Mohamed-Ali Cho (born 19 January 2004) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Nice. Born in France and raised in England, Cho previously represented England as a youth international before switching his allegiance to France.
_56_(cropped).jpg) Cho with Real Sociedad in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mohamed-Ali Cho[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 January 2004[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Stains, France | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Nice | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Chantilly | ||
| 2011–2015 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 2015–2020 | Everton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | Angers B | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Angers | 53 | (4) |
| 2022–2024 | Real Sociedad | 30 | (1) |
| 2024– | Nice | 26 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | England U16 | 2 | (0) |
| 2022 | France U19 | 3 | (2) |
| 2023– | France U20 | 6 | (1) |
| 2021– | France U21 | 7 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:12, 10 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:00, 25 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early life
editCho was born in France to an Ivorian father and a French mother of Moroccan origin and moved to England at one week old, where his family worked in London.[2] He spent his childhood moving between England and France several times. Cho briefly returned to France at age 6 to play in Chantilly's and then Paris Saint-Germain's academy, before returning to England at age 11.[3]
Club career
editAngers
editA youth product of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Everton, Cho signed his first professional contract with Angers on 2 May 2020.[4] In doing so, he became the second youngest player to sign a professional contract in France (behind Eduardo Camavinga).[5] Angers planned to initially use him in the reserve teams, but he quickly became part of the first team.[6] He made his professional debut with Angers in a 2–0 Ligue 1 loss to Bordeaux on 30 August 2020.[7] He was one of the 10 youngest players to play in the top European leagues during the season.[8] He started his first match for Angers in the cup on 11 February 2021, in a 2–1 win against Rennes.[9] He made his first league start on 17 April 2021 against Rennes.[10]
Real Sociedad
editOn 15 June 2022, it was announced that Cho had signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Real Sociedad.[11] The transfer fee paid to Angers was reportedly in the region of €12 to €15 million.[12] On 21 December, he scored his first goal at the club in a 5–0 away win over CD Coria in the Copa del Rey second round.[13] On 4 June 2023, he scored his first La Liga goal in a 2–1 victory over Sevilla.[14]
Nice
editOn 8 January 2024, Cho returned to France, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, for a reported transfer fee of €12 million.[15][16]
International career
editBorn in France, raised in England, and of Ivorian and Moroccan descent, Cho is eligible for all four national teams. He was a youth international for England with two caps for the England U16s.[4][17] He has also played for the England U15s.[18] In early 2021, Cho said that he hadn't decided on who to represent internationally, stating: "I am well aware of the options I have and we will see later".[19] He switched to represent the France U21s in April 2021.[20]
Career statistics
edit- As of 10 November 2024[21]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Angers B | 2020–21 | National 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Angers | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 4 | |||
| Total | 53 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 56 | 4 | ||||
| Real Sociedad | 2022–23 | La Liga | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4[a] | 0 | — | 24 | 2 | |
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | |||
| Nice | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | — | 12 | 3 | ||
| Total | 26 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 32 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 110 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 11 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
References
edit- ^ a b c "Mohamed-Ali Cho". Real Sociedad. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ "PSG's Mbappe may feel old when facing new Angers prodigy Cho". USA TODAY.
- ^ "Mohamed-Ali Cho: Everton must have regrets over record-breaking Ligue 1 golden boy". Everton News. 11 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Mohamed-Ali Cho signe pro !". Angers SCO. 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Mohamed-Ali Cho, round 1". sofoot.com (in French). 10 September 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Mohamed-Ali Cho, a generation 2004 player in Ligue 1 next season?".
- ^ "Angers SCO vs. Bordeaux - 30 August 2020 - Soccerway". Soccerway.
- ^ Watson, Ian (15 January 2021). "Ex-Everton and Chelsea kids among 10 youngest players in Euro leagues".
- ^ "ANGERS SCO VS. RENNES 2 - 1". Soccerway.
- ^ "Compositions d'Angers-Rennes: Jérémy Doku et Mohamed-Ali Cho titulaires". L'ÉQUIPE.
- ^ "Explosividad para el ataque" [Explosiveness for the attack] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ "Official | Mohamed-Ali Cho signs for Real Sociedad". Get French Football News. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ "CD Coria 0–5 R. Sociedad". as.com. 21 December 2022.
- ^ "Real Sociedad 2 - 1 Sevilla | Football". The Guardian. 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Welcome, Mohamed-Ali Cho!". OGC Nice. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Nice: Mohamed-Ali Cho s'est engagé jusqu'en 2028 (off)" [Nice: Mohamed-Ali Cho is committed until 2028 (off)]. OneFootball (in French). 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "England 3 - 3 Republic of Ireland | 2019 - U16 Mens Friendlies | 999945880 | Football Association of Ireland". www.fai.ie.
- ^ Lantheaume, Romain (31 August 2020). "Angers : Mohamed-Ali Cho, un record en L1, et un avenir avec le Maroc ?". Afrik-Foot.
- ^ "Angers : Mohamed-Ali Cho met le Maroc et la Côte d'Ivoire en salle d'attente". Afrik-Foot. 15 February 2021.
- ^ "Angers Sco. Mohamed-Ali Cho sélectionné en équipe de France espoirs". 4 November 2021.
- ^ "M. Cho". Retrieved 30 August 2021.
External links
edit- Profile at the Real Sociedad website
- Mohamed-Ali Cho at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Mohamed-Ali Cho – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French