Eric Bailly
Ivorian centre-back for Columbus Crew, a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations winner and former Manchester United defender who shares his football journey with fans.
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Latest
Eric’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Manchester United
UEFA
The Players’ TribuneOverview
- Born
- 12 April 1994 · Bingerville, Ivory Coast
- Full name
- Eric Bertrand Bailly
- Position
- Centre-back
- Current club
- Columbus Crew
- Breakthrough
- Espanyol first-team debut in 2014; Villarreal move in 2015
- International milestone
- Africa Cup of Nations champion with Ivory Coast in 2015
Mini bio
How it started.
Eric grew up in Bingerville and Abidjan. In his Players’ Tribune essay, he recalls leaving school at 13 to pursue football, training in the mornings and selling second-hand phones and cigarettes to help support himself. A tournament in Burkina Faso in 2010 brought him to Espanyol’s attention.
A route to Europe.
Conflict in Ivory Coast delayed his trial in Spain, but Espanyol kept the opportunity open. He joined in 2011 and reached the first team in 2014. Villarreal signed him in January 2015, and Manchester United followed in 2016, making him José Mourinho’s first signing at the club.
Club and country.
Eric played every match of Ivory Coast’s victorious 2015 Africa Cup of Nations campaign and converted a penalty in the final shootout. With United, he won the Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League, earning a place in UEFA’s 2016/17 Europa League Squad of the Season.
The next chapters.
After a Marseille loan and a spell at Beşiktaş, Eric returned to Villarreal in December 2023. He moved to Real Oviedo in August 2025 and then Columbus Crew in July 2026. Alongside the football, his essay The Flight gives fans his own account of the family and everyday life that keep him grounded.
Creditschronological, newest first
Club football
- 2026–presentColumbus CrewDefender
- 2025–2026Real OviedoDefender
- 2023–2025Villarreal CFDefender, second spell
- 2023BeşiktaşDefender
- 2022–2023Olympique de MarseilleDefender, on loan from Manchester United
- 2016–2023Manchester UnitedDefender
- 2015–2016Villarreal CFDefender, first spell
- 2014–2015RCD EspanyolFirst-team defender
Writing
- 2019The FlightAuthor, The Players’ Tribune
Awards
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season2016/17 · Selected as a Manchester United defender by UEFA’s technical observers.
- UEFA Europa League winner2016/17 · Manchester United. He helped the team reach the final but missed it through suspension.
- EFL Cup winner2017 · Manchester United.
- FA Community Shield winner2016 · Manchester United; named Player of the Match on his club debut.
- Africa Cup of Nations winner2015 · Ivory Coast; played every match of the title-winning campaign.
Quotes
Sure, I play for United. But I’m still just Eric. So please, treat me as Eric.Eric Bailly, The Players’ Tribune
In his December 2019 essay The Flight, Eric explained why he wanted people to see the person behind the professional footballer.
Trivia
- His father worked as a primary school teacher, as Eric recounts in The Flight.
- The 2010 trip to Burkina Faso that helped open his route to Europe was his first flight.
- He represented Ivory Coast at the Tokyo Olympics and scored once during the tournament.
Find Eric
Follow Eric for football updates and moments from his life off the pitch.
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