Karl Toko Ekambi
Karl Toko Ekambi | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 14, 1992 Paris, France |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Forward for Al-Ettifaq and Cameroon national team |
Karl Louis Brillant Toko Ekambi (born 14 September 1992) is a professional football player who operates primarily as a forward.
Toko Ekambi launched his football journey with Paris FC competing in the Championnat National, before moving to Sochaux in Ligue 2. He subsequently advanced to Angers in France’s top division, Ligue 1. After an 18-month stint at Spain’s Villarreal in La Liga, he returned to the French elite league by signing with Lyon.
Although born and raised in France, Toko Ekambi has chosen to represent Cameroon at the international level. Making his debut for the national team in 2015, he has participated in multiple editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, specifically in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023, securing the title in the 2017 tournament. Additionally, he featured at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Sochaux
Originating from Paris, Toko Ekambi’s early career began at Paris FC within the third-tier competition of the Championnat National. In June 2014, after netting 13 goals and ranking as the third-highest scorer, he moved to Sochaux. His debut in Ligue 2 occurred on the first matchday of the 2014–15 season against Orléans, entering as a substitute in the 57th minute during a 1–0 defeat at home. By season's end, he had secured joint fourth place among the top scorers with 14 goals.
Angers
In June 2016, Toko Ekambi transferred to Angers on a four-year contract for a fee of €1 million. During his initial campaign in Ligue 1, he scored seven goals, highlighted by a brace in a commanding 3–0 home victory over Bastia on 26 February.
During August 2017, newly promoted Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion reportedly submitted an offer of €8 million plus €1 million in bonuses for his services. He commenced the season impressively, accumulating nine goals across 18 league appearances by mid-season, which drew further attention from English clubs. In January 2018, Angers declined another proposal from Brighton. Notably, on 24 February, Toko Ekambi scored twice—including a decisive goal in the 89th minute—to lift Angers out of relegation danger with a 2–1 triumph over Lille. He concluded the 2017–18 Ligue 1 campaign with 17 goals, placing ninth among the league’s top scorers. His performances earned him the prestigious Prix Marc-Vivien Foé award as the best African player in Ligue 1, marking him as the first Cameroonian to receive this honor named after Marc-Vivien Foé.
On 25 April 2017, Toko Ekambi contributed a goal as a late substitute during a 2–0 home win against Guingamp in the semi-final of the Coupe de France. He then played through the entire final on 27 May, where Angers were narrowly defeated 1–0 by Paris Saint-Germain.
Villarreal
In June 2018, Toko Ekambi signed for Spanish side Villarreal competing in La Liga, with an estimated transfer fee of €20 million. He was brought in to succeed Cédric Bakambu, who had departed for the Chinese Super League. During his first season, he scored ten league goals, including a notable brace on 17 March that helped secure a 3–1 victory over Rayo Vallecano.
Toko Ekambi shared top scorer honors alongside Getafe’s Ángel in the 2018–19 Copa del Rey, each netting five goals. His tally featured four goals during an emphatic 8–0 second-leg win (11–3 aggregate) against Almería in the round of 32, followed by a goal versus Espanyol, who ultimately eliminated Villarreal.
He earned recognition as the La Liga Player of the Month for October 2019 after scoring three goals that month, including two strikes contributing to a comprehensive 4–1 win over Alavés.
Lyon
On 20 January 2020, Toko Ekambi rejoined Ligue 1 by moving on loan to Lyon for the rest of that season. Subsequently, on 2 June, Lyon finalized his permanent transfer, signing him to a four-year deal valued at €11.5 million. He featured in the 2020 Coupe de la Ligue Final, where he successfully converted a penalty in the shootout following a goalless draw; however, Lyon ultimately fell short against PSG.
During the 2020–21 Ligue 1 campaign, Toko Ekambi netted 14 goals, ranking him joint ninth among the league’s top scorers. The next season, he finished joint tenth with a total of 12 goals.
Loan to Rennes
On 26 January 2023, Ligue 1 side Rennes acquired Toko Ekambi on loan from Lyon until the season's end. The initial loan fee was €1.5 million, with an additional €1 million contingent upon performance criteria. He scored his debut goal for Rennes on 19 March by opening a 2–0 victory over PSG, ending their impressive 35-match unbeaten run at home.
Abha
On 24 August 2023, Toko Ekambi signed a two-year contract with Saudi Pro League outfit Abha.
Al-Ettifaq
He transferred to another Saudi Pro League team, Al-Ettifaq, on 30 January 2024, agreeing to a one-and-a-half-year contract.
International career
Toko Ekambi made his first appearance for the Cameroon senior squad on 6 June 2015 during a friendly victory over Burkina Faso. His inaugural international goal came on 3 September 2016 in qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Under coach Hugo Broos, he was included in the Cameroon roster that captured the title at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
In March 2017, he both scored and received a red card during a friendly defeat against Guinea. He also took part in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup as well as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. At the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Toko Ekambi contributed several crucial goals, including a brace against Ethiopia and scoring both goals in Cameroon's quarter-final triumph over Gambia.
On 29 March 2022, he secured Cameroon's qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by scoring a vital goal against Algeria. During the World Cup group stage, he started two matches and appeared as a substitute in another before Cameroon was eliminated after three games.
During the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast, after initially being omitted from the lineup, he returned to score in an important 3–2 victory over Gambia that propelled Cameroon into the round of sixteen. On 2 February 2024, following this tournament, Toko Ekambi announced his retirement from international football.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Paris FC | 2010–11 | Championnat National | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 4 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 14 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 68 | 21 | ||||
| Sochaux | 2014–15 | Ligue 2 | 38 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 14 | ||
| 2015–16 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 72 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 82 | 26 | ||||
| Angers | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 8 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 37 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 17 | ||||||
| Total | 68 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 72 | 25 | ||||
| Villarreal | 2018–19 | La Liga | 34 | 10 | 2 | 5 | — | 7 | 3 | — | 43 | 18 | ||
| 2019–20 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 52 | 16 | 3 | 5 | — | 7 | 3 | — | 62 | 24 | ||||
| Lyon (loan) | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | |
| Lyon | 2020–21 | 35 | 14 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 39 | 14 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 6 | — | 40 | 18 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 92 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 6 | — | 114 | 38 | |||
| Rennes (loan) | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | — !! colspan= "2" | — !! - !! - !! colspan= "2" !!19 !!5 - | |||||||||||
International Career
| Club | Season | League | Apps | Goals | National cup | Apps | Goals | League cup | Apps | Goals | Continental | Apps | Goals | Other | Apps | Goals | Total apps | Total goals |
|---|
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 14 | 7 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 61 | 14 | |
- The score column reflects the tally following each goal scored by Toko Ekambi, with Cameroon's goals listed first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score after goal | Final result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2016 | Limbe Stadium, Limbe, Cameroon | Template:Fb | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group M |
| 2 | 28 March 2017 | Edmond Machtens Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Template:Fb | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 14 June 2019 | Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar | Template:Fb | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 8 October 2021 | Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon | Template:Fb | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round |
| 5 | 16 November 2021 | Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round |
| 6 | 13 January 2022 | Olembe Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon | Template:Fb | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Group A |
| 7 | 4–1 | |||||
| 8 | 24 January 2022 | Olembe Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage |
| 9 | 29 January 2022 | Japoma Stadium, Douala, Cameroon | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 10 | 2–0 | |||||
| 11 | 29 March 2022 | Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida, Algeria | Template:Fb | 2–1 | 2–1 Template:Aet | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF third round |
| 12 | 9 June 2022 | National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group C |
| 13 | 10 June 2023 | Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, United States | Template:Fb | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 14 | 23 January 2024 | Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast | Template:Fb | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group C |
Honours
Lyon
- Coupe de la Ligue finalist: 2019–20
Cameroon
- Africa Cup of Nations champion: 2017; secured third place: 2021
Individual Achievements
- Included in the Ligue 2 Team of the Year for the 2014–15 season
- Awarded the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé in 2018
- Recognized as La Liga Player of the Month in October 2019
External links
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles without Wikidata item
- 1992 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Paris
- French men's footballers
- Cameroonian men's footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Paris FC players
- FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players
- Angers SCO players
- Villarreal CF players
- Olympique Lyonnais players
- Stade Rennais FC players
- Abha Club players
- Al-Ettifaq FC players
- Championnat National players
- Championnat National 3 players
- Ligue 2 players
- Ligue 1 players
- La Liga players
- Saudi Pro League players
- Cameroon men's international footballers
- 2017 Africa Cup of Nations players
- 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players
- 2019 Africa Cup of Nations players
- 2021 Africa Cup of Nations players
- 2022 FIFA World Cup players
- 2023 Africa Cup of Nations players
- Africa Cup of Nations–winning players
- French expatriate men's footballers
- Cameroonian expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
- Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Expatriate men's footballers in Saudi Arabia
- Cameroonian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia
- French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent
- Cameroonian people of French descent
- 21st-century French sportsmen