Twenty-five minutes were enough to seal a career decision. A France U21 international last spring, the 20-year-old forward is now, for good, an Elephant.
It is now official. On Tuesday, 29 September, Rayan Fofana played his first minutes for Ivory Coast in a 2-0 win over Somalia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The match was staged at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny stadium in Abidjan, with Somalia acting as hosts as they cannot stage games at home. Brought on in the 65th minute, the forward on loan at Le Havre from RC Lens became a fully fledged Ivory Coast international.
That is no small detail. By playing an official match for a country’s senior team, a dual national permanently ties his international future to that nation. For Fofana, the France chapter is closed.
A Lens handover
The anecdote will raise a smile at Bollaert. On his debut, Fofana replaced Elye Wahi, another former Lens player who has since moved on. Two ex-Lens forwards passing the baton in the orange shirt: you could not make it up.
On the pitch, Hervé Renard’s Elephants left it late. Gboho broke the deadlock in the 89th minute before Touré doubled the lead in stoppage time (90+5′). Fofana did not score, but he lived the kind of night that matters in a career.
France let a talent slip away
This is where the story gains weight. Born in Paris in February 2006, Fofana won his first France U21 cap on 26 March against Luxembourg (5-1), called up as a replacement after Mathys Tel withdrew. He made two appearances in total for France’s under-21s, so he was clearly on the French federation’s radar.
But Hervé Renard’s call, which came for the first time in mid-September, tipped the balance. France develops, other nations reap the rewards: it is becoming a familiar refrain.
His stock is rising
For Lens, the news is anything but bad. Having arrived at the club’s La Gaillette academy in 2021 after spells at Espérance Paris 19e and JA Drancy, Fofana scored 5 goals in 25 Ligue 1 games last season. Loaned to Le Havre this summer to gain experience, he has already scored once in three matches. Senior international status can only boost his value.
Now he needs to kick on, both at Le Havre and with Ivory Coast, where competition up front is fierce. His next chance comes on Saturday, 3 October, in a friendly against Cameroon. A first goal in orange? Nobody at La Gaillette would complain.