Sakina Karchaoui


Sakina Karchaoui is a French footballer who plays as a left back for Division 1 Féminine club Olympique Lyonnais and the France national team.

Early life

Born in Salon-de-Provence, in the Provence region of France, Karchaoui was raised in the nearby town of Miramas by her Moroccan parents. She began playing football in her neighborhood with boys. After two years at local club, US Miramas, she joined Montpellier.

Club career

Montpellier

Karchaoui earned her first cap for the senior Montpellier in November 2012 during a 6–0 win over Vendenheim. During the 2013–14 Division 1 Féminine season, Karchaoui made six appearances for the club, tallying a total of 475 minutes on the pitch. Montpellier finished in fourth place with a record. The following season, she made 12 appearances with 9 starts. The club finished the 2014–15 season in fourth place with a record. During the 2015–16 season, Karchaoui started in 19 of the 20 matches in which she appeared. In November 2015, she scored her first goal in a 4–0 win against Rodez. Montpellier finished in third place during the regular season with a record.

Lyon

On 24 June 2020, fourteen-time defending league champions Lyon announced the signing of Karchaoui for 2020–21 season.

International career

Karchaoui earned her first cap with the France women's national football team in April 2016. She was later selected for the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the tournament, she started in the team's group-stage match against New Zealand resulting in a 3–0 win, and the quarter-final match against Canada women's national soccer team where the team was eliminated in a 1–0 loss.
In March 2017, she helped France defeat the United States 3–0 to win the 2017 SheBelieves Cup for the first time.

Honours

International

;France