Gilles Yapi Yapo

Gilles Donald Yapi Yapo (born 30 January 1982) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Basel ll.

Gilles Yapi Yapo
Yapi Yapo with the Ivory Coast in 2007
Personal information
Full name Gilles Donald Yapi Yapo[1]
Date of birth (1982-01-30) 30 January 1982
Place of birth Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Basel ll
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–2001 ASEC Mimosas
2001–2004 Beveren 67 (13)
2004 → Nantes (loan) 15 (1)
2004–2006 Nantes 45 (2)
2006 → Young Boys (loan) 16 (2)
2006–2010 Young Boys 115 (15)
2010–2013 Basel 58 (3)
2013–2014 Dubai 12 (1)
2014–2018 Zürich 49 (2)
2017–2018 → Aarau (loan) 19 (0)
2018– Basel ll 5 (0)
National team
2000–2010 Ivory Coast 46 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 January 2018

Club career

Born in Abidjan, Yapi Yapo started his career at ASEC Mimosas and then moved to Europe with Beveren. He joined Nantes on a loan contract in January 2004, and on 17 May, he signed a three-year contract,[2] because his contract with Beveren was due to expire in the summer.[3] At this stage of his career, he played as an attacking midfielder. He was on the fringe at Nantes in the 2005–06 season, prompting a loan move to Young Boys.[4] He then joined Young Boys on a permanent basis, where he played as a defensive midfielder and playmaker.[5]

Yapi Yapo then moved to FC Basel in the summer of 2010 on a free transfer, penning a three-year contract.[6] He played his club debut on 20 July 2010, in a 3–2 home win against FC Zürich. He scored his first goal for the club on 1 August 2010, in a 3–0 home win against FC St. Gallen.[7] With Basel, Yapi Yapo won the Swiss Championship at the end of the 2010–11 season.

During just the second game of the 2011–12 Swiss Super League season, Yapi Yapo suffered a rupture of the cruciate ligament,[8] and did not play again until the away draw in the Stade de Suisse against Young Boys on 16 February 2012.[9] At the end of the 2011–12 season, Yapi Yapo won the double, the League Championship title[10] and the Swiss Cup[11] with Basel.

At the end of the 2012–13 Swiss Super League season, he won the Championship title,[12] and was Swiss Cup runner up with Basel.[13] In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Basel advanced as far as the semi-finals, there being matched against the reigning UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea, but were knocked out being beaten 2–5 on aggregate.[14]

On 9 November 2014, Aarau player and former Basel teammate Sandro Wieser committed a knee-high challenge on Yapi Yapo in a league match, leaving the latter's career in serious doubt.[15] He suffered torn anterior and cruciate ligaments, a torn meniscus, a torn kneecap tendon, serious cartilage damage and deep bruising to his thigh.[16] Wieser was shown a straight red card for the tackle, and was later suspended for six matches by the Swiss league.[17] With Yapi Yapo highly unlikely to ever play again, Zürich president Ancillo Canepa launched legal proceedings against Wieser.[18]

Yapi Yapo did eventually return to action as a first-half substitute, in a 3–3 draw against FC Thun at the Letzigrund on 13 September 2015, scoring the third Zürich goal in the process.

International career

Yapi Yapo was part of the Ivory Coast team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He was also selected in the preliminary Ivory Coast squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was eventually dropped along with Bakari Koné and Emerse Faé, who played with him in the 2006 World Cup.[19][20] He retired from the Ivory Coast national team after this.

Honours

ASEC Mimosas

Basel

FC Zürich

Ivory Coast

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  2. "Nantes wants Ivorian duo". BBC News. 12 April 2004.
  3. "Nantes sign Yapi Yapo". Sky Sports.
  4. "Yapi Yapo on the move". Sky Sports.
  5. http://www.insidefutbol.com/2010/05/28/switzerland-reflect-on-stars-of-200910/23120/
  6. http://www.insidefutbol.com/2010/08/13/new-look-young-boys-ready-to-win-spurs/28432/
  7. FC Basel 1893 (2010). "FCB gewinnt gegen St. Gallen souverän mit 3:0" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  8. FC Basel 1893 (2011). "Gilles Yapi erlitt einen Kreuzbandriss" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  9. Meister, Remo (2012). "Der FC Basel holt bei den Young Boys in extremis ein gutes 2:2-Unentschieden" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  10. "Jetzt hat Basel den Titel auf sicher" (in German). football.ch. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  11. "Matchtelegram FC Basel 1893 5:3 FC Luzern" (in German). football.ch. 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  12. Schifferle, Michael (2013). "Season review: Switzerland". UEFA. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  13. SFV (2013). "Telegramm Schweizer Cup Final" (in German). Schweizerischer Fussballverband. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  14. Haylett, Trevor (2013). "Basel take heart after Chelsea defeat". UEFA. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  15. Chowdhury, Saj (12 November 2014). "FC Zurich start legal action for tackle on Gilles Yapi-Yapo". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  16. De Menezes, Jack (11 November 2014). "Video: FC Zurich launch legal proceedings against FC Aarau's Sandro Wieser after horror tackle threatens Gilles Yapi-Yapo's career". The Independent. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  17. "Zurich want assault case against Wieser for horror tackle on Yapi-Yapo". ESPN FC. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  18. "FC Zurich begin legal action after horror tackle on Gilles Yapi-Yapo". The Guardian. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  19. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/world-cup-2010/sven-goran-eriksson-settles-on-his-ivory-warriors/story-fn5c8hri-1225874238346
  20. https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1222500/index.html
  21. http://www.rsssf.com/tables/06a.html
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