Mohamed Sanousy Simakan (born 3 May 2000) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.
Early life Born in Marseille to Guinean parents, Simakan acquired French nationality on 7 November 2005, through the collective effect of his mother's naturalization.
Club career
Strasbourg On 16 May 2018, Simakan signed his first professional contract with Strasbourg. He made his professional debut in a 3–1 UEFA Europa League win over Maccabi Haifa on 25 July 2019.
RB Leipzig On 22 March 2021, Simakan agreed to join German club RB Leipzig on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee, to be effective in the summer of 2021. He made his debut for the club in the First round of the DFB Pokal against SV Sandhausen, which ended in a 4–0 win. He made his Champions League debut on 21 September 2021, in a 2–1 defeat to Club Brugge. Simakan immediately became an important player for the club, taking part in 28 Bundesliga matches, He missed two matches during the season due to the COVID-19 virus. He was also instrumental in the DFB Pokal, where he took part in all the matches on route to Leipzig winning the title.
In his second season with the club, Simaken continued to be an important part of the team, as he played 24 matches in the league, scoring once. On 6 September 2022, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 4–1 defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk. Simaken participated in 5 matches in the DFB Pokal, where RB Leipzig won the competition for the second straight season, however he was an unused substitute in the final.
On 19 September 2023, he scored the first ever goal of the 2023–24 Champions League season in the 3rd minute of a 3–1 away win over Young Boys.
Al-Nassr
On 2 September 2024, Simakan joined Saudi Pro League runners-up Al-Nassr for €45 million. In the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League, his second season with the club, he was a key part of the Al Nassr team that won the title. A regular member in a defence which kept 16 clean sheets in 34 games, he also scored 3 goals, including a 95th minute winner against Neom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wsFdPFrMZw
International career Thanks to his great performance with Strasbourg in Ligue 1, Simakan was called up by Bernard Diomède to play for France U20 national team. He played his first game as a starter against Slovenia in which he scored a header contributing to his team's 2–2 draw.
Style of play According to Sofascore.com's football algorithm, Simakan's strengths include ground duels and aerial duels.https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/mohamed-simakan/945063 He is a ball-carrying, aggressive, versatile defender adept at playing either right-back or center-back.https://breakingthelines.com/@btl/mohamed-simakan-leipzigs-french-colossus-in-defense-2
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsStrasbourg B2017–18Championnat National 3181———1812018–1960———60Total241———241Strasbourg 2019–20Ligue 11901050002502020–2119100——191Total381105000441RB Leipzig 2021–22Bundesliga2816070—4112022–232415171103732023–243222071104232024–251010——20Total854141212201227Al-Nassr2024–25Saudi Pro League26120110—3912025–262832161203852026–275011100071Total5945218120847Career total205102034434027316
Honours RB Leipzig DFB-Pokal: 2021–22, 2022–23 DFL-Supercup: 2023
Al-Nassr Saudi Pro League: 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two runner-up: 2025–26
References
External links
Profile at the RB Leipzig website
Racing Stub profile