# Aurélien Tchouaméni

Aurélien Djani Tchouaméni (French pronunciation:; born 27 January 2000) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. He is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

## Early life

Tchouaméni was born in Rouen, Normandy, and grew up in Bordeaux, Gironde. He is of Cameroonian descent. His father was born in Nsamba and his mother in Bafang. He acquired French nationality on 19 December 2000 through the collective effect of his parents' naturalization. He is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

## Club career
### Bordeaux

Tchouaméni made his first team debut for Bordeaux in a 1–0 UEFA Europa League away win to Latvian side Ventspils in the second qualifying round on 26 July 2018, starting the match and playing 89 minutes. He scored his first goal of his senior club career on 9 August, netting the final goal in Bordeaux's 3–1 Europa League away victory over Mariupol.

### Monaco

On 29 January 2020, Tchouaméni signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Ligue 1 side Monaco. After about a year playing for the club, he registered his first league goal, netting the second goal in a 3–1 win against Marseille on 23 January 2021. On 14 May 2022, he delivered an assist for his captain Wissam Ben Yedder and, thus, participated in the ninth win in a row for his side.

### Real Madrid

On 11 June 2022, it was announced that Tchouaméni would be transferred to La Liga side Real Madrid on 1 July 2022, signing a six-year contract with the club. The transfer fee was reported to be €80 million, which could rise to €100 million due to additional fees.
He made his official debut for the club on 10 August, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup to win his first career club trophy. On 30 September 2023, Tchouaméni scored his first goal for Los Blancos, netting a header in Madrid's 3–0 league away win over Girona.

## International career

On 26 August 2021, Tchouaméni received his first call up to the France senior squad. On 1 September, he made his international debut in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Bosnia and Herzegovina replacing Thomas Lemar in the 46th minute. On 25 March 2022, Tchouaméni scored his first goal for the national team in a friendly against Ivory Coast.
In November 2022, Tchouaméni was named in France's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 10 December, he scored his first World Cup goal in a 2–1 victory over England in the quarter-finals.
On 18 December 2022, Tchouaméni started in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final. He was one of two French players to miss in the penalty shootout as France lost to Argentina at the Lusail Stadium, Qatar.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Bordeaux II | 2017–18 | National 3 | 16 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 3 |
| Bordeaux | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 1 |
| Bordeaux | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 0 |
| Bordeaux | Total | Total | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 1 |
| Monaco | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| Monaco | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 36 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | 3 |
| Monaco | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 11 | 1 | — | — | 50 | 5 |
| Monaco | Total | Total | 74 | 5 | 10 | 2 | — | — | 11 | 1 | — | — | 95 | 8 |
| Real Madrid | 2022–23 | La Liga | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Real Madrid | 2023–24 | La Liga | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 3 |
| Real Madrid | 2024–25 | La Liga | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Real Madrid | Total | Total | 83 | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 128 | 3 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 198 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 277 | 15 |
* ↑ Includes Coupe de France, Copa del Rey
* ↑ Includes Coupe de la Ligue
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
* ↑ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances in UEFA Europa League
* 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
* ↑ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
* ↑ Appearances in Supercopa de España
* ↑ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup

### International

    As of match played 14 October 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| France | 2021 | 7 | 0 |
| France | 2022 | 14 | 2 |
| France | 2023 | 8 | 1 |
| France | 2024 | 9 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 38 | 3 |
    As of match played 14 October 2024
    France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Tchouaméni goal
List of international goals scored by Aurélien Tchouaméni :
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 25 March 2022 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France | 8 | Ivory Coast | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 10 December 2022 | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar | 19 | England | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 7 September 2023 | Parc des Princes, Paris, France | 26 | Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |

## Honours

Monaco
* Coupe de France runner-up: 2020–21
Real Madrid
* La Liga: 2023–24
* Copa del Rey: 2022–23
* Supercopa de España: 2024
* UEFA Champions League: 2023–24
* UEFA Super Cup: 2022, 2024
* FIFA Club World Cup: 2022
* FIFA Intercontinental Cup: 2024
France
* UEFA Nations League: 2020–21
* FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2022
Individual
* Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year: 2020–21
* Ligue 1 UNFP Team of the Year: 2020–21, 2021–22