Lamine Camara


Mamadou Lamine Camara is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Monaco FC|Monaco] and the Senegal national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Diouloulou, Camara played for Galaxy FA in Dakar, followed by Casa Sports, before joining Génération Foot in November 2019.

Metz

In February 2023, Camara signed for French side Metz on a three-and-a-half-year deal. On 15 April, he made his debut, coming off the bench in the 89th minute, in a 3–0 victory over Bordeaux in Ligue 2. In his second match for the club, a 3–1 win at Saint-Étienne, Camara assisted a goal for Koffi Kouao before being sent off in the 79th minute for tripping Mathieu Cafaro. After serving a suspension, Camara made two more appearances as a substitute as Metz gained promotion to Ligue 1 with a third-placed finish.
Camara became a regular in the Metz team upon their return to Ligue 1 and, on 22 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away defeat against Monaco. The goal was scored from his own half, as he hit a first-time strike from a distance of over Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn after dispossessing Youssouf Fofana.
After finishing in 16th place in Ligue 1, Metz faced Saint-Étienne in a two-legged play-off. Camara assisted Ismaël Traoré's goal in the away leg and scored the opening goal in the home leg but this was not enough to stop Metz from losing 4–3 on aggregate and being relegated back to Ligue 2.

Monaco

On 30 July 2024, Camara joined Ligue 1 club Monaco for a transfer fee of €15 million, signing a five-year contract.
On 17 August, Camara made his debut for Monaco in a 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne at the Stade Louis II in the team's opening fixture of the 2024–25 season. In the following match, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Lyon and was later sent off after being shown two yellow cards.
He made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2–1 win over Barcelona during the league phase on 19 September.

International career

Camara represented the Senegalese national team at the 2022 African Nations Championship, where he was named best young player of the group stage. He went on to score the only goal of the quarter-final against Mauritania from a penalty kick. In the 2022 African Nations Championship final, he played the full 120 minutes against host nation Algeria and was one of five Senegalese players to score in the penalty shootout as Senegal won their first African Nations Championship.
Camara was then called up to the Senegalese under-20 side for the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations. He was named Player of the Tournament as Senegal were crowned champions with a perfect record, winning all six matches without conceding a goal.

Senior

In September 2023, Camara was called up to the senior Senegal team for the first time by coach Aliou Cissé. He made his debut in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Sudan, scoring the third goal of a 4–0 win in Dakar.
In December 2023, he was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast. In the team's opening match against The Gambia, he scored two goals as Senegal won 3–0. He went on to play the full match against Cameroon and the first 87 minutes of the round of 16 match, where Senegal were defeated 5–4 in a penalty shootout by host nation and eventual winners Ivory Coast.

Style of play

Camara's style of play draws comparisons to the greats such as N'Golo Kanté and Sergio Busquets. He's a versatile box-to-box player with a powerful presence in midfield, excelling in ball recovery while showcasing precise passing and offensive flair. His free-kick-taking ability is akin to James Ward-Prowse.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu, South Africa1–01–12022 COSAFA Cup
2Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa1–13–42022 COSAFA Cup
319 May 1956 Stadium, Annaba, Algeria1–01–02022 African Nations Championship
4Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, Diamniadio, Senegal3–04–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
5Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast2–03–02023 Africa Cup of Nations
6Charles Konan Banny Stadium, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast3–03–02023 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

Senegal U20
Senegal
Individual