ...

's absence, which they drew 1–1. In a match against Saint-Étienne on 21 February 2016, Nkoulou received a straight red card in a 1–1 draw. In addition to his disciplinary issues, Nkoulou was suspended three times in every

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

matches, Nkoulou started in the Coupe de France Final, which they lost 4–2 against PSG. At the end of the 2015–16 season, the club faced a difficult season with three different managers during the season and finished the league in thirteenth place and finished the season, making 41 appearances in all competition. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2015–16 season, Nkoulou attracted interests around clubs, such as

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, w ...

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

and

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

. However, on 27 June 2016, Nkoulou began talks with a move to stay in France by joining Lyon.

Lyon

After spending five years at Marseille, with his contract at the club expired, Nkoulou moved to

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

on a four–year contract on 29 June 2016; coincidentally was the day he joined Marseille. Upon joining the club, Nkoulou stated he joined Lyon to achieve greater things and was given number 3 shirt, which he quoted: ‘’“The No. 3? It is a wink to those close to me, because I am the youngest of three children.”’’ Nkoulou played his first official match for Lyon at the

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

, making his first start, in a 4–1 loss against Paris Saint–Germain. A week later, he made his league debut for the club, in the opening game of the season, in a 3–0 win over Nancy. In his first match against Marseille for the first time, which saw them draw 0–0 on 18 September 2016, Nkoulou received boos from Marseille supporters during the match every time he touched the ball. Around the same time he was competing with Mouctar Diakhaby, Nkoulou's performance soon came under criticism by observers, prompting Manager

Bruno Génésio Bruno "Pep" Génésio (born 1 September 1966) is a French football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Lille. Early life Génésio was born on 1 September 1966 in Lyon. Playing career Gén� ...

defended him.

Torino

On 5 August 2017, Italian club

announced they had signed Nkoulou on a year-long

loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

with an option to purchase. He made his debut on 11 August 2017, in the

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

against

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

, won by Torino 7–1. His debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

took place instead on 20 August, against

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

(1–1). He scored his first goal for the club on 2 December, during a 1–1 draw against

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

. At the end of his first season with the club, he was voted by the fans as the best player of Torino in the 2017–18 season. His contract was redeemed by Torino for €3.5 million. On 2 September 2018, he scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season, and the match-winner with a header against

SPAL Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, commonly referred to by the acronym SPAL (), is a professional football club based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. During the 2024–25 season the team played in Serie C, the third tier of the Italian foot ...

(1–0). In August 2019, Nkoulou asked to not be selected for Torino's Serie A fixture against

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...

, and their

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...

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 ...

, with a desire to transfer to

AS Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: Help:IPA/Italian, ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier ...

. In September, with no transfer taking place, he wrote a letter saying he had decided to "leave the difficult moment of the summer behind me", and apologised to Torino fans, staff, and his teammates. At the end of the 2020–21 season, Nkoulou parted ways with

upon the expiry of his contract.

Watford

After spending time as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

, on 7 October 2021,

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

announced the signing of Nkoulou on a deal until the end of the season. Following relegation at the end of the 2021–22 season, Nkoulou was released by the club.

Aris

On 23 August 2022, Nkoulou joined

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

club

Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to: People * Aris (surname) Given name * Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer * Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player * Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano * Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter * Aris Konstantinidis, Greek architect * ...

on a free transfer on a two-year contract.

Gaziantep

On 11 September 2023, Turkish

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

club

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

announced the signing of Nkoulou on a one-year contract.

International career

Nkoulou was included in the Cameroon U-23 squad that participated in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. He helped the squad reach the knockout round, where they were eliminated by

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Nkoulou was called up by the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

for the first time on 4 November 2008 He would make his international debut in the senior squad on 19 November 2008 in a friendly against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, which they lost 3–2. Nkoulou selected for the

2010 African Cup of Nations The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange (telecommunications), Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial association football, football championship of Africa (Confederat ...

by Cameroon National coach

Paul Le Guen Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen (, ; born 1 March 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of French club Le Havre. During his playing career, Le Guen played as a midfielder, and enjoyed a suc ...

and went on to play four times in the cup competitions. Later in 2010, N’Koulou was called up again for the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

and made his World Cup debut, making his first start and playing 90 minutes, in a 1–0 loss against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. N’Koulou played all three matches in the World Cup, as Cameroon were eliminated in the group stage. After captain Samuel Eto'o and vice–captain

Eyong Enoh Eyong Tarkang Enoh (born 23 March 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Enoh has played for clubs in eight countries, including spells in both Cyprus and Northern Cyprus, as well as the Netherlands, B ...

were suspended for five and two matches respectively by Cameroon Football Federation for their action of boycotting a friendly match against

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, Nkoulou was appointed as captain of Cameroon on a temporary basis and captained his first national match, in a 1–0 win over

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

. Following Eto’o refused to return to the national squad in late-August 2012, The Cameroon Football Federation stripped him of his captaincy in response and Nkoulou was appointed as a new captain of Cameroon. In the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

, Nkoulou was among 23 players to be included for the squad. Nkoulou played all three matches and retained his captaincy, as Cameroon struggled in the World Cup after losing three matches that saw them eliminated in the World Cup. The following year, Nkoulou was called up into the squad by the national team for the

African Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is s ...

. Two years later on 26 March 2016, Nkoulou scored his first international goal, in a 2–2 draw against South Africa, the team he made his national debut eight years ago. His equalizing goal against Egypt in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Final is the first goal to be conceded by Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations finals since

Mengistu Worku Mengistu Worku (Amharic: መንግስቱ ወርቁ; 1940 – 16 December 2010) was an Ethiopian footballer, recognised as one of the best Ethiopian footballers in history with Luciano Vassalo and Yidnekatchew Tessema. He is best known for his ...

's goal in the

1962 African Cup of Nations The 1962 African Cup of Nations was the third edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by Ethiopia. Nine countries entered the competition, including the reigning champions Egypt, meaning for ...

final.

Career statistics

Club

International

: :''Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nkoulou goal''

Honours

Marseille *

: 2011–12 Cameroon *

Individual * Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2011–12, 2012–13

References

External links

*
LFP Profile

Profile on AS Monaco Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nkoulou, Nicolas Living people 1990 births Footballers from Yaoundé Men's association football defenders Men's association football central defenders Cameroonian men's footballers 21st-century Cameroonian sportsmen Cameroon men's international footballers Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Cameroon 2010 Africa Cup of Nations players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players 2017 Africa Cup of Nations players 2022 FIFA World Cup players Africa Cup of Nations–winning players Kadji Sports Academy players AS Monaco FC players Olympique de Marseille players Olympique Lyonnais players Torino FC players Watford F.C. players Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players Gaziantep F.K. footballers Sakaryaspor footballers Ligue 1 players Serie A players Premier League players Super League Greece players Süper Lig players TFF 1. Lig players Expatriate men's footballers in Monaco Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in France Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in England Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey