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Bradley Barcola

French footballer
Date of Birth : 02 September, 2002 (Age 22)
Place of Birth : Villeurbanne, France
Profession : Footballer
Nationality : French, Togolese
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Bradley Jean-Manuel Essolisam Addo Barcola (ব্রাদলে বারকোলা) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team.

After coming up through Lyon's academy, Barcola began his professional career with his boyhood club, where he would play two seasons, the latter of which he broke out into the starting squad, leading the club in assists. In 2023, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain for a €45 million transfer fee, going on to win a domestic treble in his first season at the club.

Early life

Bradley Jean-Manuel Essolisam Addo Barcola was born on 2 September 2002 in Villeurbanne, a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, to a French mother and Togolese father. He started playing football in his home town, before joining Lyon at the age of eight.

International career

Barcola was first selected with France under-18 in January 2020 to play two friendly matches. However, he did not appear as most junior encounters were cancelled due to COVID-19 during the following seasons.

On 16 May 2024, Barcola received his first call-up to the France national team for UEFA Euro 2024. On 5 June 2024, he debuted as a substitute for Marcus Thuram at the 81st minute of a 3–0 friendly victory against Luxembourg at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz. Barcola recorded his first goal contribution for France by assisting Kylian Mbappé's goal, the third of the match. In the meantime, his club, Paris Saint-Germain, denied him permission to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics on home soil, along with his teammate Warren Zaïre-Emery. On 25 June 2024, Barcola made his first start for France on the occasion of his Euro 2024 debut, an eventual 1–1 draw with Poland in the third group stage match. He made two additional appearances as a substitute in the competition: 15 minutes against Portugal in the quarter-finals, and 30 minutes against Spain in the semi-finals, which ended in a 2–1 defeat. Despite his limited playing time, Barcola was praised for making a "strong impression" during the tournament.

Style of play

Barcola is a versatile forward, able to play on both sides of a front three or as a centre forward. Regarded as one of the most promising young players in world football, Barcola is a quick, talented and technically gifted winger, with good dribbling skills, vision, and explosive speed and acceleration. Although he is naturally right-footed, his preferred position is on the left, which allows him to beat opponents in one on one situations, cut into the centre onto his right foot, and either shoot on goal, create chances for teammates, or make attacking runs into the area.

Barcola has mentioned drawing inspiration from players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang; in 2020, he stated that he believes his playing style is similar to theirs.

Personal life

Barcola holds French and Togolese nationalities. His brother Malcolm is also a footballer, and plays for the Togo national team.

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