Samuel Umtiti signed for FC Barcelona on July 14, 2016, to reinforce the defensive line of Luis Enrique’s team. The Frenchman of Cameroonian origin lands from Olympique de Lyon.

Emerging from the lower categories of the Lyon club, the 23rd reached the first team in the 2011/12 season. Progressively, he becomes the undisputed starter and plays 170 games with the French team; he scores five goals and provides two assists.

Presented on July 15, 2016, at the Camp Nou, Samuel Umtiti made his official debut as a Barça player in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup final against Sevilla (3-0) at the Estadi. In his first season, he became the mainstay of the defense and formed, with Gerard Piqué, the starting pair of central defenders. In a short time, he became a crucial part of the team and significantly contributed to winning 2 Leagues, 2 Cups, and 2 Super Cups.

The culé player, after going through all the lower categories of the ‘bleus,’ is summoned with the French team for the Eurocopa 2016 that is disputed in his country. Umtiti made his debut with Deschamps’s team in the quarterfinals of the European Championship against Iceland. The incredible performance he put on gave him the title in the rest of the competition, in which he became runner-up. The center-back is a crucial piece, too, in achieving the 2018 World Cup in Russia.