Mamadou Lamine Camara (born 1 January 2004) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Monaco and the Senegal national team.
Born in Diouloulou, Camara played for Galaxy FA in Dakar, followed by Casa Sports, before joining Génération Foot in November 2019.
In February 2023, Camara signed for French side Metz on a three-and-a-half-year deal. On 15 April, he made his debut, coming off the bench in the 89th minute, in a 3âÂÂ0 victory over Bordeaux in Ligue 2. In his second match for the club, a 3âÂÂ1 win at Saint-ÃÂtienne, Camara assisted a goal for Koffi Kouao before being sent off in the 79th minute for tripping Mathieu Cafaro. After serving a suspension, Camara made two more appearances as a substitute as Metz gained promotion to Ligue 1 with a third-placed finish.
Camara became a regular in the Metz team upon their return to Ligue 1 and, on 22 October, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2âÂÂ1 away defeat against Monaco. The goal was scored from his own half, as he hit a first-time strike from a distance of over Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn after dispossessing Youssouf Fofana.
After finishing in 16th place in Ligue 1, Metz faced Saint-ÃÂtienne in a two-legged play-off. Camara assisted Ismaël Traoré's goal in the away leg and scored the opening goal in the home leg but this was not enough to stop Metz from losing 4âÂÂ3 on aggregate and being relegated back to Ligue 2.
On 30 July 2024, Camara joined Ligue 1 club Monaco for a transfer fee of â¬15 million, signing a five-year contract.
On 17 August, Camara made his debut for Monaco in a 1âÂÂ0 win over Saint-ÃÂtienne at the Stade Louis II in the team's opening fixture of the 2024âÂÂ25 season. In the following match, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2âÂÂ0 win over Lyon and was later sent off after being shown two yellow cards.
He made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 2âÂÂ1 win over Barcelona during the league phase on 19 September.
Camara represented the Senegalese national team at the 2022 African Nations Championship, where he was named best young player of the group stage. He went on to score the only goal of the quarter-final against Mauritania from a penalty kick. In the 2022 African Nations Championship final, he played the full 120 minutes against host nation Algeria and was one of five Senegalese players to score in the penalty shootout as Senegal won their first African Nations Championship.
Camara was then called up to the Senegalese under-20 side for the 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations. He was named Player of the Tournament as Senegal were crowned champions with a perfect record, winning all six matches without conceding a goal.
In September 2023, Camara was called up to the senior Senegal team for the first time by coach Aliou Cissé. He made his debut in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Sudan, scoring the third goal of a 4âÂÂ0 win in Dakar.
In December 2023, he was named in Senegal's squad for the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in the Ivory Coast. In the team's opening match against The Gambia, he scored two goals as Senegal won 3âÂÂ0. He went on to play the full match against Cameroon and the first 87 minutes of the round of 16 match, where Senegal were defeated 5âÂÂ4 in a penalty shootout by host nation and eventual winners Ivory Coast.
Camara's style of play draws comparisons to the greats such as N'Golo Kanté and Sergio Busquets. He's a versatile box-to-box player with a powerful presence in midfield, excelling in ball recovery while showcasing precise passing and offensive flair. His free-kick-taking ability is akin to James Ward-Prowse.
Senegal U20
Senegal
Individual