 Tolisso withLyon in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Corentin Tolisso[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1994-08-03)3 August 1994 (age 31)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Tarare, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Lyon | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Stade Amplepuisien | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | FC Pays de l'Arbresle | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2013 | Lyon | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Lyon II | 30 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Lyon | 116 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Bayern Munich | 72 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Lyon | 105 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | France U19 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | France U20 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | France U21 | 19 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | France | 28 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:13, 25 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:12, 23 June 2021 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Corentin Tolisso (French pronunciation:[kɔʁɑ̃tɛ̃tɔliso]; born 3 August 1994) is a French professionalfootballer who plays as acentral midfielder for andcaptainsLigue 1 clubLyon.
A graduate of the Lyon academy, Tolisso made his professional debut for the club in 2013, playing 160 matches and scoring 29 goals. He joinedBayern Munich for €41.5 million in the summer of 2017, a record for a transfer to a German club, before returning to Lyon in 2022.
Tolisso representedFrance at various youth levels before making his senior debut in 2017. He was part of their squad that won the2018 FIFA World Cup, also featuring atUEFA Euro 2020.
Tolisso started out with local clubs near his birthplace ofTarare and hometown ofAmplepuis.[4] Before becoming a tough-tackling, probing midfielder, he used to play as a forward.[4] Tolisso even scored ahat-trick in a 4–4 draw against his future clubOlympique Lyonnais at the age of 11.[4] He then signed up forLyon's academy in 2007 at the age of 13.[4][5]
.jpg)
On 10 August 2013,managerRémi Garde handed Tolisso his debut for the club, bringing him on as 92nd minutesubstitute in a 4–0Ligue 1 home win overNice, but he didn't even touch the ball once as the referee blew the whistle few seconds later.[6][4] He made his European club competition debut on 24 October 2013, featuring in a 1–0 win overHNK Rijeka in the group stage of the2013–14 UEFA Europa League.[7] A week later, Tolisso signed his first professional contract with the club, penning a deal until 2017.[8] On 9 March 2014, he scored his first senior career goal with an injury time (in the 94th minute) winner to give Lyon a 2–1 Ligue 1 away win overBordeaux.[9] Tolisso was used as a utility player for the majority of the season, operating at right back in place ofMouhamadou Dabo and later in central midfield following injuries toYoann Gourcuff andGueïda Fofana.[10]
The continued absence of Fofana and subsequent injury toClément Grenier afforded Tolisso the opportunity to enjoy more first team action with Lyon in the following season. During the2014–15 season he featured in every Ligue 1 match for the side, netting seven goals.[11] At the end of the season Tolisso and teammatesNabil Fekir andAnthony Lopes were rewarded with improved contracts, penning new deals with the club until 2020.[12] He continued his fine form into the2015–16 Ligue 1 season where he netted five goals and set up six assists as Lyon ended the Ligue 1 season as runners-up toParis Saint-Germain.[13]
.jpg)
Tolisso's form in the previous season earned him numerous suitors from around Europe and in July 2016 he was subject to a €37.5 million bid fromSerie A sideNapoli. He turned down the move and reaffirmed his commitment to Lyon, however, citing his affection for the club and belief in their progress as his reasons for staying at the club.[14]
He made his first appearance of the season in the2016 Trophée des Champions on 6 August 2016 where Lyon were beaten 4–1 by reigning Ligue 1 championsParis Saint-Germain. Tolisso himself found the back of the net in the 87th minute but the goal proved to be no more than a consolation.[15] Tolisso scored his first Ligue 1 goal of the season on 27 August, opening the scoring in a 4–2 away loss toDijon, and his first ever goal (in the 13th minute) in a UEFA club competition on 14 September in a 3–0UEFA Champions League group stage home win overDinamo Zagreb.[16][17]
On 2 October 2016, with regular captainMaxime Gonalons and vice-captainAlexandre Lacazette injured, Tolisso was handed the armband in their stead and captained Lyon in the first everRhône derby againstSaint-Étienne at Lyon's new stadium,Parc Olympique Lyonnais.[18] In the return fixture on 5 February, Tolisso received the first red card of his career after being sent off for a foul onFabien Lemoine in stoppage-time. Just moments before Tolisso's expulsion, Lyon teammateRachid Ghezzal had been sent off as well for a challenge on the same player. The ill-discipline shown in Lyon's loss to Saint-Étienne prompted club presidentJean-Michel Aulas to announce that both players would be severely punished for their actions.[19] Tolisso remained a constant fixture in the side, however, and ended the 2016–17 season with a return of 14 goals and seven assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for Lyon.[20] He was also named in theUEFA Europa League squad of the season.[21]
On 14 June 2017,Bundesliga sideBayern Munich secured the signing of Tolisso on a five-year deal from Lyon for an initial transfer fee of €41.5 million, plus up to €6 million in potential bonuses.[22][23][24] The fee was the largest ever received by Lyon from the sale of a player, though this record was again broken on 5 July 2017 by the transfer ofAlexandre Lacazette toArsenal for a fee of €53 million.[24][25] It was also aBundesliga and Bayern record for a signing, surpassing the previous record of €40 million that the club spent in buyingJavi Martínez fromAthletic Bilbao in August 2012.[26][27]
He made his debut for the club on 5 August, starting in apenalty shoot-out victory overBorussia Dortmund which saw Bayern crownedSupercup champions.[28] He then scored on his Bundesliga debut on 18 August, netting Bayern's second goal in a 3–1 win overBayer Leverkusen.[29] On 5 December 2017, with qualification to theChampions League knockout stages already secured, Tolisso netted a brace in Bayern's final group match to earn the club a 3–1 win overPSG; though the result was not enough to see Bayern claim top spot.[30] On 3 April 2018, he scored a thumping long-range goal to double the lead in a 4–0 away victory overSC Freiburg.[31]
On 7 April, Tolisso equalised as Bayern came from behind to defeatFC Augsburg 4–1 and win the league title with five games remaining.[32]
Tolisso started the 2018–19 season as aWorld Cup champion after winning the title with France.[33] On Matchday 3 in the Bundesliga, Tolisso ruptured a cruciate ligament in his right knee in a 3–1 victory against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, September 15.[34][35] Following the injury, France national team coachDidier Deschamps was convinced that Tolisso will "come back as strong, if not even stronger". He also believes that the 2019 season will be "much better for you".[36] During Bayern's winter trip training in January 2019 inDoha,Qatar, Tolisso was reported to be able to jog on an anti-gravity treadmill without any problems.[37] He was set to return to the pitch in March 2019, which, according to Bayern Munich coachNiko Kovač, was "earlier than expected".[38]
He made a total of 28 appearances and scored four goals in the2019–20 treble winning season. He came on as a second half substitute in theUCL final in a 1–0 win overParis Saint-Germain.[39] On 21 October 2020, Tolisso scored a stunning goal in a 4–0 win againstAtlético Madrid in the first match of the2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stages.[40] On 30 May 2022, Bayern announced that Tolisso was to leave the club after the end of the season.[41]
On 1 July 2022,Lyon confirmed Tolisso's return to the club on a five-year deal until 2027.[42] He was named as club's captain ahead of the 2025–26 season following the departure ofAlexandre Lacazette.[43] On 27 November 2025, he scored his first senior career hat-trick in a 6–0 away win overMaccabi Tel Aviv in theEuropa League.[44]
Though born in France, and having represented the nation at various youth levels, including theU21 side with whom he was the captain, Tolisso was also eligible to representTogo through his paternal lineage.[18][45][46] In 2016, Togo managerClaude Le Roy revealed that he would try to convince Tolisso to represent the nation instead of France. Tolisso had previously acknowledged his ties to Togo but was loyal to France, stating that "I was born here and grew up here."[45]
Having previously represented France at various youth levels, Tolisso was called up to thesenior squad for the first time to faceLuxembourg andSpain in March 2017.[47] He made his debut on 28 March 2017 against the latter, starting the game and being replaced byThomas Lemar in the 80th minute of a 2–0 friendly home loss.[48]
On 17 May 2018, he was called up to the 23-man French squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[49] He played for the first 78 minutes and was later subbed off in a 2–1 victory overAustralia in their first group stage match on 16 June.[50] Tolisso did not play the last two group stage matches againstPeru[51] andDenmark.[52] On 30 June, he replacedBlaise Matuidi in the 75th minute in a 4–3 victory overArgentina in the round of 16 match.[53] On 6 July, Tolisso started the quarter-final match againstUruguay and provided an assist toAntoine Griezmann's goal which saw France advance following a 2–0 victory.[54] He was subbed on to replace Matuidi in the 86th minute in a 1–0 semi-final victory overBelgium on 10 July.[55] On 15 July, Tolisso appeared in the 73rd minute, again replacing Matuidi, as France defeatedCroatia 4–2 in thefinal, to win their secondWorld Cup title.[56] On 17 November 2019, Tolisso scored his first goal for France in a 2–0 win againstAlbania, during theUEFA Euro 2020 qualification.[57]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon | 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[c] | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | — | 43 | 7 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14[e] | 4 | 1[f] | 1 | 47 | 14 | |
| Total | 116 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 160 | 29 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 26 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 8[d] | 3 | 1[g] | 0 | 40 | 10 | |
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 10[d] | 3 | 1[g] | 0 | 28 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 1 | 4[h] | 1 | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 4[d] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 22 | 3 | ||
| Total | 72 | 11 | 14 | 2 | — | 25 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 118 | 21 | |||
| Lyon | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 30 | 2 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 12[c] | 3 | — | 46 | 10 | |||
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[c] | 4 | — | 23 | 7 | |||
| Total | 105 | 13 | 12 | 0 | — | 16 | 7 | — | 133 | 20 | ||||
| Career total | 293 | 43 | 34 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 73 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 411 | 70 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2017 | 5 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 November 2019 | Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania | 21 |  Albania | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 2 | 7 October 2020 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 22 |  Ukraine | 5–1 | 7–1 | Friendly |
Bayern Munich
Lyon
France
Individual
Orders
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
France squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
