# Serge Aurier
**Serge Aurier** (full name Serge Alain Stéphane Aurier; born 1992 in Ouragahio, Ivory Coast) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a right-back. He came through the [RC Lens](https://www.edgepedia.org/rc-lens) academy, won major trophies with Paris Saint-Germain, spent four seasons at Tottenham Hotspur, and later played for [Villarreal](https://www.edgepedia.org/villarreal), Nottingham Forest, Galatasaray, and [Persepolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/persepolis). A full international for Ivory Coast from 2013 to 2024, he won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 and 2023.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) • [2](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ivo-aurier-intl.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, Ouragahio, Ivory Coast; right-footed defender[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) |
| Senior clubs | Lens (2009–2012), Toulouse (2012–2014), PSG (2014–2017), Tottenham (2017–2021), Villarreal (2021–2022), Nottingham Forest (2022–2024), Galatasaray (2024), Persepolis (2025–2026)[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) |
| Premier League record | 113 appearances, 6 goals, 14 assists, 8 yellow cards, 2 red cards[3](https://www.premierleague.com/players/11293/Serge-Aurier/stats) |
| Major honors | 2 Ligue 1 titles, 3 Coupes de France, 3 Coupes de la Ligue, 4 Trophées des Champions (PSG); Süper Lig and Super Cup 2023/24 (Galatasaray); Africa Cup of Nations 2015 and 2023 (Ivory Coast)[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) |
| International career | Ivory Coast, January 2013 to March 2024; FotMob lists 72 matches and 4 goals, while RSSSF records 91 caps[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) • [2](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ivo-aurier-intl.html) |
| Peak market value | €26.7 million, on 31 December 2016[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) |
| Status (September 2026) | Free agent since leaving Persepolis in early 2026; assistant coach of RC Lens's under-15 side and expected to sign for FC Montigny-en-Gohelle of Régional 2[4](https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Mercato-serge-aurier-devrait-s-engager-avec-un-club-amateur-des-hauts-de-france/1716927) |
## Early life
Aurier was born in Ouragahio, a small town in south-central [Ivory Coast](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivory-coast), and lived in his home country until the age of nine. His father, Léon Gbizié, a former Ivorian football figure, worked in Danané as an administrative assistant at a section court after separating from Aurier's mother. When the Ivorian civil war broke out in 2002, Aurier's mother asked him to join her in France. On arrival in [Île-de-France](https://www.edgepedia.org/ile-de-france) he was adopted by Michel Aurier, his mother's husband, a municipal bus driver in Sevran.[5](https://www.sofoot.com/articles/aurier-banlieusard-devenu-prince-de-paris)
**Entry into football.** [Ligue 1](https://www.edgepedia.org/ligue-1) club Lens spotted his talent when he was 12, and he joined the academy in 2006 together with his brother [Christopher](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher). He rose through the youth categories, becoming French under-16 runner-up and under-18 champion, and captained the reserve side.[6](https://panafricafootball.com/article/serge-aurier-revient-lens) His first top-flight match was a 1-0 win for Lens against [Saint-Étienne](https://www.edgepedia.org/saint-etienne) on 22 December 2009.[7](https://app.francefootball.fr/fiche/joueur/aurier/35553)
## Club career
**Lens and Toulouse.** Aurier made his senior debut for Lens, then moved to Toulouse in January 2012, where he was a teammate of [Moussa Sissoko](https://www.edgepedia.org/moussa-sissoko). His 2013/14 season at Toulouse, with 6 league goals in 34 matches, preceded a loan to Paris Saint-Germain for 2014/15.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) • [7](https://app.francefootball.fr/fiche/joueur/aurier/35553)
**Paris Saint-Germain.** The loan was made permanent in 2015, and under Laurent Blanc Aurier became the club's first-choice right-back ahead of [Gregory van der Wiel](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregory-van-der-wiel).[8](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/assets/The-Get-French-Football-News-100-2015-Low-Quality-2.pdf) Across the 2014/15 to 2016/17 seasons he won two Ligue 1 titles, three Coupes de France, three Coupes de la Ligue, and four Trophées des Champions, and was twice named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.[9](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1045595/i-will-enjoy-every-day-serge-on-spurs-move) His time in Paris ended badly: after a video in which he was disrespectful toward the club, he was suspended for roughly two months, from February 2016 until his return to first-team action in April 2016, an episode he later described as a telenovela that lasted more than a year, and he left in August 2017.[10](https://as.com/us/2017/09/10/futbol/1505055020_123486.html) • [18](https://www.as.com/futbol/2016/04/06/champions/1459938976_169591.html)
**Tottenham Hotspur.** Aurier signed for [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham) on 8 September 2017, saying "football is my life" and calling Lens "a big chance for me. They are very important in my story."[9](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1045595/i-will-enjoy-every-day-serge-on-spurs-move) Julien Laurens, journalist for Le Parisien, described him at the time as a very good player with big potential, mostly a right-back who could also play left-back or center-half, with a good engine and good crossing quality.[11](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1057814/serge-aurier-view-from-france-with-julien-laurens) His Spurs career combined attacking output with costly errors. In a February 2018 Champions League last-16 first leg against Juventus, he conceded a penalty by fouling [Douglas Costa](https://www.edgepedia.org/douglas-costa) on the final play before half-time; [Gonzalo Higuaín](https://www.edgepedia.org/gonzalo-higuain) missed it, but Aurier's second-half booking ruled him out of the second leg at Wembley. Former England captain Rio Ferdinand said on BT Sport, "As a defender I have never really rated Aurier. He's rash and he's let his team down far too often," and Steven Gerrard agreed.[12](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/european/juventus-vs-tottenham-spurs-serge-aurier-let-his-team-down-far-too-often-rio-ferdinand-champions-league-a8210341.html) Under José Mourinho his role changed: tactical analysis of Spurs in 2019/20 noted that Aurier pushed very high and wide in possession, effectively operating as a classic right winger, while the left-back stayed back.[13](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Total-Football-Analysis-Magazine-16_-December-2019-single-page.pdf.pdf) In the 2020/21 Premier League season he made 19 appearances for 1,608 minutes, and across 26 games in all competitions he averaged a TACTIX Impact of 4.7 per match, in the 96th percentile among the 394 qualifying Premier League players.[14](https://tactix.football/player/s-aurier/2020-21) His Premier League totals for Tottenham and Nottingham Forest stand at 113 appearances, 6 goals, and 14 assists.[3](https://www.premierleague.com/players/11293/Serge-Aurier/stats)
**Later career.** Aurier left Tottenham in August 2021 and moved to Villarreal on a free transfer that October, followed by short spells at Nottingham Forest from September 2022 to February 2024, Galatasaray from February to June 2024, where he won the 2023/24 [Süper Lig](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-lig) and Super Cup, and finally Persepolis in Iran from July 2025 to June 2026.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier)
## International career
Aurier debuted for Ivory Coast in a 3-0 win over Gambia in Bakau on 8 June 2013.[7](https://app.francefootball.fr/fiche/joueur/aurier/35553) He played at the 2014 World Cup and won the 2015 [Africa Cup of Nations](https://www.edgepedia.org/africa-cup-of-nations), where he was named in the Team of the Tournament.[9](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1045595/i-will-enjoy-every-day-serge-on-spurs-move) He was in Ivory Coast's provisional squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Côte d'Ivoire, which the country won.[15](https://www.cafonline.com/media/szzh20fx/afcon-2023-provisional-squads-list.pdf) • [1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) Sources differ on his cap total: FotMob lists 72 matches with 4 goals between January 2013 and March 2024,[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) while RSSSF records 91 international caps[2](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ivo-aurier-intl.html) and France Football lists 93 selections.[7](https://app.francefootball.fr/fiche/joueur/aurier/35553) He was a former captain of the national team.[6](https://panafricafootball.com/article/serge-aurier-revient-lens)
## Personal life
On 13 July 2020, Aurier's brother Christopher, a 26-year-old footballer who had also come through the Lens academy and was playing in the fifth division for Toulouse Rodeo, was shot outside a venue in Toulouse and declared dead in hospital; the shooter fled and was being sought by authorities. Serge played the full 90 minutes in Tottenham's 2-1 win over Arsenal only hours before the incident.[16](https://as.com/diarioas/2020/07/13/actualidad/1594630568_731011.html)
## Style of play
Aurier is an attack-minded right-back. Laurens described a player who runs up and down the right side for the whole game, overlaps constantly, sees space well, and crosses with quality, while also being versatile enough to play left-back or center-half.[11](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1057814/serge-aurier-view-from-france-with-julien-laurens) Statistical profiles bear out the aerial and defensive side of the game: among fullbacks, his aerial duels won rank in the 95th percentile, while his shot attempts rank in the 26th percentile and goals in the 0th.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier) His Premier League record of 301 tackles at 65 percent success and 142 interceptions reflects heavy defensive involvement, alongside 2 errors leading to goal and 2 red cards in 113 matches.[3](https://www.premierleague.com/players/11293/Serge-Aurier/stats)
## Move into coaching and amateur football
Aurier left Persepolis at the beginning of 2026 and became assistant coach of RC Lens's under-15 side. In September 2026, L'Équipe reported, citing La Voix du Nord, that he had accepted a proposal from FC Montigny-en-Gohelle, an Artésian club in Régional 2, the seventh tier of French football, which had suffered many departures during the off-season and lost its league opener at home to Biache-Saint-Vaast 0-10. His license validation depended on a document from the Iranian federation, with the French Football Federation able to unblock the situation automatically after a month if no response arrived.[4](https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Mercato-serge-aurier-devrait-s-engager-avec-un-club-amateur-des-hauts-de-france/1716927) Spanish coverage framed the same move as a former Africa and France champion dropping to the seventh division.[17](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fichajes/20260908/1004224465/aurier.html)
## References
1. [Sèrge Aurier – stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/195299/s.-aurier)
2. [Serge Alain Stéphane Aurier – International Appearances, RSSSF](https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/ivo-aurier-intl.html)
3. [Sèrge Aurier Statistics, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/players/11293/Serge-Aurier/stats)
4. [Mercato : Serge Aurier devrait s'engager avec un club amateur des Hauts-de-France, L'Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Mercato-serge-aurier-devrait-s-engager-avec-un-club-amateur-des-hauts-de-france/1716927)
5. [Aurier, banlieusard devenu prince de Paris, SO FOOT](https://www.sofoot.com/articles/aurier-banlieusard-devenu-prince-de-paris)
6. [Serge Aurier revient au RC Lens, Pan Africa Football](https://panafricafootball.com/article/serge-aurier-revient-lens)
7. [Serge Aurier, sans club, actu et stats, France Football](https://app.francefootball.fr/fiche/joueur/aurier/35553)
8. [The Get French Football News 100 (2015)](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/assets/The-Get-French-Football-News-100-2015-Low-Quality-2.pdf)
9. ['I will enjoy every day' – Serge on Spurs move, Tottenham Hotspur](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1045595/i-will-enjoy-every-day-serge-on-spurs-move)
10. [Aurier vive un infierno en el PSG tras su vídeo contra Blanc e Ibra, AS](https://as.com/us/2017/09/10/futbol/1505055020_123486.html)
11. [Serge Aurier – view from France with Julien Laurens, Tottenham Hotspur](https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/1057814/serge-aurier-view-from-france-with-julien-laurens)
12. [Serge Aurier has 'let Spurs down far too often' as Rio Ferdinand tears into Tottenham defender for Juventus display, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/european/juventus-vs-tottenham-spurs-serge-aurier-let-his-team-down-far-too-often-rio-ferdinand-champions-league-a8210341.html)
13. [Total Football Analysis Magazine 16, December 2019](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Total-Football-Analysis-Magazine-16_-December-2019-single-page.pdf.pdf)
14. [S. Aurier – TACTIX Impact, stats & form, 2020/21](https://tactix.football/player/s-aurier/2020-21)
15. [AFCON 2023 Provisional Squads List, CAF](https://www.cafonline.com/media/szzh20fx/afcon-2023-provisional-squads-list.pdf)
16. [El hermano de Serge Aurier es asesinado de un disparo, AS](https://as.com/diarioas/2020/07/13/actualidad/1594630568_731011.html)
17. [De campeón de África y de Francia a jugar en Séptima División, Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fichajes/20260908/1004224465/aurier.html)
18. [Fútbol en AS.com - AS.com](https://www.as.com/futbol/2016/04/06/champions/1459938976_169591.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of Africa › West African footballers › Ghanaian and Ivorian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license