Nicolas Pépé
Nicolas Pépé (born 29 May 1995) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Arsenal and the Ivory Coast national team.
Pépé began his career at Angers, where he spent four seasons, making 80 appearances and scoring 19 goals. In 2017, he joined Lille for a fee of €10 million. In his first season at Lille, Pépé scored 13 goals in 38 league appearances, helping the club finish second in Ligue 1 and qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history. In the following season, Pépé scored 22 goals in 38 league appearances, making him the top scorer in Ligue 1 and helping Lille finish second again.
In August 2019, Pépé joined Arsenal for a club-record fee of £72 million. He made his debut for the club on 11 August 2019, in a 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United. Pépé scored his first goal for Arsenal on 24 September 2019, in a 3–2 win over Aston Villa. He finished his first season at Arsenal with 8 goals in 31 appearances.
In the 2020–21 season, Pépé scored 16 goals in 47 appearances for Arsenal, helping the club win the FA Cup. He also scored 1 goal in 6 appearances in the UEFA Europa League, helping Arsenal reach the quarter-finals.
Pépé made his debut for the Ivory Coast national team in 2016. He was part of the Ivorian squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015. Pépé has scored 11 goals in 31 appearances for his country.
Pépé is a talented winger known for his pace, dribbling skills, and goalscoring ability. He is considered one of the most promising young players in Africa.
Here are some additional facts about Nicolas Pépé:
- He was born in Mantes-la-Jolie, France, to Ivorian parents.
- He grew up in the Paris suburb of Bondy, where he played for the local club AS Bondy.
- He is a Muslim.
- He speaks French, English, and Spanish.
- He is married to Vanessa Tierro, a French model.
- He has two children, a son named Loïc and a daughter named Sienna.
