Youssouf Sabaly: where is he now?

From Evian to the elite

Youssouf Sabaly's career began quietly enough. Born in France to Senegalese parents, he made his Ligue 1 debut with Evian in 2013 and soon moved on loan to Bordeaux, a switch that became permanent after a contract extension. It was at Bordeaux that Sabaly built his reputation as a dependable, attack-minded right-back, good enough to catch the eye of a major La Liga club.

In the summer of 2021, Sabaly signed for Real Betis on a free transfer. He went on to lift the Copa del Rey with the Andalusian club in 2021–22, and years later was part of the Betis squad that reached the final of the UEFA Conference League in 2024–25, earning a place in that competition's Team of the Season.

A Senegal regular at the biggest tournaments

While Sabaly represented France at youth level and was part of the squad that won the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he chose to play senior international football for Senegal, making his debut in 2017. He went on to become a mainstay of the national side, featuring at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and then playing a central role in Senegal's run to the final of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost to Algeria. His performances in that tournament were good enough to see him named to the Team of the Tournament.

Sabaly's standing with Senegal only grew from there. He started all four of the Teranga Lions' matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as the team reached the round of 16 for the first time since 2002, and he was still involved with the national setup in late 2023, named in the squad for the postponed Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast.

Where he is now

After years at the top level in France and Spain, and a long international career for Senegal, Sabaly's current club is Al-Shamal, where he continues to play as a right-back. It marks a new chapter away from the European leagues and major tournaments that defined the bulk of his career, but it keeps him on the pitch doing the job he has always done.

A career worth remembering

For Senegal supporters in particular, Sabaly's name will always be tied to that 2019 AFCON run and the historic 2022 World Cup campaign, moments when a full-back from Evian via Bordeaux became one of the most trusted defenders in his country's history. His honours list, from a Copa del Rey winner's medal to multiple Team of the Tournament selections, reflects a career built on consistency rather than headlines. Now turning out for Al-Shamal, Sabaly remains an active professional, still adding to a story that took him from provincial French football all the way to World Cups and cup finals.