Axel Zihiri Kacou (born 1 August 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Championnat National 2 club Lyon La Duchère.[3] Born in France, he represented both France and Ivory Coast at youth international level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Axel Zihiri Kacou[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 August 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Saint-Denis, France | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sporting Club Lyon | ||
| Number | 40 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2007 | Stade Olympique de Paris[2] | ||
| 2007–2010 | Ivry[2] | ||
| 2010–2012 | Saint-Étienne[2] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Saint-Étienne II | 17 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Évian II | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Tours II | 7 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Tours | 18 | (0) |
| 2019– | Lyon La Duchère[a] | 37 | (0) |
| 2019– | Lyon La Duchère II | 10 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010–2011 | France U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2015 | Ivory Coast U23 | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:36, 21 July 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of
| |||
Club career
editAs a youth, Kacou trained at Clairefontaine,[4][5] before joining Saint-Étienne.[5]
In January 2016, Kacou joined Thonon Évian F.C. from Saint-Étienne, having agreed a 2+1⁄2-year contract.[5]
In August 2016, he moved to Tours FC on a two-year deal.[6]
In June 2019, he signed a two-year deal with Lyon-Duchère.[7] Lyon-Duchère rebranded as Sporting Club Lyon in June 2020.
International career
editKacou was born in France to Ivorian parents. He originally represented the France U16s.[8][2] He then switched to the Ivory Coast U23s for the 2015 Toulon Tournament.[9]
In November 2016, Kacou was first called up to the senior Ivory Coast squad for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Morocco.[4] He was selected by new coach Marc Wilmots in May 2017 for a friendly against the Netherlands and a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea.[10] In March 2018, he was again called up for a friendly against Togo.[11]
References
edit- ^ Mel, Adou (5 September 2017). "Eliminatoires Mondial 2018 : 2ème défaite à Bouaké et qualification en difficulté pour la Côte d'Ivoire" [2018 World Cup qualifiers: 2nd defeat in Bouaké and qualification in difficulty for Ivory Coast]. Afrikipresse (in French). Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Joueur – Axel KACOU – FFF".
- ^ Axel Kacou at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ a b Angoua, Adolphe (2 November 2016). "Axel Kacou : Un " inconnu " dans la cage des Eléphants". Linfodrome (in French). Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "Evian: Kacou arrive, Abarouai s'en va". Le Figaro (in French). 27 January 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "ETG: Kacou rejoint Tours". Le Dauphiné Liberé (in French). 30 August 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "Axel Kacou est Lyonnais!" (in French). AS Lyon-Duchère Official Footeo site. 20 June 2019.
- ^ "ETGFC – Football & Paris Sportifs". ETGFC. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "Axel Kacou :: Axel Kacou :: Tours". www.zerozero.pt.
- ^ "Marc Wilmots names his first Ivory Coast squad". BBC Sport. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
- ^ "Togo vs Ivory Coast". ESPN. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.