Aurélien Tchouaméni

Aurélien Djani Tchouaméni (born 27 January 2000) is a French professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Madrid and the France national team. Primarily a defensive-midfielder, he is also capable of playing as a central-midfielder and centre-back in ocassion.

Early life
Tchouaméni was born in Rouen, Normandy, but 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.

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 win 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.

International

 * France score listed first, score column indicates score after each Tchouaméni goal.

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
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2022

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