*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:21, 2 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:27, 9 September 2024 (UTC)
Dayotchanculle Oswald Upamecano[2] was born on 27 October 1998[3] in Évreux, Normandy[4] and is of Bissau-Guinean descent.[5] He was raised in La Madeleine, a neighbourhood with many African immigrants.[6][7] He was named after his great-grandfather, who was king of the village on the island of Jeta in Guinea-Bissau, where his parents are from.[8] His mother is Senegalese.[9] He is the first son after four daughters, and has one younger brother.[7] He acquired French nationality on 19 November 2002, through the collective effect of his mother's naturalization.[10] As a 15-year-old, he followed speech therapy sessions to overcome dyslexia and stuttering disorders, which caused shyness and certain difficulties in expressing himself.[8]
Upamecano began playing football with local club Évreux, alongside the likes of Ousmane Dembélé, Rafik Guitane and Samuel Grandsir.[7] He covered a variety of positions in his youth, before being fixed on the centre-back position.[7] He joined the youth academy of Valenciennes in 2013.[11] Described during the time as a youth in an adult body, Upamecano shaped his play after Sergio Ramos, and developed into a physically imposing defender.[7]
After attracting the attention of a number of major European clubs, including Manchester United, Upamecano joined Red Bull Salzburg in July 2015 for a reported fee of €2.2 million.[12] He was an unused substitute in Red Bull's UEFA Champions League game against Malmö FF on 29 July 2015.[13] He made his professional debut for Red Bull's farm team, FC Liefering, two days later, in a 2–1 league win against St. Pölten.[14] On 19 March 2016, he made his league debut with Red Bull Salzburg in a 2–1 win over SV Mattersburg.[15]
In the first half of the 2016–17 season, Upamecano earned a regular place with the first team in both league and Europa League matches.[16]
On 13 January 2017, Upamecano joined RB Leipzig on a 4+1⁄2-year deal, for a reported €10 million fee.[17] On 4 February 2017, he made his Bundesliga debut under coach Ralph Hasenhüttl in a 1–0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund.[11] On 13 September 2017, he made his Champions League debut in a 1–1 draw against Monaco.[18] On 9 February 2018, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 win over Augsburg.[19] On 2 July 2018, he was shortlisted for the 2018 Golden Boy award.[20]
On 31 July 2020, Upamecano signed a new deal until 2023.[21] In the 2019–20 season, he reached with RB Leipzig the Champions League semi-finals under coach Julian Nagelsmann.[22]
Bayern Munich
On 14 February 2021, Bayern Munich announced an agreement for the signing of Upamecano on a five-year deal, to be effective as of 1 July 2021.[23] The club reportedly met his release clause from Leipzig, set at €42.5 million.[24][25] Upamecano's first game as a Bayern player came in a pre-season friendly on 16 July 2021 against fellow Bundesliga side 1. FC Köln that saw Bayern lose 3–2 after fielding a side largely consisting of reserve and youth players.[26][27]
On 4 November 2023, he scored his first goal of the 2023–24 season in the fourth minute of a 4–0 away win over Borussia Dortmund.[32] In February 2024, Upamecano was sent off twice in the span of four days: on 14 February, he received his first straight red card in the Champions League during the round of 16 first leg away match against Lazio, which resulted in a penalty kick and a 1–0 defeat;[33] on 18 February, he received two yellow cards and again conceded a penalty in a 3–2 loss to Bochum in the Bundesliga.[34]
On 5 September 2020, Upamecano debuted for the French senior squad, starting in a UEFA Nations League group stage match against Sweden.[41] Three days later on 8 September, he scored his first international goal in a 4–2 victory against Croatia.[42]
Upamecano played a pivotal role in France's 2022 FIFA World Cup, starting five of France's seven matches.[citation needed] This included playing the entire 120 minutes in the final in an eventual 3–3 loss in penalties to Argentina.[43]
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