Randal Kolo Muani
Kolo Muani with Nantes in 2020
Personal information
Full name Randal Kolo Muani
Date of birth (1998-12-05) 5 December 1998
Place of birth Bondy, France
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain
Number 23
Youth career
2005–2010 Villepinte FC
2010–2011 Tremblay FC
2011–2015 Torcy
2015–2018 Nantes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2020 Nantes B 62 (17)
2018–2022 Nantes 79 (21)
2019–2020 → Boulogne (loan) 14 (3)
2022–2023 Eintracht Frankfurt 34 (16)
2023– Paris Saint-Germain 10 (4)
International career‡
2020–2021 France U21 7 (1)
2021 France Olympic 4 (1)
2022– France 13 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up2022 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:36, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:58, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Randal Kolo Muani (born 5 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain and the France national team.

Kolo Muani began his professional career at Nantes, where he scored 23 goals in 87 first-team appearances and won the Coupe de France. In 2022, he joined German club Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer. He went on to score 26 goals in 50 matches in one year at the club before returning to France with Paris Saint-Germain in a €95 million deal.

Kolo Muani played youth international football for France at under-21 and Olympic levels. He made his senior international debut in September 2022, and was a member of the France squad that were runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Randal Kolo Muani[2] was born on 5 December 1998 in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis, to parents born in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo.[3] He holds both French and Congolese nationalities.[4][5][6] He acquired French nationality on 3 September 2008, through the collective effect of his parents' naturalization.[7]

Club career

Nantes

In his childhood, Kolo Muani played for several Parisian teams, including Villepinte,[8] Tremblay and Torcy.[9] During the same period, he also trained with Italian teams Vicenza and Cremonese,[10] before joining Nantes' youth academy in 2015.[11] Kolo Muani received his first call-up to the Nantes first team on 12 February 2017, for a match against Marseille[12] and on 4 June 2018, he signed his first professional contract with his childhood club, Nantes.[13] He made his professional debut in a 3–0 Ligue 1 loss to Saint-Étienne on 30 November 2018.[14] On 21 January 2019, he made his first start in a 1–0 loss to Angers.[15]

In August 2019, Kolo Muani joined Boulogne on a season-long loan deal.[16] On 30 August, he made his first appearance with the club in a Championnat National match against Avranches, and he scored his first goal for the club on 21 February 2020.[17] At Boulogne, he demonstrated his talents and contributed 3 goals and 5 assists, helping the club reach third place in the standings in the tournament, which ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18][19]

Kolo Muani returned to Nantes for the 2020–21 season and scored his first goal for Les Canaris in a 3–1 win against Brest.[20] He scored 9 goals and provided as many assists in 37 league appearances, but the club had a challenging season and finished in seventeenth place. As a result, they landed in the Ligue 1 relegation/promotion play-offs against Toulouse, winners of the Ligue 2 play-offs.[21] During the play-offs, Kolo Muani scored one goal in two matches, helping Nantes avoid relegation.[22] During the following season, he won his first trophy with the club, the 2021–22 Coupe de France.[23][24]

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 4 March 2022, Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt signed Kolo Muani on a pre-contract agreement ahead of the expiration of his Nantes contract.[25] He signed a five-year deal with the club.[26] On 26 October 2022, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 2–1 win over Marseille,[27] and on 1 November, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away victory over Sporting CP, securing his club's qualification to the knockout phase for the first time in the Champions League era.[28]

On 7 February 2023, Kolo Muani scored his first double in the DFB-Pokal in a 4–2 home victory over Darmstadt.[29] Eleven days later, he scored his 10th goal in the Bundesliga against Werder Bremen.[30] On 4 April, he scored a brace in 93 seconds in a 2–0 win over Union Berlin in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals.[31] In his first season in the Bundesliga, Kolo Muani scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists, which made him the league's third-highest scorer and second-highest assister.[32]

On 29 August 2023, in an interview with Sky Germany, Kolo Muani publicly revealed that Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) had made a "record offer" to sign him, and stated that he would "like to move to Paris", having informed Eintracht Frankfurt directors of his desire to leave the club.[33] He subsequently refused to train with Frankfurt, and was left out of the team's squad for a match against Levski Sofia.[34] Sporting director Markus Kroesche condemned Kolo Muani's behavior, saying that it would have "no influence on transfer business".[35]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 1 September 2023, Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain signed Kolo Muani for €95 million including reported bonuses.[36][37][38] He joined the club on a five-year contract.[39]

On 15 September, Kolo Muani made his PSG debut as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat to Nice, assisting Kylian Mbappé's second goal.[40] He made his Champions League debut and first start for the club in a 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund four days later.[41] On 24 September, Kolo Muani scored his first goal for PSG in a 4–0 win over Le Classique rivals Marseille. He also assisted Gonçalo Ramos's second goal in the same match.[42] On 25 October, Kolo Muani scored his first Champions League goal for PSG in a 3–0 win over AC Milan.[43]

International career

Kolo Muani was a youth international for France. He played matches for his country's under-21 and Olympic national teams.[44]

On 15 September 2022, Kolo Muani received his first call-up to the senior France national team for two UEFA Nations League matches.[45] On 16 November 2022, he replaced Christopher Nkunku in France's FIFA World Cup squad after the latter was forced to withdraw due to injury.[46][47] On 14 December, Kolo Muani scored his first goal for France, in the semi-final match against Morocco, slotting in a deflected shot from Kylian Mbappé.[48] He also became the third fastest player to score a goal as a substitute in the World Cup, after 44 seconds, only behind Richard Morales and Ebbe Sand.[48][49] In the final against Argentina, he won a penalty which was converted into a goal by Kylian Mbappé, then scored in the penalty shootout which ended in a 4–2 defeat.[50] During the match, past the 120th minute and into the final stoppage time before penalties, Kolo Muani had an opportunity to score the go-ahead goal and potentially win the World Cup for France, but it was saved by Emiliano Martínez in what has been described as the "new "Save of the Century"".[51] Kolo Muani recalls the moment by saying "I could have lobbed him, or find Kylian Mbappé [to the left]. But in the moment, I didn't see him. It's only when you watch back that you discover the other options. It's too late. It still sticks in my throat and it'll be there for life."[52][53][54][55]

Player profile

Style of play

Kolo Muani's playing style has drawn comparisons to the legendary French striker Thierry Henry. Like Henry, Kolo Muani began his career as a wide player known for his pace and trickery, but eventually transitioned into a center-forward position. Both players have a similar height of around 6'2" and possess rangy physiques. Kolo Muani's languid dribbling style and impressive speed are also reminiscent of Henry's style of play, particularly during his younger days. He has a remarkable strength on the ball and a playful approach to the game that can leave defenders trailing behind him.

France national team coach, Didier Deschamps, acknowledged Kolo Muani's many qualities, describing him as a player who has a significant presence, runs in behind from deep, and has a good finishing ability.

Frankfurt's head coach, Oliver Glasner, praised Kolo Muani's speed, tackling, dribbling, and finishing skills, noting that he is an asset to the team.

Markus Krösche, Eintracht Frankfurt's board member for sport, expressed his excitement for Kolo Muani's potential, stating that his speed, robustness, finishing skills, and tactical versatility are qualities that the team needs. He further noted that Kolo Muani's potential had attracted the interest of many clubs, and the team is delighted that he has chosen to take his next steps with them.[56]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 7 January 2024[57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Nantes B 2015–16 CFA 10———10
2016–17 CFA 218———218
2017–18 National 3 216———216
2018–19 National 2 173———173
2019–20 National 2 10———10
2020–21 National 2 10———10
Total 6217———6217
Nantes 2018–19 Ligue 1 6000—0060
2020–21 Ligue 1 37910—2[lower-alpha 2]14010
2021–22 Ligue 1 361251——4113
Total 792161—218723
Boulogne (loan) 2019–20 Championnat National 143———143
Eintracht Frankfurt 2022–23 Bundesliga 3215667[lower-alpha 3]21[lower-alpha 4]04623
2023–24 Bundesliga 21111[lower-alpha 5]1—43
Total 34167783105026
Paris Saint-Germain 2023–24 Ligue 1 124126[lower-alpha 6]11[lower-alpha 7]0207
Career total 2016114101444123376

International

As of match played 21 November 2023[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
France 202251
202381
Total132
As of match played 21 November 2023
France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kolo Muani goal.[58]
List of international goals scored by Randal Kolo Muani
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
114 December 2022Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar4 Morocco2–02–02022 FIFA World Cup[59]
221 November 2023Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens, Greece13 Greece1–02–2UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[60]

Honours

Nantes

Eintracht Frankfurt

Paris Saint-Germain

France

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 5 December 1998. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Squad List: Men's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: France (FRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 July 2021. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  4. ↑ "Randal KOLO MUANI –". www.unfp.org. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Football (National): Vahid, Mbappe, le Congo, la fusée Randal Kolo Muani se confie". La Voix du Nord (in French). 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Eintracht Frankfurt – Kolo Muani kommt an den Main". bundesliga.de – die offizielle Webseite der Bundesliga (in German). 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "JORF n° 0208 du 6 septembre 2008 - Légifrance" (PDF). legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). p. 13978. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: Forged in Villepinte, Hardened in Boulogne, Nurtured in Nantes and Unlocked by Antoine Kombouaré". 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "L'enfant de Villepinte, Tremblay et Torcy a bien grandi…" (in French). 13 January 2017. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Kolo Muani e la Cremonese" (in Italian). 17 December 2022. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "Formation – Randal Kolo-Muani, Made In FC Nantes" (in French). Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "Le groupe nantais face à Marseille". 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Effectif – Randal KOLO MUANI jusqu'en 2022" (in French). Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "AS Saint-Etienne – FC Nantes (3–0) – Saison 2018/2019 – Ligue 1 Conforama" (in French). Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "1ère titularisation pour l'attaquant" (in French). 21 January 2019. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Football: Boulogne se fait prêter le Nantais Kolo Muani" (in French). La Voix du Nord. 22 August 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  17. ↑ "Le Puy finit par craquer à Boulogne" (in French). 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "FC Nantes. À Boulogne, Randal Kolo Muani se révèle en National". 6 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Football: Randal Kolo Muani, l'histoire d'un prêt réussi à Boulogne". 8 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Les images de la victoire (3–1)" (in French). 18 October 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  21. ↑ "Le maintien passera par les barrages" (in French). 23 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  22. ↑ "Une option à confirmer à la maison!" (in French). 27 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "Nantes beat Nice to win Coupe de France". 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  24. ↑ "Nice 0–1 Nantes: Ludovic Blas penalty wins French Cup for Nantes". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  25. ↑ "Eintracht holt Stürmer Kolo Muani". kicker (in German). 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  26. ↑ "Official | Eintracht Frankfurt sign Randal Kolo-Muani". Get German Football News. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  27. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: The Bundesliga's top creator". DW. 29 October 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  28. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: the Bundesliga assist king leading Eintracht Frankfurt to UEFA Champions League knockouts". Bundesliga. 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  29. ↑ "Kolo Muani double helps Frankfurt beat Darmstadt 4–2 in German Cup". 7 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  30. ↑ Gennaro Arpaia (19 February 2023). "Eintracht Frankfurt-Werder Brema 2–0, Kolo Muani manda messaggi al Napoli" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  31. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: Eintracht Frankfurts Skill-Experte". Bundesliga (in German). 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  32. ↑ "Who could replace Harry Kane for Tottenham after Bayern Munich offer: Jonathan David, Randal Kolo Muani, more". cbssports.com. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  33. ↑ "'I would like to move to Paris': Eintracht Frankfurt star Randal Kolo Muani pushing for PSG transfer before window closes | Goal.com UK". www.goal.com. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  34. ↑ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Frankfurt's Kolo Muani Skips Training To Force PSG Move". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  35. ↑ "Kolo Muani refuses to train as he eyes PSG move". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  36. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: PSG sign striker from Eintracht Frankfurt". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  37. ↑ "Kolo Muani verlässt Eintracht Frankfurt" (in German). Eintracht Frankfurt. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  38. ↑ Plettenberg, Florian. "Sky exklusiv || Kolo-Deal fix! 95 Mio. für Frankfurt" (in German). Sky Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  39. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani est Parisien" (in French). Paris Saint-Germain. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  40. ↑ "PSG debut for Randal Kolo Muani". EN.PSG.FR. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  41. ↑ Adrien, Chantegrelet (19 September 2023). "PSG-Dortmund (2-0) : Randal Kolo Muani demande à être revu". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  42. ↑ "Kolo Muani and Ramos score maiden PSG goals in win over Marseille". Reuters. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  43. ↑ "Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 AC Milan (Oct 25, 2023) Game Analysis". ESPN. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  44. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani". Fédération Française de Football (in French). Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  45. ↑ Dicks, Jonathan (15 September 2022). "Kolo Muani called up to France squad". Bulinews. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  46. ↑ "Kolo Muani replaces injured Nkunku in France's World Cup squad". Reuters. 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  47. ↑ "Coupe du monde 2022 : Randal Kolo Muani remplace Christopher Nkunku, blessé, au sein de l'équipe de France". Le Monde (in French). 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  48. 1 2 "Der Joker sticht: Kolo Muani trifft mit erstem Ballkontakt". FAZ.NET (in German). dpa. 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  49. ↑ "France bring Morocco's adventure to an end and reach World Cup final". The Guardian. 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  50. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: Who is the Eintracht Frankfurt forward and 2022 World Cup runner-up with France?". Bundesliga. 26 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  51. ↑ "Qatar 2022 – 'Dibu' Martínez's new "Save of the Century"". Mundo Deportivo USA. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  52. ↑ "'It'll be there for life' – France star Kolo Muani admits he's still haunted by miss in dying embers of World Cup final defeat to Argentina | Goal.com". goal.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  53. ↑ Sears, Ethan (18 December 2022). "Emiliano Martínez's heroics save Argentina in clutch for World Cup title". New York Post. NYP Holdings, Inc. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  54. ↑ "'I still have it in my throat, it will stay for life': Kolo Muani on his last minute miss in World Cup final against Emi Martinez". The Indian Express. 3 February 2023. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  55. ↑ Jones, Mark (3 February 2023). "Heartbroken France star can't get over World Cup miss- "It'll be there for life"". mirror. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  56. ↑ "Randal Kolo Muani: Who is the Eintracht Frankfurt forward and 2022 World Cup runner-up with France?". bundesliga.com – the official Bundesliga website. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  57. ↑ "R. Kolo Muani". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  58. 1 2 "Randal Kolo Muani". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  59. ↑ "France vs. Morocco 2–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  60. ↑ "Watch AC Milan's Giroud and PSG's Kolo Muani Connect for France's Goal (Video)". PSG Talk. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  61. ↑ "COUPE DE FRANCE 2021 – 2022 – FINALE". French Football Federation. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  62. ↑ "Christopher Nkunku-inspired RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt to win DFB Cup". Bundesliga. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  63. ↑ "Paris start 2024 with Trophée des Champions triumph!". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  64. ↑ McNulty, Phil (18 December 2022). "Argentina 3–3 France". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  65. ↑ "The official Bundesliga Team of the Season 2022/23". Bundesliga. 13 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  66. 1 2 "Jude Bellingham ist VDV-Spieler der Saison" (in German). VDV. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
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