Cyril Guedjé
{{short description|Togolese footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Cyril Guedjé
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| fullname = Cyril Guedjé
| height = {{height|m=1.82|precision=0}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|6|19|df=y}}
| currentclub = Achill Rovers
| clubnumber = 6
| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = RSC Anderlecht
| youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = K.V.C Westerlo
| years1 = 2010–2011 | clubs1 = Boluspor | caps1 = 14 | goals1 = 7
| years2 = 2011–2012 | clubs2 = Anges de Notsè | caps2 = 28 | goals2 = 18
| years3 = 2013–2015 | clubs3 = AS Togo-Port | caps3 = 21 | goals3 = 10
| years4 = 2015 | clubs4 = St Patrick's Athletic | caps4 = 1 | goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2015 | clubs5 = → Limerick (loan) | caps5 = 3 | goals5 = 0
| years6 = 2016–2017 | clubs6 = Ballyheane | caps6 = 9 | goals6 = 8
| years7 = 2017– | clubs7= Achill Rovers | caps7 = 12| goals7 = 9
| nationalyears1 = 2011–2012 | nationalteam1 = Togo
| nationalcaps1 = 5 | nationalgoals1 = 2
}}
Cyril Guedjé (born 19 June 1992) is a Togolese football forward who currently plays for Achill Rovers in the Mayo Association Football League, a lower league in the Republic of Ireland. He has played professionally for Boluspor, Anges de Notsè, AS Togo-Port, League of Ireland with St Patrick's Athletic and Limerick. He is a former Togo international.
Club career
=Early career=
Guedjé was born in Tsévié, Togo but he moved to Belgium to play with the youth team of RSC Anderlecht before moving to K.V.C. Westerlo's youth team. His first club in senior football came when he moved to Turkey, playing for Boluspor. He returned to Togo after just one season, signing for Anges de Notsè before moving on to AS Togo-Port, another top division club, in the capital city of Lomé, where he would remain for 2 more seasons.
=Return to Europe=
A return to Europe was next on the cards for Guedjé as he went on trial with St Patrick's Athletic in the Republic of Ireland who are a regular competitor in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. He impressed manager Liam Buckley enough to be offered a professional contract for the 2015 season with the Dublin based club and was officially signed on 5 March 2015, given the squad number 23.{{Cite web|url=http://www.stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=6640#.VUlBbXB4WrU|title=Club News : Saints Sign Togo International|website=www.stpatsfc.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-22}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/irish/2015/0305/684790-st-pats-sign-togo-international-cyril/|title=St Pat's sign Togo international Cyril|date=2015-03-05|work=RTE.ie|access-date=2018-05-22|language=en}} Guedjé's first appearance for Pats came on 13 March against Bray Wanderers at Richmond Park when he came on from the bench in the 86th minute to a brilliant reception from the supporters.{{Cite web|url=http://extratime.ie/fixtures/detail/27215/2/|title=Extratime.ie - Live Updates - 2015 League of Ireland Premier Division - St. Patrick's Athletic -v- Bray Wanderers|website=extratime.ie|language=en|access-date=2018-05-22}} This made him the first ever player from Togo to play in the League of Ireland. His second appearance came in the League Cup in a 4–1 win over Crumlin United where he impressed with his work rate but was substituted after 76 minutes due to injury.{{Cite web|url=http://extratime.ie/fixtures/detail/27727/2/|title=Extratime.ie - Live Updates - 2015 League Cup Second Round - Crumlin United -v- St. Patrick's Athletic|website=extratime.ie|language=en|access-date=2018-05-22}} Although not receiving much game time due to injury and the form of the Saints' first choice attacking trio, Guedjé has become a cult hero for the Pats supporters, with several chants in his name being created which were well received by the Togolese striker. His next appearance came when he played the second half of the Saints 3–2 win over Patrick Vieira's Manchester City XI side at Richmond Park on 29 July 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://stpatsfc.com/news.php?id=6855#.Vbv4fnB4WrU|title=Club News : Saints 3 - Man City Eds 2|website=stpatsfc.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-22}}
On the League of Ireland transfer deadline day, 31 July 2015, with Guedjé struggling to get playing time at Pats', he was sent on loan to last-placed Limerick to get playing time in their relegation fight with Sligo Rovers and Derry City.{{Cite web|url=http://www.limerickfc.ie/arrival-guedje-arrives-on-loan-from-saint-patricks-athletic|title=Arrival: Guedjé Arrives On Loan From Saint Patrick's Athletic {{!}} Limerick FC|website=www.limerickfc.ie|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-22}} Guedjé made three league appearances for Limerick as they avoided automatic relegation. They lost the Promotion/relegation play-off final over two legs to Finn Harps and were relegated.
At the end of the 2015 League of Ireland season, Limerick did not opt to sign Guedjé on a permanent basis and he was not offered a new contract by his parent club St Patrick's Athletic, being released as a free agent.
After being released, Guedjé stayed in Ireland and signed for amateur club Ballyheane of the Mayo Association Football League in summer 2016. He scored a hattrick on his debut vs Iorras Aointaithe on 14 August 2016.{{Cite web|url=http://mayofootball.leaguerepublic.com/l/newsArticle/league_round_up_togo_international_nets_hat_trick_on_debut_for_ballyheane.html|title=Mayo Football League - League|website=mayofootball.leaguerepublic.com|access-date=2018-05-22}}
In March 2017, Guedjé teamed up with former Cameroon international Joseph N'Do at Achill Rovers,
{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/achill-rovers-sign-togo-international-10085834|title=Irish amateur club sign their second international player|last=Doggett|first=Eamon|date=2017-03-23|work=irishmirror|access-date=2018-05-22}} moving to Achill Island to live while studying at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology's Castlebar campus.{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/achill-rovers-sign-togo-international-10085834|title = Irish amateur club sign their second international player|date = 23 March 2017}}
International career
Guedjé has made 5 appearances for the Togo national football team, scoring 2 goals. He was part of the Togo team that won the WAFU Nations Cup in 2011, beating Nigeria in the final.{{Cite news|url=http://www.kickoff.com/news/21749/togo-stun-nigeria-to-win-wafu.php|title=Togo stun Nigeria to win WAFU|last=www.realnet.co.uk|work=Kick Off|access-date=2018-05-22|language=en-gb}} He scored in the semi-final in a 4-2 win over Liberia.
Honours
Togo
External links
- [http://stpatsfc.com/profile.php?id=174/ St Patrick's Athletic Profile]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- {{Soccerway|cyril-guedje/399098}}
- [http://inform.fai.ie/Statsportal/PlayerDetails.aspx?playerID=122857&CompID=14 League of Ireland Profile]
- {{NFT|44522}}
- [http://www.brosoccermanagement.com/players/forwards/cyril-kossi-guedje.html BroSoccerManagement Profile]
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guedje, Cyril}}
Category:Footballers from Lomé
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Togolese men's footballers
Category:Togolese expatriate men's footballers
Category:St Patrick's Athletic F.C. players
Category:Limerick F.C. players
Category:League of Ireland players
Category:Expatriate men's association footballers in the Republic of Ireland