Salis Abdul Samed

Salis Abdul Samed
Born	(2000-03-26) March 26, 2000 Ghana
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2019–
Known for	Defensive midfielder for Nice and Ghana national team

Salis Abdul Samed (born 26 March 2000) is a professional footballer from Ghana who operates primarily as a defensive midfielder. He currently plays for the French Ligue 1 side Nice and represents the Ghana national team internationally.

Clermont

Abdul Samed's football journey began at the JMG Academy in Accra. Following the closure of that branch, he moved to the academy located in Djékanou, Ivory Coast. On 24 July 2019, he secured a two-year loan move to Clermont from JMG Academy. His first appearance came on 27 August 2019 during a Coupe de la Ligue match against Lens, which ended 2–2 and was decided on penalties (5–4) in favor of Lens. Abdul Samed played a role in Clermont’s ascent to Ligue 1 by helping them finish second in the 2019–20 Ligue 2. Subsequently, on 12 July 2021, he committed to Clermont permanently by signing a four-year deal.

Lens

Abdul Samed transferred to Lens on 24 June 2022 for a fee of €5 million, agreeing to a five-year contract. He made his debut on 7 August, completing the entire match in a 3–2 victory over Brest, and netted his first goal for the club on 31 August against Lorient. Throughout the season, he featured in 33 Ligue 1 games, starting in 32, and participated in all four Coupe de France fixtures as Lens advanced to the quarter-finals.

In partnership with captain Seko Fofana, Abdul Samed was instrumental in Lens finishing as runners-up in Ligue 1, trailing Paris Saint-Germain by just one point. This achievement secured the club’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2002–03 campaign, marking their third-ever participation in the competition.

At the conclusion of the season, Get French Football News honored him as the best central midfielder and included him in their team of the season. Additionally, he received a nomination for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé award, which was ultimately awarded to Chancel Mbemba.

On 8 June 2023, Abdul Samed extended his contract with Lens until 2028.

Loan to Sunderland

On 30 August 2024, Abdul Samed moved to EFL Championship club Sunderland on a loan deal lasting for one season. An injury delayed his debut until 11 January 2025, when he appeared in a 2–1 FA Cup loss against Stoke.

Nice

Abdul Samed completed a transfer to Nice on 14 August 2025.

International career

In November 2022, Abdul Samed received his inaugural call-up to represent Ghana ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He made his international debut in a pre-tournament friendly versus Switzerland, playing the full duration of a 2–0 victory. He went on to participate with Ghana during the World Cup finals.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Clermont II	2019–20	National 3	7	0	—		—		—		7	0
	2020–21	National 3	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	Total		8	0	—		—		—		8	0
Clermont (loan)	2019–20	Ligue 2	6	0	0	0	1	0	—		7	0
	2020–21	Ligue 2	6	0	0	0	—		—		6	0
	Total		12	0	0	0	1	0	—		13	0
Clermont	2021–22	Ligue 1	31	1	0	0	—		—		31	1
Lens	2022–23	Ligue 1	33	1	4	0	—		—		37	1
	2023–24	Ligue 1	27	0	0	0	—		8	0	35	0
	Total		60	1	4	0	—		8	0	72	1
Sunderland (loan)	2024–25	Championship	10	0	1	0	—		0	0	11	0
Nice	2025–26	Ligue 1	9	0	0	0	—		2	0	11	0
Career total			130	2	5	0	1	0	10	0	146	2

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Ghana	2022	4	0
	2023	8	0
	2024	7	0
	2025	3	0
Overall		22	0

Honours

Sunderland

• EFL Championship play-offs: 2025

Personal life

As a practicing Muslim, he contributed food supplies to the Muslim community in Madina during the 2024 Ramadan period.