Axel Kacou

Axel Zihiri Kacou (born 1 August 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Championnat National 2 club Lyon La Duchère.^[3] Born in France, he represented both France and Ivory Coast at youth international level.

Axel Kacou

Personal information
Full name	Axel Zihiri Kacou[1]
Date of birth	(1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth	Saint-Denis, France
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Sporting Club Lyon
Number	40
Youth career
2002–2007	Stade Olympique de Paris[2]
2007–2010	Ivry[2]
2010–2012	Saint-Étienne[2]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Saint-Étienne II	17	(0)
2015–2016	Évian II	4	(0)
2016–2018	Tours II	7	(0)
2016–2018	Tours	18	(0)
2019–	Lyon La Duchère[a]	37	(0)
2019–	Lyon La Duchère II	10	(0)
International career‡
2010–2011	France U16	2	(0)
2015	Ivory Coast U23	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:36, 21 July 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of The club was called AS Lyon-Duchère until June 2020 and SC Lyon from June 2020 to June 2021.

Club career

As a youth, Kacou trained at Clairefontaine,^[4][5] before joining Saint-Étienne.^[5]

In January 2016, Kacou joined Thonon Évian F.C. from Saint-Étienne, having agreed a 2+1⁄2-year contract.^[5]

In August 2016, he moved to Tours FC on a two-year deal.^[6]

In June 2019, he signed a two-year deal with Lyon-Duchère.^[7] Lyon-Duchère rebranded as Sporting Club Lyon in June 2020.

International career

Kacou was born in France to Ivorian parents. He originally represented the France U16s.^[8][2] He then switched to the Ivory Coast U23s for the 2015 Toulon Tournament.^[9]

In November 2016, Kacou was first called up to the senior Ivory Coast squad for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Morocco.^[4] He was selected by new coach Marc Wilmots in May 2017 for a friendly against the Netherlands and a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea.^[10] In March 2018, he was again called up for a friendly against Togo.^[11]

References

1. Mel, Adou (5 September 2017). "Eliminatoires Mondial 2018 : 2ème défaite à Bouaké et qualification en difficulté pour la Côte d'Ivoire" [2018 World Cup qualifiers: 2nd defeat in Bouaké and qualification in difficulty for Ivory Coast]. Afrikipresse (in French). Archived from the original on 1 December 2017.
2. "Joueur – Axel KACOU – FFF".
3. Axel Kacou at Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
4. Angoua, Adolphe (2 November 2016). "Axel Kacou : Un " inconnu " dans la cage des Eléphants". Linfodrome (in French). Retrieved 2 February 2019.
5. "Evian: Kacou arrive, Abarouai s'en va". Le Figaro (in French). 27 January 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
6. "ETG: Kacou rejoint Tours". Le Dauphiné Liberé (in French). 30 August 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
7. "Axel Kacou est Lyonnais!" (in French). AS Lyon-Duchère Official Footeo site. 20 June 2019.
8. "ETGFC – Football & Paris Sportifs". ETGFC. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
9. "Axel Kacou :: Axel Kacou :: Tours". www.zerozero.pt.
10. "Marc Wilmots names his first Ivory Coast squad". BBC Sport. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
11. "Togo vs Ivory Coast". ESPN. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.