1. He’s a Parisian
Soungoutou Magassa was born to Malian parents in the suburb of Stains in northern Paris on 8 October 2003. He was raised in Sucy-en-Brie in the south east of the French capital, where he grew up playing for four local clubs, starting at Sucy FC and RC Joinville between the ages of five and nine, then Lusitanos Saint-Maur for four seasons and FC Gobelins for one.
2. He joined Monaco at 14
Soungoutou Magassa was scouted by Monaco and joined the club’s famous Academy at the age of 14 in 2018. He signed his first professional contract at 17 in 2021 and played regularly in Monaco’s B team in the French fourth tier, the Championnat National 2, in 2021/22. He made 21 appearances, captaining the team and scoring on his final appearance in a 3-0 win at Marignane Gignac FC on 21 May 2022.
3. He made his senior debut at 18
By then, Soungoutou Magassa had made his first-team debut at 18, appearing as a late substitute in a 3-1 French Cup sixth-round win at Quevilly Rouen on 2 January 2022. His Ligue 1 debut followed when he started a 1-1 draw against Stade Rennais at Monaco’s Stade Louis II. He made a second Ligue 1 appearance of the season in a 2-2 draw at FC Nantes in April 2023.
4. He started out as a centre-back
Soungoutou Magassa established himself in Monaco’s first-team squad in 2023/24, playing predominantly as a left centre-back. He started Monaco’s first eight Ligue 1 matches, winning five and losing just one, and tasted defeat only three times in 21 appearances as the club finished second in the table behind only champions Paris Saint-Germain.
5. He’s a France age-group international
Soungoutou Magassa appeared three times for France at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in Argentina, as a substitute against South Korea and starting against The Gambia and Honduras. He made his France U21 debut in a UEFA European Championship qualifying win in Bosnia in October 2023, and played four times at the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championship finals in Slovakia, helping France beat Poland and Denmark on their way to the semi-finals.
6. He’s an Olympic silver medallist
In the midst of his international age-group career, Soungoutou Magassa was included in Thierry Henry’s France squad for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where the host nation finished as runners-up to Spain. He appeared alongside Alexandre Lacazette, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise and helped France defeat the United States, New Zealand, Argentina and Egypt before losing on penalties to Spain in the final.
7. He’s been honoured by Emmanuel Macron
Soungoutou Magassa was awarded the French Ordre national du Mérite - Knight of the National Order of Merit - by President Emmanuel Macron in 2024 after helping France U23s reach the final of the Summer Olympic Football Tournament.
8. He’s played in the UEFA Champions League
In 2024/25, Soungoutou Magassa moved to a defensive midfield role and appeared 31 times in all competitions, including seven UEFA Champions League ties against Arsenal, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, Benfica, Bologna and Red Star Belgrade. He also featured in the Trophée des Champions defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
