Jean-Christophe Bahebeck (born 1 May 1993) is a French professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for Palmaflor. He is described as a player who is "very fast with both feet" and is a good striker of the ball. Despite beginning his career as a striker, he plays primarily as a winger. Bahebeck is a former French youth international having earned caps for several age group teams.

Club career

Early career

Bahebeck was born in the commune of Saint-Denis in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. He is the younger brother of

Red Star Saint-Ouen Red Star Football Club (), known as Red Star FC or simply Red Star, is a French professional association football, football club founded in Paris in 1897, and is the fourth oldest French football club, after Standard AC of Paris, Le Havre AC a ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Rosère Manguélé. Manguélé previously played professionally with

Châteauroux Châteauroux ( ; ; ) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French. Climate Châteauroux te ...

. Bahebeck began his football career in September 2000 at the age of seven playing for local club ''Club Sportif Municipal de Persan'' in the

Val d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.< ...

commune of Persan. He spent almost three years training at the club before signing his first license with nearby club ''Union Sportive Persan'' in October 2003. While training at Persan, Bahebeck was supervised by club coach Denis Diaz. In 2006, while playing with Persan, Bahebeck was spotted by Paris Saint-Germain officials who offered him a trial at the club. While attending the club's detection camp, he participated in a local tournament held in

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...

that was composed of professional teams and responded by scoring "four or five goals" in the competition. Despite the performance, Bahebeck remained at Persan after it was suggested by his club coaches that he remain in the Val d'Oise department to be with his family and his team for at least one more year. He was later enticed by both

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, but remained keen on joining Paris Saint-Germain stating it was his preference.

Paris Saint-Germain

Bahebeck began his Paris Saint-Germain career in the club's youth academy at the

Camp des Loges The Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre Training Center (), commonly known as the Camp des Loges, is a sports facility in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. Since October 2024, it has served as the training facility of rugby union club Stade França ...

. He was placed on the club's under-14 team and immediately developed a reputation of a serial goalscorer.

2010–11 season

Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Bahebeck was promoted to the club's reserve team in the

Championnat de France amateur The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2 ...

, the fourth level of

French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the natio ...

. He was also placed onto the club's squad for the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

being assigned the number 37 shirt by manager

Antoine Kombouaré Antoine Krilone Kombouaré (; born 16 November 1963) is a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of club Nantes. Playing career Born in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Komboua ...

. Bahebeck made his amateur debut on 8 August 2010 in a 1–0 victory over Bourg-Péronnas. The following week, he scored his first goal with the team in a 4–1 win over Monts d'Or Azergues. On the next match day, Bahebeck scored the team's lone goal in a 3–1 defeat to Villefranche. From October to January, he scored five goals in seven appearances, which included both goals in a 2–1 victory over the reserve team of Nancy and the game-winning goal in a win over Jura Sud. As a result of his performances during the campaign, Bahebeck was linked with moves to English clubs

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

and Chelsea who sought to acquire the player on a free transfer as he did not have a professional contract at the time. For his performances with the reserve team, Bahebeck was also rewarded with a call up to the club's senior team by Kombouaré and trained with the team during the winter break in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. Following the conclusion of the winter break, he was sent back down to the reserve team. In late January 2011, Bahebeck returned to the senior team and appeared on the bench in league match against Arles-Avignon. After appearing in the reserve team's 2–0 return victory over Villefranche, he was called back to the senior team. Bahebeck trained with the team ahead of its

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

quarter-final tie against

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

on 2 March 2011. He made his professional debut in the match appearing as a substitute late in the second half. The match eventually went into

extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

drawn at 0–0 and, in the 108th minute, Bahebeck scored the game-winning goal in a 2–0 victory. Following the season, on 23 June 2011, Bahebeck signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

2011–12 season

As a result of his professional contract and performance the previous season, Bahebeck was promoted to the senior team permanently and made his season debut on 6 August 2011 in the team's opening 1–0 league defeat to

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

. On 18 August, he made his

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

debut in the team's first leg

playoff round tie against

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

er club

Differdange Differdange (; or locally ; ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune with List of towns in Luxembourg, town status in south-western Luxembourg, west from the Luxembourg City, country's capital. It lies near the borders with Belgium and France an ...

. In the match, Bahebeck scored his first goal of the season netting the team's second in a 4–0 away win.

Troyes (loan)

On 3 August 2012, Bahebeck moved on loan to newly promoted Ligue 1 side

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

for the 2012–13 season. He chose his jersey numbers 19, the same number as his age.

Valenciennes (loan)

On 21 June 2013, Bahebeck moved on loan to Ligue 1 side

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

for the 2013–14 season.

Saint-Étienne (loan)

On 11 August 2015, Bahebeck was loaned to

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

for the 2015–16 season.

Pescara (loan)

On 22 August 2016, Bahebeck moved abroad for the first time in his senior career; joining newly promoted

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

side

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

on a season-long loan for the 2016–17 season.

Utrecht

On 12 August 2017, Bahebeck was sent on a season-long loan to

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

club

FC Utrecht Football Club Utrecht () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Utrecht. The club competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, and plays its home matches at the Stadion ...

. On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, he joined the club on a permanent basis. He signed a two-year contract until 2020 with option an of two further years.

International career

Bahebeck is a French youth international having earned caps at under-16 and under-18 level. With the under-16 team, he only made two appearances, which came in the team's double friendly match against the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

in March 2009. Bahebeck failed to earn any caps at under-17 level under coach Guy Ferrier. Following the replacement of Ferrier with former assistant senior national team coach Pierre Mankowski for the 2010–11 season, he was called up to the under-18 team to participate in the 2010 edition of the Tournoi de Limoges to serve as a replacement of

Yaya Sanogo Yaya Sanogo (born 27 January 1993) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker for China League One club Qingdao Red Lions F.C., Qingdao Red Lions. A promising youth player, h ...

who skipped the level. In the team's first match against

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, Bahebeck scored two goals in a 4–1 victory. In the team's next group stage match against

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, he scored the opening goal in a 2–0 rout. He is also eligible to play for

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

Honours

Club

Paris Saint-Germain *

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

: 2014–15 *

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

: 2014–15 *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

International

France U20 *

FIFA U-20 World Cup The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members' men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when i ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

France U21 *

Toulon Tournament The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...

runner-up:

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahebeck, Jean-Christophe 1993 births Living people Footballers from Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis Men's association football forwards French men's footballers French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent Paris Saint-Germain FC players ES Troyes AC players Valenciennes FC players AS Saint-Étienne players Delfino Pescara 1936 players FC Utrecht players Ligue 1 players Serie A players Eredivisie players France men's youth international footballers France men's under-21 international footballers French expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands French expatriate sportspeople in Italy French expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Black French sportspeople FK Partizan players Serbian SuperLiga players Expatriate men's footballers in Serbia French expatriate sportspeople in Serbia Expatriate men's footballers in Bolivia French expatriate sportspeople in Bolivia Footballers from Seine-Saint-Denis 21st-century French sportsmen