Alexandre Lacazette French Footballer Born 1991 in Lyon

Early life

Alexandre Lacazette was born on 28 May 1991 in Lyon, into a family of Guadeloupean origin. He was the youngest of four brothers. He grew up in the city and came through the youth system of his hometown club, Olympique Lyonnais, where he trained at the club's Centre Tola Vologe. With the under-18 side he helped the team finish third in the national under-18 championship in 2007-08, and he then scored regularly for the reserve team in the amateur league.

Career

Lacazette made his first-team debut for Lyon in Ligue 1 in May 2010 and signed his first professional contract that summer. He scored his first competitive goal on 30 October 2010 against Sochaux. Initially used as a wide forward, he was later moved into the centre-forward role. In the 2014-15 season he scored 27 goals, finishing as the top scorer in Ligue 1, and he was voted the league's player of the year. That season he also broke the Lyon record for goals in a single top-flight league season. In January 2016 he scored the first goal at the club's new stadium, the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, in a 4-1 win over Troyes.

In July 2017 he moved to Arsenal for a club-record fee that began at 53 million euros, with up to 7 million more in bonuses. It was the largest amount Lyon had ever received for a player. He won the first trophy of his time in London in his debut match, the Community Shield against Chelsea, and in his Premier League debut he scored after 94 seconds against Leicester City. In 2018-19 Arsenal supporters voted him the club's player of the season, and that season Arsenal reached the UEFA Europa League final. He started the 2020 FA Cup final against Chelsea, which Arsenal won. In 2020-21 he was the club's top league scorer with 13 goals, and in April 2021 he scored his 50th Premier League goal. His contract at the club ended on 30 June 2022.

Lacazette rejoined Lyon on a three-year contract on 9 June 2022. In March 2023 he scored his 150th goal for the club and became its second-highest scorer of all time, behind Fleury Di Nallo. In May 2023 he scored four times in a 5-4 win over Montpellier, including a late winning penalty. His last match for Lyon came on 17 May 2025, when he scored twice against Angers, taking his total for the club to 201 goals. On 1 July 2025 he joined the Saudi Pro League club Neom SC on a two-year deal, and on 14 September 2025 he scored his first goals for them, a brace in a 2-1 win away at Damac.

He has played for France at every youth level, starting with the under-16 team, and was part of the under-19 side that won the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2010; he headed in the winning goal against Spain in the final. At the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup he scored five goals and shared the title of top scorer, receiving the Bronze Shoe. He earned his first call-up to the senior squad on 23 May 2013 and made his debut on 5 June that year as a substitute against Uruguay, a 1-0 friendly defeat in Montevideo. His first international goal came on 29 March 2015 against Denmark, and on 14 November 2017 he scored twice in a 2-2 friendly draw away to Germany. He was named on the standby list for the 2018 World Cup squad. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris he was one of the permitted overage players, captained France and won the silver medal.

Recognition

Lacazette was named in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17. With Lyon he won the Coupe de France in 2011-12 and the Trophée des Champions in 2012. With Arsenal he won the FA Cup in 2019-20 and the Community Shield in 2017. In 2024 he was made a Knight of the National Order of Merit.