Sidiki Cherif

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Sidiki Cherif
Sidiki Cherif 26 Fenerbahce 20260805 (4).JPG
Cherif in 2026
Personal information
Full name Sidiki Chérif [1]
Date of birth (2006-12-15) 15 December 2006 (age 19)
Place of birth Dubréka, Guinea
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) [2]
Position Striker
Team information
Current team
 Coventry City
Number 49
Youth career
2013–2018 Bayard-Saumur
2018–2019 Olympique Saumur
2019–2023 Angers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2023–2024 Angers II 12 (2)
2023–2026 Angers 33 (4)
2026 → Fenerbahçe (loan) 12 (2)
2026 Fenerbahçe 0 (0)
2026– Coventry City 2 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 02:09, 12 October 2026 (UTC)

Sidiki Cherif (born 15 December 2006) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Coventry City.

Contents

Club career

Angers

Born in Conakry, [2] Cherif arrived in France at the age of 5. [3] He is a youth product of Bayard Saumur, Olympique Saumur and Angers, [3] where he impressed with the under-19. [1] [4]

In July 2023, he signed his first professional contract with Angers. [3] [5] Cherif made his professional debut with Angers in a 1–0 Ligue 2 away loss to Laval on 9 January 2024 at the age of 16 years and 7 months. [6] [7]

On 18 August 2024, he made his Ligue 1 debut as a starter against Lens in a 1–0 home loss. [8] On 18 October 2025, he scored his first professional goal against Monaco in a 1–1 Ligue 1 match. [9] Although his progress was temporarily hindered by recurring injuries—including a thigh operation in late 2024 followed by a relapse in early 2025—he successfully established himself as a starter during the 2025–2026 Ligue 1 season. Operating as a powerful left-winger, he recorded four goals in 19 appearances during the first half of the season, scoring against major clubs such as Monaco, Marseille and Nantes. [10]

Fenerbahçe

On 1 February 2026, Chérif finalized a move to Fenerbahçe in a deal valued at approximately €25 million, equaling Angers SCO's record transfer fee established by the 2019 sale of Jeff Reine-Adélaïde. The agreement consists of an initial €4 million loan fee, an €18 million mandatory purchase obligation effective in the summer of 2026, and €3 million in bonuses. [10] The forward has signed a contract keeping him at the club until 2030. [11]

On 9 February 2026, he made his debut in a 3–1 Süper Lig home victory against Gençlerbirliği. [12] On 19 February, he made his continental debut in his professional career in UEFA Europa League match against Nottingham Forest. [13]

On 1 March 2026, he scored his first goal for the team in 2–2 Süper Lig away match against Antalyaspor. [14] On 4 March, three days after his first goal with the team, he scored again in his Turkish Cup debut against Gaziantep in 4–0 away victory. [15] He scored the winning goal in the 90+5th minute on 8 March, securing a 3–2 Süper Lig victory for Fenerbahçe against Samsunspor, was selected by L'Equipe for their Team of the Week, composed of French footballers playing abroad. [16]

Coventry City

On 18 August 2026, Cherif joined Premier League club Coventry City on a long-term deal. [17]

International career

Born in Guinea, Cherif was called to the France under-16 team during the 2021–22 season, [1] [18] [19] but he did not play in either match.

Cherif's successful start to his Fenerbahçe career caught the attention of France under-21 team coach Gérald Baticle, and he was called up to the squad for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying group matches against Luxembourg under-21 team and Iceland under-21 team, on 19 March 2026. [20]

Career statistics

As of matches played 12 October 2026 [21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Angers II 2023–24 National 2 12220——3 [c] 2174
2024–25 National 3 0000——1 [c] 010
Total12220——42184
Angers 2023–24 Ligue 2 7020———90
2024–25 Ligue 1 7000———70
2025–26 Ligue 119410———204
Total33430———364
Fenerbahçe (loan) 2025–26 Süper Lig 12221—2 [d] 0—163
Fenerbahçe 2026–27 Süper Lig00——1 [e] 0—10
Coventry City 2026–27 Premier League 210020——41
Career total599712030427512
  1. ↑ Includes Coupe Gambardella, Coupe de France, Turkish Cup, FA Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearance(s) in National U19 - Grp. C
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ↑ Appearance in UEFA Champions League

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Angers : le précoce Sidiki Chérif attire les regards". Foot Mercato (in French). 8 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Profil de Sidiki Cherif à Angers SCO (officiel)". Angers-sco.fr (in French). Angers SCO. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Un attaquant de 16 ans signe professionnel au SCO (officiel)". MadeinFoot.com (in French). Ouest-France. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Angers : le talent du jeune Cherif Sidiki ne passe pas inaperçu". Foot National (in French). 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Bonamy, Raphaël (27 July 2023). "Ligue 2 - Angers Sco. Sidiki Chérif signe son premier contrat professionnel". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Angers Sco. Propulsés en Ligue 2 à 16 ans, Courcoul et Sidiki entrent dans l'histoire du club ". maville (in French). Ouest-France. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Olivier Frapolli : " Quand j'amène ma fille à l'école, je vois des gamins avec le maillot de Laval "". So Foot (in French). 26 September 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Angers 0–1 Lens". ESPN . 18 August 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Angers 1–1 Monaco". ESPN . 18 October 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Sidiki Chérif part à Fernerbahçe pour 25 millions d'euros : la folle trajectoire de la pépite d'Angers Sco". Ouest France (in French). 1 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Ailemize hoş geldin Sidiki Cherif". Fenerbahce S.K. (in Turkish). 1 February 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  12. ↑ "Fenerbahçe 3-1 N.D. Gençlerbirliği". Fenerbahçe S.K. (in Turkish). 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "Fenerbahçe 0-3 Nottingham Forest". Fenerbahçe S.K. (in Turkish). 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "H. Antalyaspor 2-2 Fenerbahçe". Fenerbahçe S.K. (in Turkish). 1 March 2026. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "Fenerbahçemiz, Ziraat Türkiye Kupası'nda çeyrek finalde". Fenerbahçe S.K. (in Turkish). 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  16. ↑ "L'équipe type des Français du week-end". L'Equipe (in French). 8 March 2026. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  17. ↑ Winter, Jude (19 August 2026). "Coventry sign teenage Fenerbahce forward Cherif". BBC Sport. BBC News . Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Equipe de France : la liste des convoqués pour le stage à Clairefontaine". Foot National (in French). 29 November 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  19. ↑ "France U16 : la première liste de l'année 2022 de Vannuchi dévoilée !". Foot National (in French). 25 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "La liste de Gérald Baticle". FFF (in French). 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Sidiki Cherif at Soccerway
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