Salis Abdul Samed

Salis Abdul Samed

Abdul Samed with Lens in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Salis Abdul Samed [1]
Date of birth	(2000-03-26) 26 March 2000 (age 23)
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) [2]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Lens
Number	6
Youth career
	JMG Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2021	JMG Academy	0	(0)
2019–2021	→ Clermont (loan)	12	(0)
2021–2022	Clermont	31	(1)
2022–	Lens	56	(1)
International career‡
2022–	Ghana	8	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:26, 9 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:20, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Salis Abdul Samed (born 26 March 2000) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lens and the Ghana national team.

Club career

Clermont

Abdul Samed played for JMG Academy originally in Accra, before later moving to the academy in Djékanou, Ivory Coast, after the Accra academy closed. ^[3] On 24 July 2019, he joined Clermont on a two-year loan deal from the JMG Academy. ^[4] He made his debut with the club in a 2–2 (5–4 on penalties) Coupe de la Ligue loss to Lens on 27 August 2019. ^[5] Samed was part of the Clermont squad that earned promotion into the Ligue 1 after placing second in the 2019–20 Ligue 2. ^[6] On 12 July 2021, Abdul Samed moved to Clermont on a permanent basis and signed a four-year contract. ^[7]

Lens

On 24 June 2022, Abdul Samed signed for Lens in a transfer worth a reported €5 million. He signed a five-year contract with the club. ^[8] He made his debut on the first match on 7 August, playing the full 90 minutes in Lens 3–2 victory over Stade Brestois 29. ^[9] He scored his first goal on 31 August 2022 against Lorient. Samed ended the season, with 33 ligue one appearances starting 32 of those. ^[10] He also started all their four Coupe de France matches as they reached the Quarter-finals and were eliminated by defending champions FC Nantes. ^[10] He formed a formidable partnership with Lens captain Seko Fofana with the duo helping the club to place second in the Ligue 1, one point behind champions Paris Saint-Germain. ^[11] The club's collective performance helped them secure a champions league spot for the first time in 20 years since 2002–03 season and the third time in the club's history. ^{[12] [11]} At the end of the season, he was named as the best central midfielder by French sports news outlet Get French Football News and in the outlet's team of the season. ^{[13] [14]} He was also nominated for the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé which was won by Chancel Mbemba. ^{[15] [16]}

On 8 June 2023, Samed extended his contract with Lens by an extra year, with his contract now set to expire in 2028. ^[17]

International career

Prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he received his first call-up to the Ghana national team in November 2022. ^[18] He made his debut against Switzerland in a pre-tournament friendly, starting and playing the full 90 minutes as Ghana won 2–0. ^[19] In November 2022, Samed participated at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the Ghana national team. ^[20]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 March 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		League cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Clermont II	2019–20	National 3	7	0	—		—		—		7	0
	2020–21	National 3	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	Total		8	0	—		—		—		8	0
Clermont (loan)	2019–20	Ligue 2	6	0	0	0	1	0	—		7	0
	2020–21	Ligue 2	6	0	0	0	—		—		6	0
	Total		12	0	0	0	1	0	—		13	0
Clermont	2021–22	Ligue 1	31	1	0	0	—		—		31	1
Lens	2022–23	Ligue 1	33	1	4	0	—		—		37	1
	2023–24	Ligue 1	23	0	0	0	—		8 [lower-alpha 1]	0	31	0
	Total		56	1	4	0	—		8	0	68	1
Career total			107	2	4	0	1	0	8	0	120	2

1. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 21 November 2023

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Ghana	2022	4	0
	2023	4	0
Total		8	0

References

1. "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Ghana (GHA)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 14. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
2. "Salis Abdul Samed". Kerala Blasters. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
3. "Salis Abdul Samed JMG academician professional player". JMG Academy. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
4. "C.S. Clermont sign Blankson Anoff and Salis Abdul Samed, |". 24 July 2019.
5. "Lens vs. Clermont - 27 August 2019 - Soccerway". Soccerway.
6. Abayomi, Ogunniyi (28 February 2023). "Salis Abdul Samed: The Ghanaian Midfielder Making Strides at Lens". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
7. "SALIS ABDUL SAMED PROLONGE JUSQU'EN 2025" (in French). Clermont. 12 July 2021.
8. "Official | Salis Abdul Samed (22) joins RC Lens from Clermont, signing on a 5-year deal". Get French Football News. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
9. "Match Report of Racing Club de Lens vs Stade Brestois 29 - 2022-08-07 - Ligue 1 Uber Eats". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
10. "RC Lens - Bilan 2022/2023 : Salis Abdul Samed, le précieux atout". Le 11 HDF (in French). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
11. Scott, A. (4 June 2023). "Remarkable season takes Lens to promised land". Ligue1 COM. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
12. "RC Lens Secure UEFA Champions League Spot with Victory over Auxerre". beIN SPORTS USA. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
13. Jucobin, Raphaël (26 May 2023). "GFFN Team of the Year | The Winners". Get French Football News. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
14. Jucobin, Raphaël (26 May 2023). "Exclusive | Salis Abdul Samed, GFFN's Central Midfielder of the Year: "I'm more confident now."". Get French Football News. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
15. "Prix Marc-Vivien Foé 2023 : la liste des 11 finalistes dévoilée". France 24 (in French). 17 April 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
16. "DR Congo's Chancel Mbemba wins FRANCE 24-RFI award for best African player in Ligue 1". France 24. 30 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
17. "Salis Abdul Samed, ratisseur en chef pour un an de plus". RC Lens (in French). 8 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
18. "Otto Addo announces squad for World Cup finals". Ghana Football Association. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
19. "RC Lens midfielder Salis Abdul Samed proud after Ghana debut in win over Switzerland". Ghanasoccernet. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
20. "Ghana must build on World Cup positives despite elimination - Salis Abdul Samed". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 21 December 2022.

External links

• Salis Abdul Samed at Soccerway
• Salis Abdul Samed – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)
• Salis Abdul Samed – French league stats at Ligue 2 (in French) – English translation