.jpg) Niang playing forSenegal at the2018 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | M'Baye Hamady Niang[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1994-12-19)19 December 1994 (age 31) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Meulan-en-Yvelines, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Gençlerbirliği | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 29 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Basse-Seine Les Mureaux | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Poissy | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Caen | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Caen B | 22 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Caen | 30 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2018 | AC Milan | 67 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | →Montpellier (loan) | 19 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | →Genoa (loan) | 14 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | →Watford (loan) | 16 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | →Torino (loan) | 26 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Torino | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | →Rennes (loan) | 29 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Rennes | 35 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | →Al-Ahli (loan) | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Bordeaux | 22 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Auxerre | 30 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Adana Demirspor | 16 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Empoli | 14 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Wydad | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Sampdoria | 16 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Gençlerbirliği | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | France U16 | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | France U17 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | France U21 | 3 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Senegal | 23 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 November 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
M'Baye Hamady Niang (born 19 December 1994) is a professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forSüper Lig clubGençlerbirliği. Born in France, he representedSenegal at international level.
He made his professional debut at the age of 16, in a league match forCaen. His playing style has also drawn comparisons toMario Balotelli.[3][4]
Internationally, he represented France atunder-16,under-17 andunder-21 levels,[5] before opting to represent his ancestral Senegal internationally in October 2017.
Niang was born inMeulan, acommune in theYvelinesdepartment of theÎle-de-Franceregion, toSenegalese parents.[5]
Niang began his football career at the age of seven playing for local club Basse-Seine Les Mureaux. Niang spent two years at the club before being spotted by amateur clubPoissy.[5] After hearing of the player throughword of mouth, Niang was spotted by professional clubCaen scouts Laurent Glaize and David Lasry.[5] Glaize later stated that before scouting the player, he was informed that Niang was possibly aprésu, a player claiming to be younger than his actual date of birth. The claim was made primarily because of Niang's height, which stood at 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) when he was 13 years old.[3] Despite the claim, the scouts continued to pursue Niang, who was also being linked to other professional clubs in France, such asLille andParis Saint-Germain.[3]
Niang joined Caen's youth academy at the age of 13 after excelling at a trial, in which he scored ahat-trick.[3] He quickly ascended up the club's youth hierarchy and, by the age of 15, was already featuring with the club's under-19 team.[5] Niang was described by the team's coach Philippe Tranchant as a player with "huge potential" while also stating "we've never seen a player like him at the club before".[3] After spending the second part of the 2009–10 season with the under-19 team, Niang was promoted to the club's reserve team in theChampionnat de France amateur, the fourth level ofFrench football, ahead of the2010–11 season. He made his reserve team debut on 14 August 2010 in a 0–0 draw withAvranches.[6] In the team's ensuing match againstMoulins, Niang scored the only goal for the team in a 1–1 draw.[7] On 12 September, he scored both team goals in a 2–2 draw with the reserve team of professional clubLorient.[8] After becoming the team's top scorer after its first six matches, Niang began earning praise from the local media who began predicting when the player would be called up to the senior team.[5] He was also linked to several clubs abroad such as Italian clubJuventus and English clubsManchester City andTottenham Hotspur - who reportedly offered Caen €8 million for the player.[9][10]
On 18 February 2011, Niang signed his first professionalcontract agreeing to a three-year deal with Caen.[11] He was called up the senior team for the first time on 23 April 2011 for the team's league match againstToulouse that was played on the following day.[12] Niang was assigned thesquad number 9 shirt and made his professional debut in the match appearing as a second-half substitute as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.[4] At 16 years and 114 days, Niang's appearance in the match made him the youngest player ever to appear for Caen in the club's history.[13] A week later, he made his first professional start in a 4–0 away win overNice.[14] On 7 May, Niang scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw withLens.[15] The goal made him the second youngest player to score a goal inLigue 1 behindLaurent Roussey.[16] In the team's next match againstRennes, Niang appeared as a substitute and scored the equalizing goal four minutes after coming on.[17] In the team's final league match of the season againstMarseille, he converted the team's second goal, which put Caen 2–0 up. Marseille later scored two unanswered goals to draw the match 2–2.[18] Niang finished the campaign with seven appearances, of which four were starts, and three league goals.
Prior to the start of the2011–12 season, Niang's professional contract became subject to debate after French newspaperLe Parisien revealed that his father did not agree to the signing of the contract.[19] Due to Niang being a minor, it is required byFrench law that both parents of the player agree to the contract.[20] Despite reportedly being present during the signing of the contract, Niang's father, through his lawyer, threatened to begin "a procedure for revocation of the contract".[21] Despite the contract issues, Niang remained a Caen player and made his season debut on 13 August 2011 in a 2–1 win overSochaux.[22] On 24 September, he scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–2 away win overEvian.[23] Niang's only other goal during the season came in the 1–1 draw away toNancy.[24]
Before the start of the 2012–13 season, it was reported that Niang had gone on trial with English clubsArsenal,Everton andTottenham.[25] On 27 August 2012, it was confirmed that Niang was in negotiations with Italian clubMilan after arriving in the city and having dinner with club vice-presidentAdriano Galliani.[26][27] On the following day, the move was confirmed on Milan's official website.[28] Niang signed a three-year contract, while thetransfer fee was undisclosed.[29]
On 13 December 2012, in theCoppa Italia 5th Round game againstReggina, Niang came on as asubstitute and scored with the match ending in a 3–0 win. The goal in the 70th minute put Niang into the history books as the second-youngest goal scorer in Milan history at 17 years and 350 days. On his 18th birthday, Niang signed a contract extension with Milan, keeping him at the club until 2017.[30]
In January 2014, Niang joinedMontpellier on loan.[31] He made 19 appearances, scoring 4 goals.
In January 2015, Niang was loaned to fellow Italian clubGenoa in the transfer window for the remainder of theseason. He went on to score 5 goals in his 14 appearances with Genoa before being sent back to Milan following the injury he sustained.
Niang suffered a fracturedmetatarsal when Milan facedBayern Munich in the pre-season Audi Cup tournament, causing him to miss the start of2015–16 season. He returned to the field in a 0–0 draw againstAtalanta. He then scored his first brace in Serie A for Milan as the team cruised pastSampdoria with a 4–1 win on 28 November 2015 at theSan Siro.[32]
In January 2016, it was reported that Milan had rejected a €16 million bid from English clubLeicester City for Niang. On 31 January, he scored the final goal in theDerby della Madonnina againstInternazionale, helping Milan triumph 3–0, then scoring again in a 2–0 defeat ofPalermo three days later and at home againstUdinese, reaching his personal goal scoring record in a single season. However, he was involved in a car accident in March 2016, which kept him out of the season for almost 2 months. He returned for Milan as a substitute during the final few minutes againstJuventus in theCoppa Italia final on 21 May 2016, which was won by Juventus by a scoreline 1–0.
Niang started the first game of the season for Milan in the 2016–2017 campaign inSerie A againstTorino F.C., which Milan won 3–2. He started the subsequent game againstNapoli on 27 August 2016, which Milan lost 4–2 away from home. Niang managed to get on the scoresheet, but was sent off in the 87th minute for trying to grabPepe Reina while he was trying to offload the ball.
After suffering a drop in his performance, in January 2017, Niang was sent on loan toEnglish Premier League teamWatford. He made his league debut on 31 January 2017 as a starter in a 1–2 away win againstArsenal.[33] On 4 February 2017, Niang scored his first goal forWatford in a 2–1 home win againstBurnley. Niang also assistedTroy Deeney's goal in that match.[34]
On 31 August 2017, Niang signed forTorino on a season-long loan deal with obligation to buy.[35]
On 31 August 2018, Niang joinedRennes in Ligue 1 on a season-long loan from Torino.[36]
Niang scored his first goal for his new club in a 1–1 draw withToulouse on 30 September.[37] He opened the scoring for Rennes againstOlympique Lyonnais in the semi-finals ofCoupe de France on 2 April 2019 as they were eventual 3–2 winners after a back and forth game to secure their first appearance in the final since 2014.[38] Niang converted his penalty kick as Rennes upset league championsPSG in thefinal of the competition on 27 April, as the club won the cup for the first time since 1971.[39] On 24 May 2019, the final day of the2018–19 Ligue 1 campaign, Niang scored twice to bring his league tally to 11 goals on the season, as Rennes defeatedLille 3–1.[40] Five days later, Rennes signed Niang on a permanent deal for a reported fee of €15 million.[41]
Niang scored his team's equalizer as Rennes again stunned PSG with a 2–1 win in the second matchday of the2019–20 Ligue 1 season.[42]
He scored both of his side's goals, after assists from Brazilian wingerRaphinha, in a 2–1 defeat ofAngers on 7 December.[43]
On 7 February 2021, Niang joinedAl-Ahli Saudi FC on a six-month loan deal with an option to buy.[44]
On 16 August 2022, Niang signed withAuxerre for one season, with an option to extend.[45]
On 9 August 2023, Niang joined Turkish sideAdana Demirspor on a 2-year deal, with an optional third year.[46]
On 31 January 2024, Niang signed withSerie A clubEmpoli until the end of the season, with a conditional option to extend.[47] In half-a-season, he made 14 league appearances and scored 6 goals, including the one againstRoma at the 93rd minute of the final matchday of the competition, which helped the team seal 2–1 victory, earn 3 more points, and finish in the 17th place, avoiding relegation at the very last moment.[48]
On 8 September 2024, Niang joinedBotola clubWydad.[49] However, he left the club in December of that year after making eight appearances and scoring a total of two goals.[50]
On 15 January 2025, Niang signed withSerie B sideSampdoria a six-month contract.[51]
On 30 August 2025, Niang signed a 2-year contract withSüper Lig sideGençlerbirliği.[52] Later that year, on 4 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw withAlanyaspor.[53]
Niang is aFrance youth international, having represented his nation atunder-16,under-17,under-21 level.[5] In December 2009, he earned his first international call-up at under-16 level under coach Patrick Gonfalone for friendly matches againstBelgium. Niang made his youth international debut in the first match against Belgium in a 4–1 win.[54][55] In the second match against Belgium held two days later, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win.[56] Niang returned to the under-16 team in January 2010 to participate in the 2010 edition of the Aegean Cup inTurkey.[57] In the competition, he appeared in all four matches France contested. He scored two goals; both in group stage victories over theCzech Republic andRomania.[58][59] France won the competition after defeating the hosts 3–1 in the final to become the competition's two-time defending champions.[60] Afterwards, Niang failed to earn a call-up under Gonfalone at under-16 level, which resulted in the player missing theMontaigu Tournament.
Atunder-17 level, Niang was among Gonfalone's first call-ups and made his debut at a European tournament inSerbia in the team's opening group stage match againstthe hosts.[61] Infirst round qualification for the2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, he appeared in all three group stage matches as France finished the round in the second place behindItaly. Despite appearing in the team's first eight matches, Gonfalone did not call Niang up again for the under-17 team. He, subsequently, missed both the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Due to being born in France toSenegalese parents, Niang is eligible to represent theSenegal national team at international level. In May 2011,Senegalese media reported that Niang was named to the Senegal under-23 team to participate in2011 CAF U-23 Championship qualification matches in June 2011.[62] After this report was deemed inaccurate, in July 2011, it was reported that Niang had announced his desire to represent Senegal at senior international level.[63] Later that month, he was named to theSenegal squad to faceMorocco in August.[64] On 4 August, Niang distanced himself from the reports and re-affirmed his desire to represent France at international level.[65][66] He later stated, "First, I never said that I had chosen Senegal or France. The only words I have spoken is that, for now, I prefer the French youth teams."[67]
On the same day after reaffirming his decision to represent France, Niang bypassed three international levels and was called up to theFrance under-21 team by coachErick Mombaerts to participate in a three-day training camp at theClairefontaine academy.[68] In September 2011, he was called up for the second consecutive time by Mombaerts for a2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification match againstLatvia on 2 September and a friendly againstPortugal on 5 September.[69] He made his under-21 debut in the qualifier against Latvia appearing as a substitute in the 72nd minute. After 15 minutes on the field, Niang scored his first goal for the team. France won the match 3–0.[70] In November 2012, Niang was banned from representing theFrance national team until 31 December 2013 for visiting anightclub while breaking a night timecurfew.[71][72]
On 7 October 2017, Niang made his debut withSenegal againstCape Verde, in2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match won 2–0.[73] In May 2018 he was named in Senegal's 23 mansquad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[74] On 19 June 2018, he scored a goal againstPoland.[75]
At the beginning of the 2012–13 season, Niang was stopped by the police inMilan for driving without adriver's license.[76] It was reported that Niang told theCarabinieri police that he was teammateBakaye Traoré, an act which he subsequently denied.[77]
In February 2014, while playing for Montpellier on loan, Niang crashed his Ferrari into a tree and was sentenced to a suspended 18-month jail sentenced for an alleged hit-and-run accident which left 11 others injured. The player was also charged with endangering people's lives and driving without a licence.[78]
In March 2016, Niang had been involved in a car crash over the weekend, though it was made clear he was not under the influence of alcohol. Milan confirmed that Niang has suffered an injury to the capsular ligament in his left ankle, as well as bruising to his left shoulder following a car accident.[79]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Caen B | 2010–11 | CFA | 16 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 5 | ||||
| 2011–12 | CFA | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 5 | ||||||
| Caen | 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | |||
| Total | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 5 | ||||
| AC Milan | 2012–13 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 8 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 16 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 21 | 8 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2[d] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 8 | 7 | 4 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 12 | |||
| Montpellier (loan) | 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 19 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 22 | 5 | |||
| Genoa (loan) | 2014–15 | Serie A | 14 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 5 | ||||
| Watford (loan) | 2016–17 | Premier League | 16 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Torino (loan) | 2017–18 | Serie A | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 29 | 4 | |||
| Rennes (loan) | 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9[d] | 1 | — | 44 | 14 | |
| Rennes | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5[d] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 15 |
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 30 | ||
| Al-Ahli (loan) | 2020–21 | Saudi Pro League | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Bordeaux | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | 23 | 7 | |||
| Auxerre | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 32 | 7 | |||
| Adana Demirspor | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[e] | 0 | — | 20 | 8 | ||
| Empoli | 2023–24 | Serie A | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | ||||
| Wydad | 2024–25 | Botola | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | ||||
| Sampdoria | 2024–25 | Serie B | 16 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 3 | ||||
| Gençlerbirliği | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 375 | 84 | 25 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 428 | 102 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 2 | |
| Total | 23 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 June 2018 | Otkritie Arena,Moscow, Russia |  Poland | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | 13 October 2018 | Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor,Dakar, Senegal |  Sudan | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 23 March 2019 | Stade Lat-Dior,Thiès, Senegal |  Madagascar | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 2–0 |
Milan
Rennes
Senegal
Senegal squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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