1. Overview
Bouna Junior Sarr (born January 31, 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who primarily plays as a right back and winger. Born in France, he represents the Senegal national team. Sarr began his professional career at FC Metz, before gaining prominence at Olympique de Marseille, and later joining FC Bayern Munich, where he secured multiple titles. He is currently a free agent.
2. Early Life and Background
Sarr's early life was shaped by his multicultural background and his birthplace in France.
2.1. Birth and Early Life
Bouna Sarr was born on January 31, 1992, in Lyon, France. He has a dual heritage, with his father being Senegalese and his mother being Guinean.
3. Club Career
Bouna Sarr's professional club career has seen him play for three major clubs across France and Germany, experiencing both promotion success and championship victories.
3.1. Metz
Sarr made his professional debut for Metz on July 29, 2011, in a match against Tours. During his time with the club, he became an integral player, contributing significantly to their successful promotions from the Championnat National to Ligue 1.
3.2. Marseille
Sarr signed with Marseille on July 7, 2015. During the 2017-18 season, under the management of coach Rudi Garcia, Sarr was successfully converted from his primary position as a right winger to a right back, a tactical change that led to increased playing opportunities.
On April 12, 2018, he scored his first goal in European competitions in a commanding 5-2 victory over RB Leipzig during the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. On May 3 of the same year, Sarr played in the Europa League semi-final away match against Red Bull Salzburg. Although Marseille suffered a 1-2 defeat in that specific match, they advanced to the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final with a 3-2 aggregate victory. The final was held on May 16, 2018, at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon, France, where Marseille ultimately faced Atlético Madrid.
3.3. Bayern Munich
On October 5, 2020, Sarr completed a transfer to Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, signing a four-year contract. He made his debut for Bayern on October 15, 2020, in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, where he provided two crucial assists to fellow new signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, contributing to a 3-0 victory against fifth-division side 1. FC Düren. Sarr scored his first goal for the club on August 25, 2021, in the same competition, during the first round of the following season, as Bayern secured a dominant 12-0 win over Bremer SV.
After a significant period of absence from competitive play, Sarr made his sole appearance of the 2022-23 season on May 6, 2023, coming off the bench in the 88th minute of a 2-1 away victory against Werder Bremen. This marked his return to the field after 424 days. He played his first match of the subsequent 2023-24 season on September 26, providing an assist in a 4-0 DFB-Pokal away win against Preußen Münster. On November 11, he made his first start since April 2021 in a 4-2 victory over Heidenheim. However, his season was cut short on December 1, when he underwent surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee, which required him to be sidelined for several months. On May 12, 2024, Bayern Munich announced that Sarr would leave the club at the end of the season upon the expiration of his contract, having played only 16 Bundesliga matches over four seasons.
4. International Career
Bouna Sarr's international career involved a decision between two national teams before he committed to Senegal, achieving significant success with them.
Bouna Sarr, born in France, holds Senegalese heritage through his father and Guinean heritage through his mother. He received a call-up from the Guinea national team in December 2014 but ultimately did not play for them. In late April 2018, he was approached by the Senegal national team but initially declined the offer to represent them.
However, Sarr later decided to represent Senegal and was subsequently called up by head coach Aliou Cissé in late September 2021 for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Namibia, Togo, and Congo. He made his debut for Senegal on October 9, 2021, in a 4-1 victory against Namibia during a World Cup qualifying match. Sarr was then included in the Senegal squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He featured in every match throughout the tournament, culminating in Senegal's triumph over Egypt in the final.
Following Senegal's historic victory at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Sarr was honored with the title of Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal Macky Sall. In September 2022, a knee surgery unfortunately sidelined him, preventing his participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.
5. Career Statistics
This section details Bouna Sarr's professional career statistics at both club and international levels.
5.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Metz | 2011-12 | Ligue 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2012-13 | Championnat National | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2013-14 | Ligue 2 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||
| 2014-15 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| Total | 96 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 106 | 8 | ||
| Marseille | 2015-16 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 3 |
| 2016-17 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 1 | |
| 2017-18 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 1 | |
| 2018-19 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2019-20 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| 2020-21 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 136 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 179 | 8 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2022-23 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 248 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 35 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 318 | 17 | ||
5.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2021 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 13 | 0 | |
6. Honours
Bouna Sarr has collected several significant team and individual honors throughout his career.
6.1. Club
Marseille
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2017-18
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23
- DFL-Supercup: 2021
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2020
6.2. International
Senegal
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2021
6.3. Individual
- Grand Officer of the National Order of the Lion: 2022