Timothée Pembélé

Timothée Pembélé (born 9 September 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.

Timothée Pembélé
Pembélé with Paris Saint-Germain in 2020
Personal information
Full name Timothée Pembélé
Date of birth (2002-09-09) 9 September 2002
Place of birth Beaumont-sur-Oise, France
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Paris Saint-Germain
Number 32
Youth career
2008–2015 US Persan 03
2015–2020 Paris Saint-Germain
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Paris Saint-Germain 5 (1)
National team‡
2017–2018 France U16 11 (0)
2018–2019 France U17 9 (0)
2019–2020 France U18 9 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 February 2020

Club career

Pembélé joined the Paris Saint-Germain Youth Academy in 2015, having spent the previous seven years of his early career at US Persan 03. On 4 July 2018, at the age of 15, he signed his first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain, tying him to the club until 30 June 2021.[1]

On 28 November 2020, Pembélé made his professional debut in a 2–2 Ligue 1 draw against Bordeaux, starting as a right center-back in a pairing with Presnel Kimpembe.[2][3] Despite scoring an own goal at the tenth minute of the match, Pembélé's performance was regarded by most observers as a very promising one. He made good use of his speed and vision in defense, recovering the ball on several occasions,[4] and helped his team move forward in attack with several successful vertical passes.[5] At one point in the match, he dribbled a distance of 40 meters with the ball, leading to a corner for PSG.[6]

On 4 December 2020, Pembélé extended his contract with PSG to 2024.[7] He made his UEFA Champions League debut five days later, coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Florenzi in a 5–1 win against İstanbul Başakşehir.[8] Pembélé’s first goal for Paris Saint-Germain came in a 4–0 victory over Strasbourg on 23 December 2020.[9]

International career

Pembélé has represented France at U16, U17, and U18 level. He made a total of 6 appearances at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, a tournament in which France finished third.

Style of play

Having played different positions such as right-back, left-back, and center-back,[10] Pembélé has been described as being a versatile defender.[11] In an interview with ArchySport, he stated that he prefers to play on the right side of defence. "I really like to attack, to defend well too. This side in general is where I feel best," said Pembélé.[12]

According to Culture PSG, Pembélé is a quick player equipped with good technique, and he constantly brings an offensive threat on his side of the pitch. He boasts above-average skills in reading the game, which has helped him when repositioning on the field during matches.[13] Pembélé is a right-footed player.

Personal life

Pembélé was born in Beaumont-sur-Oise in France. He is of Congolese descent.[14]

Career statistics
As of match played 6 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Paris Saint-Germain 2020–21 Ligue 1 5100100061
Career total 5100100061

    Honours

    Club
    Paris Saint-Germain

    International
    France U17

    References
    1. "Timothée Pembele signe son premier contrat professionnel" [Timothée Pembele signs his first professional contract]. Paris Saint-Germain (in French). 4 July 2018.
    2. "Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bordeaux". ESPN. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
    3. Federici, Thomas; Rego, Raul (28 November 2020). "Résultat et résumé Paris-SG - Bordeaux, Ligue 1 Uber Eats, 12e journée" [Result and highlights Paris-SG - Bordeaux, Ligue 1 Uber Eats, week 12]. L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
    4. Quarez, Benjamin (28 November 2020). "PSG-Bordeaux (2-2) : Timothée Pembélé, un Titi à revoir" [PSG-Bordeaux (2-2): Timothée Pembélé, a Titi to see again]. Goal (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
    5. Opoczynski, David (28 November 2020). "PSG-Bordeaux (2-2) : quelle première pour le titi Pembélé" [PSG-Bordeaux (2-2): What a first for the titi Pembélé]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
    6. Coldefy, Quentin (29 November 2020). "Timothée Pembélé, une première en deux temps avec le PSG" [Timothée Pembélé, a first in two times with PSG]. France Football (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
    7. "Timothée Pembélé prolonge jusqu'en 2024" [Timothée Pembélé extends until 2024]. Paris Saint-Germain (in French). 4 December 2020.
    8. "Paris Saint-Germain vs. Istanbul Basaksehir". ESPN. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
    9. "Pembele happy after scoring his first goal for PSG". Big News Network. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
    10. Rault, Mathieu (13 June 2020). "PSG : Timothée Pembele va intégrer le groupe pro" [PSG: Timothée Pembele will integrate the pro group]. Foot Mercato (in French).
    11. "The Top 5 Talents Still in PSG's Academy". PSG Talk. 29 June 2020.
    12. "Gambardella Cup: PSG "wants to win it", says defender Pembélé". ArchySport. 1 February 2020.
    13. "A la découverte de Timothée Pembele" [To the discovery of Timothée Pembele]. Culture PSG (in French). 11 July 2020.
    14. "Timothée Pembele". playmakerstats.com.
    15. "Neymar and Icardi fire Pochettino to first title". www.ligue1.com. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
    16. "France earn bronze with win over Netherlands". FIFA. 17 November 2019.
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