Eric Bailly: Player Profile, Bio, Career, Marriage To Vanessa Troupah, Other Facts

• The 30 year-old Ivorian defender, Eric Bailly rose from selling cigarettes on the streets to playing football for some of the best football clubs like Manchester United.
• He has been married to his longtime girlfriend, Vanessa Troupah since 2016 and they have two sons.
• The Manchester United defender was not discovered in his country but in Burkina Faso where Spanish scouts chose him to play for Espanyol even though he almost lost his chance of becoming a football star because of war.

Eric Bailly is a professional Ivorian football player who is currently playing as a center-back for the Premier League club Manchester United and also the Ivory Coast national team.

The Ivorian began his career in football at Spain Espanyol in 2011 and ever since, he has played for a few clubs around Europe. He made his international debut for his country in 2015 after which Ivory Coast won the 2015 Africa’s Cup of Nations. His football idols are Didier Drogba and Sergio Ramos.

The Manchester United defender is currently married to his longtime girlfriend, Vanessa Troupah and they have two kids at the moment.

Eric Bailly Current Player Profile

• Full Name: Eric Bertrand Bailly
• Date of birth: Apr 12, 1994
• Age: 30 years old
• Place of birth: Bingerville, Ivory Coast
• Nationality: Ivorian
• Height: 1.87m (6 ft 2in)
• Position: centre-back
• Foot: Right
• Player Agent: AMS Consulting
• Previous Club: Villarreal
• Current club: Manchester United
• Jersey: 3
• Joined: Jul 1, 2016
• Contract expires: Jun 30, 2024
• contract option: Option for a further year
• Date of last contract extension: Apr 26, 2021
• Outfitter: Puma

Who Is Eric Bailly?

On 12 April 1994, Eric Bertrand Bailly was born to his parents, Désiré and Appoline in Bingerville, Ivory Coast. He was raised in Bingerville, the hometown of his football idol Drogba along with his brothers, Thierry and Arthur, and his sister Anna.

His father and his sister first moved to Abidjan in search of employment while the defender, his mother, and his brother stayed in Bingerville. When his father got a job as a primary school teacher, the whole family moved to the Ivory Coast capital, Abidjan.

Eric was enrolled in a local school and after school, he would play football in the streets with his friends. After receiving his primary education, he became the manager of a telephone box in Abidjan as a teenager.

Eric Bailly Was Discovered By Scouts In Burkina Faso

After Bailly decided he would focus on football, he quit schooling which was a big deal in the Ivory Coast as education was seen as the only ticket to having a good life. Even though his father was initially against his choice, the school teacher agreed to let him play football after seeing that he had potential.

At the age of 13, Eric Bailly was invited to play in a tournament in Burkina Faso where there would be scouts from different European clubs. The tournament was organized by the Spanish company Promoesport.

After the tournament, Bailly returned to Abidjan where he was later contacted to come to Spain for a three-month trial at Espanyol. He joined Espanyol’s youth system in December 2011. His life suddenly changed from selling cigarettes in the streets of Abidjan to playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.

He was issued his work permit in October 2012 and he made his debut in the 2013-14 campaign with the reserves in Segunda Division B. On October 5, 2014, he made his first-team and La Liga debut in a 2-0 home win against Real Sociedad. His outstanding performance hastened his promotion to the main squad.

On 29, January 29, 2015, he signed a five-and-half year contract with another La Liga team Villarreal for a reported fee of €5.7 million. He made his debut on February 22 in a 1-0 home win against Eibar. The defender later made his UEFA Europa League on March 19 2015 in a 2-1 away loss against Sevilla.

During the 2015-16 UEFA Europa League, he made seven appearances and scored his first career goal in a 4-0 homegroup win over Dinamo Minsk.

During the 2016-17 season, Eric joined premier league side Manchester United for a reported fee of £30 million for a four-year contract with the option of an additional two. He was reportedly the first player Jose Mourinho signed when he became the manager.

He made his debut for the club on August 7 in a 2-1 win against Leicester City at Wembley Stadium and the club won the FA Community Shield and he was named man of the match for his incredible performance.

During his premier league debut, he was again named the man of the match after a 3-1 win against Bournemouth. At the end of the season, he made 11 appearances for the Red Devils.

The Ivorian defender scored his first league goal for Manchester United in a 4-0 away win over Swansea City. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury and so he was sidelined for around 100 days and later returned on February 17, 2018.

Due to his injury problems, the defender only featured in 18 games in all competitions and appeared in only 12 premier league games. He was ruled out for another four months after he suffered a knee injury in a pre-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in China.

Eric returned from his injury on January 10, 2020, and on 17 January, he signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester United till the end of the 2021-22 season. On 26 April 2021, he signed another contract for 2024 with the option of one more year.

The Bingerville-born footballer made his first appearance of the campaign in an EFL Cup on 23 September 2021 in a match against West Ham United.

He Made His International Debut In 2015

Eric Bailly has also been called to represent his country at the international level. He was included in Herve Renard’s 23-man squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations on December 29, 2014, and he made his debut in a friendly against Nigeria on January 11, 2015. During the competition, he appeared in six matches and his team was crowned champions.

Ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, he was again named in the Elephants’ squad. His first international goal was on October 12, 2018, in a 4-0 win over the Central African Republic in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Stade Bouake.

On July 3, 2021, the manchester united defender was selected as one of the designated overaged players in the ivory coast Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He made his Olym[pics debut in s 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia on 22 July. He scored only one goal during the tournament and made four appearances.

Bailly was also included in Ivory Coast’s squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroun. He has reportedly won 41 caps for the Elephants since he made his debut in 2015.

He Is Married To Vanessa Troupah

According to reports, the manchester united defender married Vanessa Troupah a few days after he completed his four-year deal with Old Trafford in June 2016.

The couple reportedly started dating before Eric began his professional career. Vanessa once revealed she met her husband while she was running a roadside mobile phone kiosk in Abidjan while he was working as a telephone box manager.

The couple has been married for 8 years and currently has two sons.

Here Are Other Interesting Facts About The Ivorian Defender

Very happy to renew with the club. Thank you to all of @ManUtd for placing your trust in me. 😄

The dream continues. 🔴 pic.twitter.com/eIMFtSsEdd

— Eric Bailly (@ericbailly24) April 26, 2021

1. Eric Bailly almost missed his chance of becoming a footballer because of war

After Bailly was chosen by scouts during the tournament in Burkina Faso, he was asked to go to Spain for trial. Unfortunately, war broke out in the Ivory Coast. The country just had elections in 10 years and the two politicians which were contesting did not agree about who had actually won and it triggered violence across the country.

The airport and other places were blocked in Abidjan so the aspiring player couldn’t travel to Spain to train with Espanyol. The war went on for months but luckily for him, he was still called after ten months to train with the club.

2. His father also played football while growing up

Apparently, Eric Bailly got his football traits from his father. The latter who was a school teacher while the defender was young revealed he also played football at a point in his life, but unlike his son, he did not pursue it as his career. The older Bailly revealed that during his time, it was all about school.

3. How old is the Ivorian defender?

At the moment, Eric Bailly is said to be 30 years old.

Read Also: Adam Ounas: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Talented Player

4. What is Eric Bailly’s salary cap and net worth?

In 2021, the defender reportedly earned a base salary of £4,160,000 and a weekly salary of £80,000. His contract with Manchester United was worth £16,640,000 and it included his annual salary.

Presently, his transfer market value is reported to be €8 million. His highest market value was €35 million on January 2, 2018.
However, the beast as he is known by his friends has not revealed his exact net worth yet but there are speculations that his net worth might be between $1 million to $5 million as of January 2021.

Eric Bailly is not known for sharing how he spends his money but according to reports, he made a kind donation to underprivileged people that were affected by COVID-19 in Ivory Coast. He is the founder of the Eric Bailly Foundation and his foundation reportedly gave out food, drink, and other essential items in the country during that period.

5. His career titles and achievements

 

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A post shared by Eric Bailly (@ericbailly24)

The 6 feet 2 inches tall Ivorian player has made a name for himself in the world of football. Aside from being named man of the match on several occasions, here are some of the titles he has earned both individually and collectively with his team.

Individual

• CAF Team of the Year: 2016, 2017and 2018
• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016-17
• IFFHS CAF Men’s Team of the Decade: 2011-2020

Manchester United

• EFL Cup: 2016-17
• FA Community Shield: 2016
• UEFA Europa League: 2016-17

International

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2015

Complete profile of Eric Bailly