Serge Aurier

Serge Aurier

Aurier playing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Serge Alain Stephane Aurier
Date of birth	(1992-12-24) 24 December 1992 (age 24)
Place of birth	Ouragahio, Ivory Coast
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Right back
Club information
Current team	Paris Saint-Germain
Number	19
Youth career
2006–2009	Lens
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	Lens	55	(0)
2012–2015	Toulouse	80	(8)
2014–2015	→ Paris Saint-Germain (loan)	14	(0)
2015–	Paris Saint-Germain	26	(2)
National team‡
2013–	Ivory Coast	39	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:15, 22 October 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 March 2016

Serge Aurier (born 24 December 1992) is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a right back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Ivory Coast national team.

Aurier played for various youth teams and academies before he was accepted to join Villepinte. Aurier then joined Lens in the French Ligue 1, where this started his professional footballing career. Shortly after, Aurier, who was then thirteen at the time, had to leave his friends and families as a result joining Lens. There, Aurier was assigned to the club's reserve and at point, he was the club's captain in the reserve. In June 2009, Aurier then signed his first professional contract at Lens.

Aurier made his professional debut for the club in a 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne on 22 December 2009. Aurier was given another opportunity in the Round of 16 of Coupe de la Ligue, a 2–1 loss against Lorient. He soon sustained a shoulder injury that left him out for two or three weeks. Despite this, Aurier went on to make five appearance for Lens in his first season.

Aurier's second season saw him break into the first-team, and although he went on to make 26 appearances in 2010–11, the club was relegated to Ligue 2 after finishing second-last in the league table, at 19th. Prior to club's relegation, Aurier had signed a contract extension with the club through to 2015.

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Aurier's performance soon attracted interest from clubs around England, with the player considering departing Lens for a new opportunity. However, Aurier ruled out a move abroad, implying that regardless of whether or not Aurier chose to stay or leave Lens, he would be footballing for a member of France's principal league. Despite this, however, Aurier began the year with Lens, making 16 appearances in the first half of the season around which time the club was facing financial issues.