Éli Kroupi

Éli Kroupi
Personal information
Full name Zahi Verges Napoles Kroupi
Date of birth (1979-10-18) 18 October 1979
Place of birth Kadrokpa, Sassandra, Ivory Coast
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Forward
Youth career
1997–1998 Rennes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–1998 Rennes 2 (0)
1998–2000 Valence 22 (3)
2000–2004 Lorient 93 (29)
2004 Angers 4 (0)
2004–2006 Nancy 43 (23)
2007 → Al-Wahda (loan) 16 (4)
2007–2008 Arezzo 6 (2)
2008 Levadiakos 8 (0)
2008–2009 Nîmes 13 (1)
2010 Al Urooba
2010–2011 GSI Pontivy 2 (0)
2011–2012 Ploemeur
Total 271 (88)
International career
2001–2005[1] Ivory Coast 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Zahi Verges Napoles "Éli" Kroupi, also known as Elie Kroupi,[1] (born 18 October 1979) is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played for, among others, Rennes, Lorient, Angers, Nancy and Nîmes in France, Greek club Levadiakos as well as United Arab Emirates sides Al-Wahda and Al Urooba.

Club career

Kroupi was born in Kadrokpa, Sassandra, Ivory Coast.

Whilst at Lorient, Kroupi played in the 2002 Coupe de France Final, in which they beat Bastia.[2]

He spent the 2006–07 season on loan at United Arab Emirates side Al-Wahda. In July 2007, it was announced that Kroupi would not return to Nancy, after the club decided to cancel his contract. Then, Kroupi signed with Greek club Levadiakos in 2008. After 8 appearances for Levadiakos, he returned to France. This time, he signed with Nîmes in Ligue 2.[3] On 18 March 2010, Al Urooba signed the Ivorian striker from Nîmes.[4]

International career

Kroupi debuted for Ivory Coast on 17 June 2001 during the 2–2 draw in the 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification. He also played on 2 August 2005 during the 2–2 friendly draw against DR Congo.[1]

Playing style

Kroupi is known for his speed, his ability to shoot accurately with both feet, and his supreme scoring ability. He was also one of the top scorers in Ligue 1 during the 2005–06 season.[5]

Personal life

Kroupi holds Ivorian and French nationalities.[6] His cousin is former New England Revolution player Arsène Oka.[7] His son Eli Junior Kroupi is a professional footballer who also played for Lorient before moving to Premier League side Bournemouth.[8]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[1]
National team Year Apps Goals
Ivory Coast 2001 1 0
2005 1 0
Total 2 0

Honours

Lorient

Nancy

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Elie Kroupi". National Football Teams.
  2. ↑ "Bastia 0-1 Lorient". lequipe.fr. 11 May 2002. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Profile & Statistics at Guardian's Stats Centre
  4. ↑ "Ex Arezzo Kroupi va negli Emirati - Yahoo! Eurosport". Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  5. ↑ (in French) Élie Kroupi stats
  6. ↑ "Player profile". Ligue2 (in French). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Player Bio: Arsene Oka". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  8. ↑ Cogné, Baptiste (23 November 2021). "Éli Junior, international U16, marche sur les traces de son père Éli Kroupi". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Nancy - Nice : compo des équipes". ogcnice.com. 22 April 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
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