Olivier Kemen
|
Kemen with Cameroon in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 July 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | İstanbul Başakşehir | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2009 | Garenne-Colombes | ||
| 2009–2010 | Boulogne-Billancourt | ||
| 2010–2013 | Metz | ||
| 2013–2015 | Newcastle United | ||
| 2015–2016 | Lyon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | Lyon B | 32 | (6) |
| 2016–2019 | Lyon | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Gazélec Ajaccio (loan) | 42 | (7) |
| 2019–2021 | Chamois Niortais | 62 | (6) |
| 2021–2024 | Kayserispor | 62 | (6) |
| 2024– | İstanbul Başakşehir | 60 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | France U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2012 | France U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | France U18 | 5 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | France U19 | 13 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | France U20 | 8 | (0) |
| 2023– | Cameroon | 9 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 December 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:05, 4 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Olivier Kemen (born 20 July 1996) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir.[2] A former youth international for France, he plays for the Cameroon national team.
Club career
Kemen is a youth exponent from Metz. He made his Ligue 1 debut for Lyon on 28 February 2016 against Paris Saint-Germain replacing Rafael after 75 minutes in a 2–1 home win.[3]
On 11 January 2017, Kemen joined Ligue 2 side Ajaccio on loan until the end of the season.[4] On 12 July 2017, his loan was extended for another season.[5]
He signed for Chamois Niortais in July 2019,[6] and went on to make 62 appearances in Ligue 2 for the club.
On 29 August 2021, after two season with Niort, Kemen joined Süper Lig club Kayserispor for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract.[7]
International career
Born in Cameroon, Kemen moved to France at a young age. He is a youth international for France.[8] He debuted with the senior Cameroon national team in a 1–1 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification tie with Namibia on 24 March 2023, scoring his side's only goal.[9]
On 28 December 2023, he was selected from the list of 27 Cameroonian players selected by Rigobert Song to compete in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Kemen was included in the list of Cameroonian players selected by coach David Pagou to participate in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 14 December 2025[2]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe[nb 1] | Other[nb 2] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Gazélec Ajaccio (loan) | 2016–17 | Ligue 2 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 42 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 7 | ||
| Chamois Niortais | 2019–20 | Ligue 2 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 37 | 5 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 62 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 69 | 7 | ||
| Kayserispor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 22 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 31 | 3 | |||||
| 2023–24 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 62 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 6 | ||
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 9[a] | 2 | — | 44 | 4 | ||||
| 2025–26 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 60 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 12 | 2 | — | 76 | 6 | ||||
| Career total | 197 | 21 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 264 | 26 | ||
Notes
- ^ Includes UEFA Europa League
- ^ Includes Ligue 2 relegation playoffs
International
- As of match played 4 January 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | 2023 | 3 | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Cameroon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kemen goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 March 2023 | Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, Yaoundé, Cameroon | Namibia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Notes
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Conference League
References
- ^ "Olivier Kemen" (in French). Olympique Lyonnais. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ a b Olivier Kemen at Soccerway
- ^ "Lyon vs. Paris Saint-Germain - 28 February 2016 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ Gonantillais (11 January 2017). "Classement final, Aouar : Le point Actus OL". Demivolée.com (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Olivier Kemen (OL, prêté au Gazélec) : "J'ai envie de prouver"". L'Équipe (in French). 12 July 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Lyon : Un milieu signe en Ligue 2 (off.)". foot-national.com. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- ^ "Ligue 2 : Olivier Kemen officiellement transféré au Kayserispor (Turquie)". LaNouvelleRépublique.fr. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Mercato : Olivier Kemen quitte les Chamois Niortais". Camfoot.com. 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Cameroon vs. Namibia – Football Match Summary – March 24, 2023 – ESPN". ESPN.com.
- ^ "André Onana et Vincent Aboubakar absents, Christian Kofane et Eric-Junior Dina Ebimbe appelés... La liste du Cameroun pour la CAN 2025". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 1 December 2025.
External links
- Olivier Kemen at the French Football Federation (in French)
- Olivier Kemen at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)