A World Cup player from Ligue 1: Profile of new signing Guéla Doué

Born in Angers in western France, Guéla Doué joined Stade Rennes back in 2011 at the age of nine. At the Breton club, he progressed through all the youth teams, gaining playing time in the top French youth leagues, in the UEFA Youth League and later also for the club’s reserve side.

senior debut and breakthrough at Rennes

During the 2022/23 season, the Ivorian was gradually introduced to professional football. He made his first-team debut in early February 2023 – against the very club he would later go on to join: Racing Strasbourg. Doué came on in the 83rd minute and helped secure a 3–0 win. Who did he come on for? His brother, Désiré – two years his junior and now a PSG star – who had also spent his entire career at Rennes up to that point. Who was standing on the touchline alongside Guéla Doué back then and came on during the same substitution window? Jeanuel Belocian, who, as is well known, moved to Bayer 04 in 2024. The then 20-year-old Doué went on to make one further league appearance for the first team that season, but otherwise remained a regular in the reserves.

The following season, the 1.87-metre-tall right-back made his definitive breakthrough at professional level. The Ivorian made a total of 24 league appearances and quickly established himself as a regular. In the Coupe de France, where their run was halted in the semi-finals by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, he featured in five matches. He also made his debut on the European stage in the UEFA Europa League. He made four starts. At international level, Doué also made his debut for the Ivory Coast during the 2023/24 season. Doué made his first appearance in March 2024 for the then Africa Cup of Nations winners, led by former Leverkusen player Odilon Kossounou. He now has 24 international caps to his name.

farewell after 13 years – key player at Strasbourg

Doué therefore spent his entire club career up to that point at Rennes, playing numerous matches during that time alongside his younger brother Désiré, alongside other future top stars such as Jeremy Doku (now at Manchester City), Jeanuel Belocian and also Martin Terrier, who also played for the Breton club before his time at Leverkusen. In 2024, Doué moved on to league rivals Racing Strasbourg. At the Alsace club, he immediately became a first-team regular and, during the 2024/25 season, missed just one league match through injury and another due to a one-match suspension.

In total, Doué made 60 cup and league appearances for Racing over two years, including several appearances as captain during his second season – amongst other things in the UEFA Conference League, where Strasbourg reached the semi-finals last season. It was Spain’s Rayo Vallecano who ultimately brought the French side’s UECL campaign to an end. Doué and his teammates also reached the last four of the Coupe de France, before their run was brought to a halt by Nice.

World cup in North america – New chapter at bayer 04

When the league season came to an end a short while later, it was the summer break. But not for Doué. The right-back had the 2026 World Cup in North America to look forward to with the Ivory Coast – his second major tournament with ‘Les Éléphants’ following the Africa Cup of Nations at the start of the year. The defender featured in all four World Cup matches, including the group stage fixture against Germany. In the Round of 32, the Ivory Coast were knocked out by Norway, led by global superstar Erling Haaland.

Now it’s time for Doué to embark on a new season and a new chapter. To this end, the 23-year-old has ventured out of France for the first time and signed for Bayer 04 until 2031. At Leverkusen, he will meet a number of former opponents, such as Facundo Medina (formerly at Marseille), Afonso Moreira (Lyon) and head coach Carles Martínez (Toulouse). Incidentally, the right-back already has a small connection to his new coach: his cousin Yann Gboho plays for Toulouse, where he was coached by Martínez until last season. Doué himself is now looking forward to this new chapter with great anticipation. And for the “top-class new signing”, as sporting director Simon Rolfes describes him, things clearly can’t get started soon enough: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be playing with these lads.”