Eric Bertrand Bailly is an Ivorian professional footballer who is currently playing his trade with Manchester United and plays for the Ivory Coast national team. On April 12, 1994, he was born in Bingerville, Ivory Coast.
While growing up in the suburb of Bingerville, Eric Bailly had already played football with his peers at the age of seven while also attending his primary school. As a kid, Eric Bailly desired to become a world-class footballer like his idol, Didier Drogba.
After his primary education, he worked in a telephone box office as a manager in Abidjan. As his passion was in football, Eric Bailly decided to quit his job to pursue his football career. Eric started playing for several grassroots teams in his hometown until Luck shone on him when scouts scouted him from Español during a youth tournament he participated in, in Burkina Faso in 2011.
Personal Life
Eric Bailly is currently married to his childhood sweetheart Vanessa Troupah, who stood by him during his days of financial incapability. The two lovebirds tied the knot in 2016 following his £30 million moves to Manchester United, and the couple currently live in Manchester.
The union of Eric and Vanessa is blessed with two children. Eric Bailly is old-fashioned, but he still manages to cruise around town with some exotic cars. Jaguar, Ferrari, and a Range Rover are among his fleet of exotic cars.
Career
Before joining Villarreal, Bailly began his professional career with the Spanish club Español. The 6 ft 2 in a tall defender, who is known for his aggressiveness and composure on the ball, spent four years at Español before sealing a move to the Yellow submarine of Villarreal in 2015.
Eric played 35 games for Villarreal as he became an integral part of the club through his stellar performances, which made the club a force to reckon with in the Spanish La Liga. Impressed with his excellent performance
Manchester United signed him in June 2016 after spending two seasons with the club. Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 with the help of their international debut.
It can only be assumed that Eric Bailly’s net worth would be a huge sum in the African community, given his status in the football world.
So far, Eric Bailly has played 70 games for the red devils of Manchester United and has won the Community Shield and Carling Cup, now known as Carabao Cup. Though beset with a series of injuries in recent years, Eric Bailly is always at the top of his game when he is fit.
His colleagues call him “The Beast” due to his size. All of us can see why! If necessary, the aggressive defender may operate as a right-back or a center-back.
At the international level, he has represented Ivory Coast 43 times. He also helped his country claim the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations held in Guinea.
On December 29, 2014, Bailly was included in Hervé Renard’s 23-man squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his international debut on the 11th January 2015, in a friendly against Nigeria, and featured in all six matches during the competition as his side were crowned champions.
Eric Bailey, who established himself as an integral part of the Ivory Coast national team squad, was selected for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations 2017, held in Gabon. He featured in all the group stage matches.
As a result of the knee injury he sustained, he had to withdraw from international duty in 2019, as Ivory Coast was preparing to participate in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
At the ongoing 2021/2022 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon, the commanding defender, Eric Bailly, represents his home country and has helped the team pull through to the round of 16 scheduled to be played on January 23, 2022.
Honors
Manchester United
EFL Cup: 2016–17
FA Community Shield: 2016
UEFA Europa League: 2016–17; runner-up: 2020–21
Ivory Coast
Africa Cup of Nations: 2015
Individual
CAF Team of the Year: 2016, 2017,2018
UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
IFFHS CAF Men’s Team of the Decade 2011–2020
Conclusion
Indeed football has proven to be one of the most lucrative sports in the world. In this biography of Eric Bailly, we have seen that success does not come easy; it takes hard work, focus, and dedication, as well as the support of those who believe so much in you, as in the case of Eric Bailly’s wife, Vanessa Troupah.
