Nicolas Pépé was born in Mantes-la-Jolie, near Paris, and began his professional career at Angers before moving to Lille in 2017. In 2018/19 he scored 22 Ligue 1 goals and provided 11 assists, earning a club-record move to Arsenal.
At Arsenal he won the FA Cup in 2020 but struggled for consistency. He later played for Nice on loan and Trabzonspor before joining Villarreal in 2024, where he rediscovered his best form on the right wing.
Pépé represents Ivory Coast and won the Africa Cup of Nations with them in 2024 on home soil.
Career in numbers
Since his first senior season in 2012/13, Pépé has made 406 club appearances and scored 103 goals in all competitions for 8 clubs. His best scoring return came in 2018/19: 23 goals in 42 appearances for Lille. His busiest campaign was 2020/21, with 47 appearances. So far in 2026/27 he has 1 goal in 1 appearance for Villarreal. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.