Arsenal F.C shattered their transfer record when they coughed out £72million to sign Ivorian winger, Nicolas Pepe from Ligue 1 side, Lille OSC. And just like most football stars, Pepe’s footballing story has been nothing short of awe inspiring. Pepe was born on May 29, 1995 in Mantes-la-Jolie in France to Ivorian parents and received a call-up to the Ivorian national team on 12th November 2016 as an unused substitute in a goalless draw away to Morocco.
He made his debut for Ivory Coast on the 15th of November, 2016 in a friendly game against France at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France.
Below are seven interesting facts about Nicolas Pepe:
1.He began his career as a goalkeeper for Solitaire Paris Est in France till the age of 14.
2.He began his professional career in 2012-13 in the Championnat de France Amateur (fifth tier).
3.He signed for Angers in 2013 but spent his first season with the club’s reserve side.
4.He was loaned to Orleans in the 2015-16 Championnat National, and helped the club gain promotion from France’s third tier league.
5.On June 21 2017, Pepe signed a 5-year deal with Lille from Angers for €10million.
6.He scored 23 goals and registered 12 assists last season.
7. On 1 August, 2019 Pepe was transferred from Lille to Arsenal FC for £72million making him the most expensive African player of all time as well as Arsenal’s record signing.
Source: EOnlineGH.com
