Forward 29
Bradley Barcola, the French winger who has been on Liverpool’s watch list for a long time, joined the club in the summer of 2026 after completing a big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain to Anfield.
Biography
Barcola was born on September 2, 2002, in Villeurbanne, France, a town near Lyon. His father, Yves Barcola, is originally from Togo, and his mother is French. The factors that influenced Barcola’s football journey while growing up were the city he lived in and his brother, Malcolm, who plays for the Togolese National team.
Before even joining the academy at Lyon, Barcola was already actively involved in grassroots football in Villeurbanne at just the age of six (6). This is a clear indication that the neighbourhood he grew up in played an important role in shaping his career.
Career
Young Barcola joined Lyon’s academy at just eight (8) years old, where he developed through the academy ranks until the 2020/2021 season, when he was placed in Lyon’s reserve team before signing his official junior contract with the club.
On September 13, 2021, he signed his first professional contract with Lyon, which was a three-year deal that will see him play at the club until the summer of 2024.
His professional debut for Lyon was against Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League group stage. He came in as a substitute in the 81st minute of the game and delivered an assist to Karl Toko Ekambi just a minute after stepping onto the pitch to help Lyon score their third goal in the 3:0 victory.
Barcola struggled with game time in the first half of the 2022/2023 season, which almost resulted in him going on a loan spell, but the deal collapsed after Lyon’s attacking players suffered an injury crisis. He later played a key role for Lyon in the second half of the season, scoring 7 goals and providing 9 assists in his 31 appearances for the season.
Paris Saint-Germain signed Bradley Barcola from Lyon on August 31, 2023, for a transfer fee of €45 million on a five-year contract to play at the club until the summer of 2028. He made his debut appearance for PSG on September 3 against his former club, where he was brought in as a substitute for Ousmane Dembélé in PSG’s 4:1 victory over Lyon.
Barcola scored his first career goal for PSG on December 9, 2023, in a 2:1 victory against Nantes; he gave PSG the lead in the 41st minute of the game, after utilising a pass from Vitinha.
He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal on February 14, 2024, in the first leg of the round of 16 against Real Sociedad that ended in a 2:0 victory for PSG.
His speed on the ball was one of his biggest weapons, as he could receive the ball from tight angles and attack defenders directly before exploding with the ball. In his first season for PSG, he established himself as one of the most reliable attacking players in the team.
He finished his first season for PSG with 39 appearances in all competitions, with contributions of five (5) goals and nine (9) assists. He was named the Ligue 1 signing of the season after his display of quality in his first season.
Barcola created a personal achievement in the 2024/2025 season; he scored in PSG’s opening game of the season against Havre, scored his first brace against Montpellier, and scored a goal and assisted against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
He finished the 2024/2025 season with 21 goals and 10 assists, the second-highest in the league behind Rayan Cherki and Gaëtan Perrin, who had 11 assists.
He won the following titles with PSG in the 2024/2025 season;
UEFA Champions League: Barcola gave an assist to Senny Mayulu to score PSG’s fifth goal in their 5:0 victory against Inter Milan.
Ligue 1 Title: He helped PSG win the 13th league title, as they topped the table by over 19 points.
Coupe de France: Barcola single-handedly gave PSG the Coupe de France trophy as he scored twice and assisted Hakimi to score the third goal in PSG’s 3:0 victory over Reims.
Trophée des Champions.
He won his second UEFA Champions League trophy with PSG in the 2025/2026 season, after defeating Arsenal in the final through a Penalty shootout.
Liverpool paid a transfer fee of £106 million, with £17 million in add-ons, to sign Bradley Barcola on August 31, 2026, putting him on the list of one of the most expensive signings in the Premier League. He signed a five-year contract with the Reds that will run until the summer of 2031.
PROFILE
Full Name: Bradley Jean-Manuel Essolisam Addo Barcola
Date of Birth: September 2, 2002
Nationality: French
Position: Forward
Height: 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Liverpool FC
Shirt Number: No. 29
Former Clubs: Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain
TROPHY HONOURS
| Honours | Year |
|---|---|
| Ligue 1 | 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026 |
| Coupe de France | 2023/2024, 2024/2025 |
| Trophée des Champions | 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| UEFA Champions League | 2024/2025, 2025/2026 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 2025, 2026 |
| FIFA Intercontinental Cup | 2025 |
| FIFA Club World Cup runner-up | 2025 |
