Loïc Badé: Who is Bayer Leverkusen's new French centre-back?

Bayer Leverkusen have bolstered their defence with the signing of Loïc Badé from Spanish side Sevilla. Let’s take a closer look at the Frenchman’s journey to the BayArena...

Data correct as of 21 August 2025

Loïc Badé

Age: 25 (born 11 April 2000)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Central defence
Country: France (one cap)

Key stats

Badé joins Erik ten Hag’s Leverkusen revolution with plenty of top-level experience under his belt. Born on the outskirts of Paris, he started out at Paris FC before joining the fabled academy of Le Havre – previously the starting point for stars such as Paul Pogba and Riyad Mahrez – in 2016.

Four years later, he made his debut for the then Ligue 2 side before joining Lens in 2020. He signed for Rennes a little over 12 months later, making 14 Ligue 1 appearances in his debut campaign for the club in 2021/22. Following an uninspiring loan spell at Nottingham Forest, he was loaned to Sevilla for the second half of the 2022/23 campaign and never looked back.

Within six months, Badé was a UEFA Europa League winner, playing every minute of the semi-final and final against Juventus and Roma respectively. All in all, he featured 27 times for Sevilla in his debut season and, after moving permanently in 2023, followed that up with a further 66 outings across the following two campaigns as he became a key member of the first team.

Badé featured for Rennes before joining Sevilla. - Dave Winter/Shutterstock via www.imago-images.de

Internationally, he made his France U21 debut in September 2021 and played a further five times at that level. His big breakthrough came in 2024, when he was selected by Thierry Henry for the Olympic Games in Paris and went on to play in every match as Les Bleus ultimately lost to Spain in the final.

After an impressive 2024/25 campaign at club level, Badé made his senior international debut in France’s 2-0 UEFA Nations League third-place play-off victory over Germany.

Plays a bit like... Jonathan Tah

Leverkusen lost Tah to Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window, leaving a big hole in the middle of the back four. In Badé, though, they have found someone with a similar profile who should slot in seamlessly. Comfortable in possession, with an imposing physique and ability to read the game, Tah has developed into one of the Bundesliga’s best defenders. No pressure then, Loïc.

Jonathan Tah won the Bundesliga at Leverkusen. - JM

Did you know?

Thanks to their exploits at the Paris Olympics, Badé and his France teammates were made Knights of the Order of Merit, one of the country’s most prestigious accolades, by president Emmanuel Macron.

What they’re saying...

“He is a boy with great game intelligence. He can play in a three at the back – I even think that is the game plan that suits him best – but he can also play in a back four. He has natural leadership and plays with great spirit.” – François Rodrigues, former Le Havre academy technical director

“He's been playing at a high level for a long time. He is very good, both defensively and offensively. He's an example, a well-established player.” – Former Sevilla head coach García Pimienta in January 2025

Badé (r.) played a starring role for France at the 2024 Paris Olympics. - IMAGO/Naoki Morita

“In Loïc Badé, we have signed a young but very experienced center-back. He is used to playing against world-class strikers from his time in La Liga in Spain. Loïc is physically uncompromising and intelligent in his play, and an excellent reinforcement for our defensive line.” – Bayer Leverkusen director of sport Simon Rolfes

About the clubs

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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