Moussa Niakhaté grew up in Roubaix and began his career at Valenciennes before playing for Metz, Mainz 05 and Nottingham Forest.
Lyon signed him in 2024, and he has become a mainstay of their defence and vice-captain. He is a tall, left-footed centre-back. Niakhaté represents Senegal.
Career in numbers
Across 13 seasons of senior club football, beginning in 2014/15, Niakhaté has played 380 matches and scored 12 goals for 5 clubs. His best scoring return came in 2021/22: 4 goals in 33 appearances for Mainz 05. His busiest campaign was 2025/26, with 43 appearances. So far in 2026/27 he has made 8 appearances for Lyon. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.