Sékou Mara
|
Mara in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 July 2002[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Paris, France | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Auxerre (on loan from Strasbourg) | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2014 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 2014–2017 | Boulogne-Billancourt | ||
| 2017–2021 | Bordeaux | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Bordeaux B | 14 | (5) |
| 2020–2022 | Bordeaux | 34 | (7) |
| 2022–2024 | Southampton | 50 | (4) |
| 2024– | Strasbourg | 25 | (1) |
| 2025– | → Auxerre (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2017 | France U16 | 2 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | France U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | France U20 | 10 | (6) |
| 2021–2023 | France U21 | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 06:59, 14 February 2026 (UTC) | |||
Sékou Mara (born 30 July 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Auxerre, on loan from Strasbourg.
Club career
Bordeaux
Mara made his professional debut for Bordeaux in a 2–0 Coupe de France loss to Toulouse on 10 February 2021.[3] He scored his first professional goal in a 1–0 Ligue 1 win over Rennes on 2 May 2021. By scoring this goal, he became the youngest player to score a league goal for Bordeaux in almost 14 years.[4]
Southampton
On 21 July 2022, it was confirmed by Bordeaux that they had accepted an offer from Southampton for Mara, and that the deal was subject to a medical.[5] On 25 July 2022, Southampton confirmed that Mara had signed a four-year deal with the club.[6] On 13 August 2022, Mara made his first Premier League appearance in Southampton’s 2–2 draw with Leeds United after he replaced Jan Bednarek.[7] On 11 January 2023, Mara scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 quarter final EFL Cup victory against Manchester City.[8] On 8 April 2023, Mara scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–4 defeat against Manchester City.[9]
On 13 April 2024, he came on as a substitute for Ché Adams in the 80th minute of a 3–2 victory against Watford.[10] Shortly afterwards, Mara struck Ryan Porteous in an unpunished off-the-ball incident.[11] On 16 April 2024, the Football Association gave Mara a three-match suspension for violent conduct.[12]
Strasbourg
On 21 August 2024, Mara joined Strasbourg on a five-year contract.[13][14] On 5 September 2025, Mara was loaned by Auxerre, also in Ligue 1.[15]
International career
Mara is a youth international for France. He has played matches at under-16, under-17, under-20, and under-21 level.[16]
Personal life
Mara's mother, Audrey Crespo-Mara, is a French journalist and television presenter,[17] and his father, Aliou Mara, is a Senegalese entrepreneur.[18]
Career statistics
- As of match played 8 February 2026[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bordeaux B | 2019–20 | Championnat National 3 | 11 | 5 | — | — | — | 11 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | Championnat National 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 14 | 5 | — | — | — | 14 | 5 | |||||
| Bordeaux | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 6 | |||
| Total | 34 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 7 | ||||
| Southampton | 2022–23[20] | Premier League | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 30 | 2 | |
| 2023–24[21] | Championship | 28 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 34 | 6 | |
| 2024–25[22] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 50 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 8 | ||
| Strasbourg | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 27 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 25 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 27 | 3 | ||||
| Auxerre (loan) | 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 140 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 158 | 23 | ||
- ^ Appearance in Championship play-offs
Honours
Individual
- Maurice Revello Tournament Golden Boot: 2022
- Maurice Revello Tournament Silver Ball: 2022
- Maurice Revello Tournament Best XI: 2022[23]
References
- ^ "Sékou Mara: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Sékou Mara". Southampton FC. Southampton F.C. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Bordeaux vs Toulouse (0-2) - Coupe de France 2/10/21 UTC". OneFootball. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Oludare, Shina (2 May 2021). "Sekou Mara makes history with Bordeaux strike against Rennes in Ligue 1". Sporting News. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Southampton 'agree deal' for Bordeaux striker Mara". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "Saints complete Mara signing". Southampton FC. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Mann, Mantej (13 August 2022). "Southampton 2–2 Leeds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (11 January 2023). "Southampton 2–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ "Premier League: Southampton 1-4 Man City - Alvarez scores City's fourth". BBC Sport. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ "Southampton 3–2 Watford". BBC Sport. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ House, Alfie (15 April 2024). "Southampton forward could be hit with three-match FA suspension". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ House, Alfie (16 April 2024). "FA confirm violent conduct punishment for Southampton player". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Sékou Mara signe au Racing". RC Strasbourg Alsace (in French). 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Mara departs for Strasbourg". Southampton FC. 21 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Sékou Mara prêté à l'AJA !" [Sékou Mara loaned to AJA!] (in French). AJ Auxerre. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
- ^ "Sékou Mara". FFF (in French). Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ Tournoux, Gilles; Bernard, Olivier (7 August 2020). "Football : le rêve devient réalité pour le fils d'Audrey Crespo-Mara" [Football: the dream comes true for the son of Audrey Crespo-Mara]. Le Parisien. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "A la découverte de Sékou Mara, ce franco-sénégalais de 18 ans qui a signé pro au FC des Girondins de Bordeaux" [To the discovery of Sékou Mara, this 18-year old French-Senegalese who signed pro with FC Girondins de Bordeaux]. wiwSport.com (in French). August 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "France – S. Mara – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "Games played by Sékou Mara in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "Games played by Sékou Mara in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Sékou Mara in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Maurice Revello Tournament 2022 best XI". www.festival-foot-espoirs.com. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
External links
- Sékou Mara at the French Football Federation (in French)