1. Eric Bailly spent two seasons at the club, before signing for Manchester United in June 2016.
21 Facts About Eric Bailly
1. 2.
Eric Bailly made more than 100 appearances for United and had a loan spell at Marseille.
3.
Eric Bailly made his international debut for the Ivory Coast in 2015 and helped them win that year's Africa Cup of Nations.
4.
Eric Bailly played in two further African tournaments and the 2020 Olympics.
5.
Eric Bailly was spotted by Espanyol's Emilio Montagut after taking part in a youth tournament in Burkina Faso, organised by Spanish company Promoesport.
6.
Eric Bailly was promoted to the main squad shortly after.
7.
Eric Bailly was the first player signed by their new manager Jose Mourinho.
8.
Eric Bailly was voted Manchester United's Player of the Month for August 2016.
9.
Eric Bailly made 11 appearances as the Red Devils won the Europa League, and was named in the Squad of the Season.
10.
Eric Bailly went on and made a total of 18 appearances and scored one goal in all competitions at the end of the season.
11.
In July 2019, Eric Bailly was ruled out for a further four months after suffering a knee injury in a pre-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in China.
12.
On 7 January 2023, in a Coupe de France match against Hyeres, Eric Bailly was sent off for a dangerous high challenge that hospitalised Moussa N'Diaye.
13.
On 11 December 2023, Besiktas announced that Eric Bailly had been excluded from the squad along with Vincent Aboubakar, Valentin Rosier, Rachid Ghezzal and Jean Onana due to poor performance and incompatibility within the team.
14.
On 29 December 2023, it was announced that Eric Bailly's contract had been terminated.
15.
On 30 December 2023, Eric Bailly returned to Villarreal, signing a contract until 30 June 2025.
16.
On 29 December 2014, Eric Bailly was included in Herve Renard's 23-man squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
17.
Eric Bailly made his debut on 11 January 2015, in a friendly against Nigeria, and appeared in all six matches during the competition as his side were crowned champions.
18.
Eric Bailly was again named in the Elephants' squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, playing the entirety of all three matches in a campaign which ended in the group stage.
19.
On 3 July 2021, Eric Bailly was selected as one of the designated overaged players in the Ivory Coast Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
20.
Eric Bailly made four appearances in the tournament and scored one goal, in a quarter-final defeat against Spain.
21.
Eric Bailly wore a scrum cap in the goalless last 16 match against Egypt and was the only player to miss in the penalty shootout, with his shot being saved by substitute goalkeeper Mohamed Abou Gabal.