| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Abrahame Jacques Bessan | ||
| Date of birth | 15 September 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Abomey, Benin | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al Akhdar SC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2012 [1] | Soleil FC | ||
| 2012–2015 | ES Zarzis | 32 | (6 [2] ) |
| 2015–2016 | CA Bizertin | 13 | (2) |
| 2016 | EGS Gafsa | 13 | (12) |
| 2016–2018 | Club Africain | 6 | (1) |
| 2017 | → Al Ahli Tripoli (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Stade Tunisien | 24 | (11) |
| 2019 | MO Béjaïa | 12 | (2) |
| 2019– | TP Mazembe | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | Benin U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2010– | Benin | 9 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:10, 22 August 2019 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:01, 24 July 2018 (UTC) | |||
Abrahame Jacques Bessan (born September 15, 1993) is a Beninese professional footballer who plays as a forward for TP Mazembe and the Benin national team. [3] [4]
Bessan debuted for Soleil FC of the Benin Premier League as a teenager in 2008 and showed promise early on.
In August 2012, he signed a five-year contract with Tunisian second division club ES Zarzis, after several weeks on trial with the team. [5] He helped them promote to the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 by scoring 12 goals in the 2013–14 season. [2] The next year (his first season in a fully professional league), he scored six goals in 30 matches and was chosen to play in a friendly match between the Tunisian Olympic Team and a team of the best foreign players playing in the Tunisian league. [6]
At the end of the year, it was reported that he had signed a five-year deal with Egyptian Premier League club El Ittihad Alexandria. [7] However, the following month, it was revealed "the deal fell through". He eventually signed a three-year deal with CA Bizertin, another Tunisian team, hours before the transfer window deadline (September 17). [8] [9] After making only 13 appearances for Bizertin (and scoring twice), he made another move. Bessan signed yet another three-year contract with EGS Gafsa in January 2016. [10]
Bessan made an immediate impact for Gafsa. In his debut with his new team, a February 14 matchup with Zarzis, he scored in the third minute of an eventual 1–1 tie. [11] The following week, in a match against Stade Gabèsien, he scored once again with a "stratospheric" bicycle kick in the 54th minute that contributed to a 2–0 win, and earned him man of the match honors. [12] This was the start of a goal-scoring rampage by Bessan. On March 6, Gafsa found themselves down two goals against AS Marsa. Bessan assisted Slim Bacha in the 41st minute, and then scored a goal of his own just before halftime to salvage a point. [13] The following week, he salvaged yet another point by scoring a 66' equalizer in an eventual 2–2 tie with ES Métlaoui. With his fourth goal in five matches, the "Gafsa savior" was beginning to be noticed. [14] On May 1, he scored the game winner in the 83rd minute to defeat AS Kasserine 2–1. [15] In a May 29 matchup against JS Kairouan, with his team down 1–0, Bessan scored in the 82nd minute, and then again in stoppage time for the victory, pushing them to 13th place and out of the relegation zone. [16]
He finished the season tied as the league's second-leading goal-scorer, and propelled his team from 16th (last place) to 14th in the second half of the season. For his heroic performance, he was called "the best African player in the second half of the [2015–16] season." [1]
In early 2013, Bessan was selected to represent the Benin U20 team at the 2013 African U-20 Championship. Ahead of the tournament, he participated in three test matches in Marseille, against the Nice, Olympique de Marseille, and Arles-Avignon U19 squads. [17] [18] At the actual tournament in Algeria, Bessan made appearances against Algeria and Ghana, respectively. They were eliminated in group play.
As for the senior national team, he made his debut during the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualification, coming on as a late second-half sub for Razak Omotoyossi during a 3–0 victory over Rwanda on October 9, 2010. He was later called up by head coach Omar Tchomogo for a double-header against South Sudan during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, [19] but did not come off the bench in either match. He earned his second international cap during the CAF second round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, coming on as a substitute for Jordan Adeoti during a 2–0 loss to Burkina Faso. [20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | |||
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 1 | |
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 13 October 2015 | Nicaragua National Football Stadium, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo |  Congo | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
The 2004 African Cup of Nations, known as the 2004 AFCON or CAN 2004 for short and as the Nokia African Cup of Nations, Tunisia 2004 for sponsorship purposes, was the 24th edition of the biennial African association football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football hosted in Tunisia from 24 January and 14 February 2004.
The Benin national football team, nicknamed Les Guépards , represents Benin in men's international association football and are controlled by the Benin Football Federation. They were known as Dahomey until 1975, when the Republic of Dahomey became Benin.
Abdelmalek Ziaya is an Algerian former footballer.
The 2006–07 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 was the 81st season of top-tier football in Tunisia. It saw Étoile du Sahel win the championship. At the other end of the table, Etoile Olympique de la Goulette et Kram and ES Hammam-Sousse were relegated to Ligue Professionnelle 2.
The 2012–13 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 87th season of top-tier football in Tunisia. The competition began on 10 November 2012 and is scheduled to conclude in June 2013. The defending champions from the previous season are Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
The 2014–15 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 89th season of top-tier football in Tunisia. The competition began on 13 August 2014 and ended on 2 June 2015. The defending champions from the previous season were Espérance de Tunis.
The 2005–06 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 80th season of top-tier football in Tunisia.
The 2014–15 Tunisian Cup was the 83rd season of the football cup competition of Tunisia. The competition was organized by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football (FTF) and open to all clubs in Tunisia.
Ligue 1 teams entered the competition in the Round of 32.
The 2015–16 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 90th season of top-tier football in Tunisia. The competition began on 12 September 2015 and ended on 12 June 2016. The defending champions from the previous season were Club Africain.
Steve Michel Mounié is a Beninese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Brest, whom he captains, and the Benin national team.
The 2015–16 Tunisian Cup was the 84th season of the football cup competition of Tunisia. The competition was organized by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football (FTF) and open to all clubs in Tunisia.
Ligue 1 teams entered the competition in the Round of 32.
The 2016–17 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 91st season of top-tier football in Tunisia. The competition started on 8 September 2016. The defending champions from the previous season were Étoile du Sahel.
The 2016–17 Tunisian Cup was the 85th season of the football cup competition of Tunisia. The competition was organized by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football (FTF) and open to all clubs in Tunisia.
The 2017–18 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 92nd season of top-tier football in Tunisia. The season calendar was drawn on July 24. The competition started on August 15.
Raimi Kola Kowiyu is a Nigeria-born naturalized Beninese national soccer team player. He presently plays for AS Tonnerre in the Benin premier league 2019–20 season. He has played as forward for Abia Warriors. in the Nigeria Premier League, Buffles du Borgou FC, ASPAC FC.
Alkhaly Bangoura is a Guinean professional footballer who plays for Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club EGS Gafsa and the Guinea national football team.
The 2018–19 Tunisian Cup or Beji Caid Essebsi Cup was the 87th season of the football cup competition of Tunisia. The competition was organized by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football (FTF) and open to all clubs in Tunisia.
In the 2015–16 season, Espérance Sportive de Tunis competed in the Ligue 1 for the 61st season, as well as the Tunisian Cup. It was their 61st consecutive season in the top flight of Tunisian football. They competed in Ligue 1, the Confederation Cup and the Tunisian Cup.
In the 2014–15 season, Espérance Sportive de Tunis competed in the Ligue 1 for the 60th season, as well as the Tunisian Cup. It was their 60th consecutive season in the top flight of Tunisian football. They competed in Ligue 1, the Champions League, the Confederation Cup and the Tunisian Cup.
The 2022–23 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 season was the 97th season of top-tier football in Tunisia.
