FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (December 3, 2024) – The New England Revolution signed central defender Mamadou Fofana via transfer from French side Amiens SC. The Mali international, who has played more than 250 matches for club and country, joins the Revolution on a three-year TAM contract through the 2027 Major League Soccer season, with a club option for 2028, pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
Fofana, 26, brings nearly a decade of professional experience in France and Türkiye to New England’s backline, including the last four seasons with French Ligue 2 outfit Amiens SC. Also known as “Nojo”, the center back amassed 120 appearances and over 10,000 minutes played in all competitions for Amiens. Fofana’s first stop in France was with FC Metz, playing in 80 games for the club including 37 appearances in Ligue 1. In his first season with Metz in 2018-19, Fofana played 32 games en route to a first-place finish in Ligue 2 and promotion into the top tier, where he and Les Grenats remained for the next three seasons.
“We are pleased to begin our active offseason by solidifying our central defense with the addition of Mamadou Fofana, a talented center back who has been seasoned in some of Europe’s top leagues in France and Türkiye, as well as at the international level with Mali,” said Revolution Sporting Director Curt Onalfo. “Mamadou’s physicality, distribution, and soccer intelligence will benefit us in a position of need as we work to improve our defensive performance.”
An accomplished international, Fofana has earned 44 caps with the Mali Men’s National Team since his debut in FIFA World Cup Qualifying action in 2017. To date, he has registered nine appearances in World Cup qualifying, with five additional games played in the Africa Cup of Nations. The 6-foot-2 center back, who won the Under-17 Africa Cup as a youth international, also owns 19 appearances in the AFCON qualifying rounds.
“Mamadou is an excellent fit for the profile we were looking for at central defender, bringing size and athleticism, composure on ball, and a strong mentality to not concede goals. Our performance and results need to improve defensively, and Fofana’s talent and experience will help bolster our backline for the 2025 season,” Head coach Caleb Porter said. “I’m excited to have him join us at the start of preseason so we have time to integrate him into the team.”
Before moving to France, Fofana transferred to Turkish club Alanyaspor Kulübü in 2016 from his youth academy, Stade Malien, in his native Bamako, Mali. The then-teenager recorded 25 appearances with the team in the Süper Lig and two more in Turkish Cup action between 2016 and 2018.
The 2024 MLS season culminates with the MLS Cup presented by Audi on Saturday, Dec. 7. The off-season schedule of roster-building events, available to view in detail here, then kicks off with a half-day trade window (Dec. 9), MLS Expansion Draft (Dec. 11), free agency (Dec. 12), the Re-Entry and Waiver processes, and the MLS SuperDraft (Dec. 20). The New England Revolution will then convene for 2025 preseason training in the second week of January.
TRANSACTION: New England Revolution acquired central defender Mamadou Fofana via transfer from Amiens SC and signed him a TAM contract through 2027, with a club option for 2028, pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC), on Dec. 3, 2024.
MAMADOU FOFANA
Pronunciation: ma-ma-DOO fo-FAWN-uh
Position: Defender
Height: 6-2
Weight: 165 lbs.
Footed: Both
Age: 26
Date/Place of Birth: 01/21/1998 (Bamako, Mali)
Hometown: Bamako, Mali
Nationality: Mali
Previous Clubs: Amiens SC (2021-2024), FC Metz (2018-2021), Alanyaspor (2017-2018), Bandırmaspor (2017), Stade Malien (2016)
