Idrissa Gueye
Idrissa Gana Gueye is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Senegal national team.
Club career
Early career
Born in Dakar, Gueye spent his early career in Senegal for Diambars before joining French club Lille in 2008. He broke through into the first team in the 2010–11 season, in which Lille won Ligue 1, and became a regular starter in the league and the UEFA Champions League over the following four seasons.Aston Villa
On 10 July 2015, Gueye joined English Premier League club Aston Villa for a £9 million transfer fee. On 8 August, he made his debut in a 1–0 away victory over AFC Bournemouth. On 19 January 2016, Gueye scored his first and only goal for Villa in a 2–0 over Wycombe Wanderers in the third round replay of the FA Cup. In total, Gueye made 35 league appearances for Villa as the club was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season.Everton
On 2 August 2016 and with Aston Villa relegated from the Premier League, Everton triggered a release clause in Gueye's contract, reported to be £7.1 million, and signed him to a four-year contract. He made the highest number of successful tackles and interceptions per match across Europe's top five leagues over the 2016 calendar year. Gueye scored his first league goal for Everton in a 2–0 victory over Sunderland at Goodison Park on 25 February 2017. He became the first player in Europe's top five leagues to win 100 tackles in the 2016–17 season.Gueye scored his first goal for Everton in European competition on 17 August 2017 in the UEFA Europa League play-off round first leg against Hajduk Split. In February 2018, he extended his contract with Everton until 2022.
In January 2019, Everton rejected an offer from French club PSG for Gueye. However, the speculation regarding PSG did not negatively impact his performances as Gueye was awarded the club's joint Player's Player of the Year for the 2018–19 season along with Lucas Digne.
Paris Saint-Germain
On 30 July 2019 he signed for French side Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £30million. On 25 August, he made his debut in a 4–0 victory over Toulouse.International career
Gueye made his international debut for Senegal in 2011, and has appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches for them. He also represented them at the 2012 Olympics, and the 2015, 2017 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.In May 2018, he was named in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Style of play
An energetic midfielder, known for his ball-winning skills, as well as his ability to press opponents and intercept passes, Gueye completed the most tackles during the 2016–17 Premier League season.Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 10 June 2017 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 2. | 13 October 2018 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar, Senegal | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 3. | 16 June 2019 | Ismailia Stadium, Ismailia, Egypt | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 4. | 10 July 2019 | 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations |
Honours
Lille- Ligue 1: 2010–11
- Ligue 1: 2019–20
- Coupe de France: 2019–20
- Everton Players’ Player of the Season: 2018–19
- Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019
- CAF Team of the Year: 2019