Lemina’s journey to Wolves

A pictorial journey guides supporters through the highlights of the Gabon international’s footballing career so far, which has seen the 29-year-old travel from France to England, via Italy and Turkey.

24^th February 2013 | Born in Gabon, Lemina began his career in France at ED Nanterre before signing for the Lorient at 15, where he progressed through the club’s youth academy.

7^th April 2013 | After making 31 appearances for Lorient’s B team, the midfielder was promoted to the senior side in 2013, playing here in his fifth appearance – a 5-0 defeat to Lille.

10^th July 2013 | Although born in Gabon, Lemina began his international career in the country he grew up in, representing France at the FIFA U20 World Cup – where he met a Spain side managed by Julen Lopetegui – which his team won by beating Uruguay in the final.

25^th November 2013 | His performances for Lorient saw him sign for Marseille after just six months of senior football, which included a visit to England to face Arsenal in the Champions League group stages.

28^th August 2014 | A young Lemina struggled for game time in his first season at Marseille, making only eight league starts during the 2013/14 season.

2^nd November 2014 | The 2014/15 season saw Lemina used more frequently by then-Marseille boss Marcelo Bielsa, as he helped the team to finish in a fourth-placed finish.

23^rd November 2014 | Lemina’s first senior goal came in late 2014 as he helped Marseille get back into their Ligue 1 tie with Bourdaux, which they would eventually go on to win 3-1 away from home.

18^th January 2015 | His second goal for the club came in a 2-1 win over Guingamp at the Stade Velodrome, in which he netted the opener and celebrated with Andre-Pierre Gignac.

1^st August 2015 | Lemina began August 2015 playing for Marseille in a pre-season friendly against Juventus, but by the end of the month he was wearing his oppositions kit as he joined the Italians on loan during transfer deadline day.

20^th September 2015 | Almost a month after signing for The Old Lady, Lemina made his Juventus debut in a 2-0 Serie A win over Genoa.

26^th September 2015 | He didn’t have to wait much longer to open his account in black and white, just six days after his debut, although his goal against Napoli was not enough to secure victory.

6^th March 2016 | Having missed three months of his debut season in Italy due to injury, Lemina found the net in his first game back in the side, to help secure a 2-0 win over Atalanta. He soon signed a permanent deal.

14^th January 2017 | Despite initially turning down the chance to switch his international allegiances to Gabon ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Lemina eventually represented the country of his birth and scored on his debut in a 3-3 friendly draw against Tunisia.

14^th May 2017 | Lemina is mobbed by his teammates after scoring a vital goal to help Juventus claim the Serie A title at the expense of Roma.

3^rd June 2017 | Juventus’ run in the 2016/17 Champions League ends at the final in Cardiff, with the dejected midfielder joined on the pitch by his son following defeat to Real Madrid.

19^th August 2017 | Having been linked to Southampton ahead of his move to Juve, Lemina joins the saints in the summer of 2017, and makes his Premier League debut against West Ham United.

13^th December 2017 | Lemina makes an impressive goalline clearance, with Fraser Forster beaten, to stop Leicester City from extending their lead over the Saints in a winter top-flight meeting.

3^rd February 2018 | His first Premier League goal would have been enjoyed by Wolves supporters, as Lemina finds the back of the net at the Hawthorns to help Saints to a 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion.

29^th September 2018 | Lemina gets his first taste of Molineux in the opening months of the 2018/19 season, but he is unable to help Saints to a win over his new club, with Wolves running out 2-0 winners.

6^th November 2019 | After two seasons at St Mary’s, Lemina heads to Turkey. He joins Galatasary on a season-long loan and returns to playing Champions League football.

23^rd January 2020 | His only goal of his Galatasary career comes in the Turkish Cup as he finds the back of the net in a 2-1 win over Caykur Rizespor.

2^nd November 2020 | Lemina’s second loan away from Saints sees him back in the Premier League and he moves to Craven Cottage and joins Fulham.

7^th March 2021 | The midfielder jumps for joy after his goal helped the Cottagers to a memorable 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.

9^th April 2021 | A disconsolate Lemina was left in tears the last time he came up against his new club, as Wolves’ 1-0 win in West London put Fulham on the brink of Premier League relegation.

15^th September 2022 | The 29-year-old headed back to France on a permanent move at the start of the 2021/22 season as he joined OGC Nice; scoring in the Europa Conference League at FK Partizan.

1^st October 2022 | Lemina is a regular in the Nice midfield as he makes 36 appearances during his first year back in his home country, before adding another 22 during the start of the current campaign.

11^th January 2023 | His final appearance for Nice came just two days ago, as he was part of a midfield which also included Aaron Ramsey and Ross Barkley that claimed a 6-1 win over Montpellier.