Alphonse Areola, a graduate of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), is a professional footballer from France and currently a goalkeeper for the French football club. The PSG player spent the first few days of his career on loan to various French clubs including Villarreal, Bastia, and Lens.
During his time at Villarreal, he broke the club’s record for playing 615 minutes without conceding a goal. Alphonse Areola was part of the French U-20 team that won the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
Alphonse Areola Brief Bio
Areola was born on 27 February 1993 in Paris, France. The names of his parents are unknown, as is his educational background. Alphonse has always loved football, and he started playing at the age of six.
His Siblings
There is hardly any information online about the French player’s family, parents, and private life. However, some online sources indicate that he has a sister named Gratia Claire Areola. There are no further details about her and whether she is his only sister or he has others.
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League Career
At the age of six, the little Alphonse Areola, who had shown great potential for the game, began his career at the sports club Petits Ange’s der Entente, where he spent seven years before signing a contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Following the advice of several coaches in Paris, he registered at the Clairefontaine football center at the age of fifteen to develop his skills. After a year at the center, Areola returned to PSG and signed a three-year contract.
After signing the contract, he was enrolled at the club’s academy and, after completing training, Alphonse made his first appearance as a senior international for the club in May 2013. He played against Brest in the 48th minute of the game and replaced the first-choice goalkeeper, Salvatore Sirigu. The game ended with a 3-1 victory. His first start for the club came the following weekend in a match against Lorient, which also ended in a 3-1 victory.
In the next three seasons, Areola enjoyed the benefits of loans. First, he was loaned to RC Lens, which was then managed by former PSG manager Antoine Kombouaré. This season he played a total of 35 games and at the end of the season, he won the Ligue 2 Goalkeeper of the Year award and the Eurosport Revelation of the Year award after beating opponents such as N’Golo Kante and Gaetan Bussmann. Areola also earned a place in the team of the season.
Alphonse Areola was given a chance in Ligue 1 in the 2014-15 seasons as Bastia coach Claude Makelele signed him. He played with the team in a match against Marseille in August 2014 that ended in a 3-3 draw. This season he has had 39 appearances for the club with 13 clean sheets.
His next loan went to the League Villarreal, where he replaced regular goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, who had suffered a long-term injury the previous season. He made his debut on the first day of the season in a match against Real Betis that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Areola’s reputation was further enhanced at Villarreal, who kept 15 clean sheets in 37 matches and only conceded 26 goals in the entire season when the club finished the season in fourth place in the league. He also broke the club’s record when he played 615 minutes without conceding a goal.
Alphonse Areola returned to PSG for the 2016-17 season and has remained with the club to this day. Upon his return in September 2016, he made his debut in a match against the English club Arsenal that ended in a 1-1 draw. The following season, he won his second trophy of the Champions’ Medal after a game against Monaco that ended in a 2-1 win and gave PSG their fifth consecutive title.
International Career
Alphonse Areola has also represented the French national team at various levels and in several tournaments. He was part of the French U-20 team that won the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
His last match against Uruguay ended without a goal after extra time, and on penalties he saved two shots from Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Emiliano Velázquez, leading France to their first-ever U-20 World Cup triumph.
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He was also part of the squad that represented the nation at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, and the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
He received his first invitation to the senior national team in 2015 and played in the friendly matches against Armenia and Denmark in preparation for hosting the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Although Areola ultimately failed to make the squad, he received three separate invitations to further friendly and World Cup qualifiers. He is part of the 23-man French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Height, Weight And Other Facts About Alphonse Areola
The French national player is quite tall with a height of 1.95 m (6ft 4in) and a weight of 88 kg. His other body statistics are not known.
Alphonse Areola is a married man. He is married to Marrion Areola since 26 December 2016 and they have two daughters. Their first child, Ayleen, was born in 2015, while the second, Aymma-Lysis, was born in 2017.