1. Early life and youth career
Lys Mousset's early life and footballing development took place in France, where he was born and started his youth career at a prominent academy.
1.1. Birth and background
Lys Mousset was born on February 8, 1996, in Montivilliers, Seine-Maritime, France. He holds French nationality. His family background includes a Senegalese father and a French mother, which means he is eligible to represent both France and Senegal in international football.
1.2. Youth career at Le Havre
Mousset joined the youth academy of Le Havre AC in 2006. Prior to this, he played for local football clubs such as Soquence Graville and Havre Caucriauville. During his time at Le Havre, he progressed through the youth ranks and began playing for the club's reserve side in 2012, where he demonstrated impressive performances.
2. Club career
Mousset's professional club career began at Le Havre before he moved to various clubs across England, Italy, Germany, and Ireland, marking significant transfers and experiencing different leagues.
2.1. Le Havre
After developing in the youth system, Mousset made his debut for the Le Havre first team in 2014. He played for the club until 2016, scoring 14 goals in 36 games for the senior squad. During the 2015-16 season, he notably scored 14 goals in 28 matches. He also played for Le Havre's reserve team, Le Havre II, from 2012 to 2015, making 57 appearances and scoring 14 goals.
2.2. AFC Bournemouth
On June 30, 2016, Lys Mousset transferred from Le Havre to AFC Bournemouth in England. The transfer fee for his move was 7.30 M EUR. He scored his first goal for Bournemouth in an FA Cup match against Wigan Athletic on January 6, 2018.
2.3. Sheffield United
Mousset signed for Sheffield United, a newly promoted Premier League club, on July 21, 2019. The transfer involved a club-record fee for Sheffield United, reported to be in the region of 10.00 M GBP. He signed a three-year contract with the club. His first goal for Sheffield United came on September 21, 2019, in a 2-0 away victory against Everton.
Later that month, on September 30, it was confirmed that a toe injury could sideline him for at least two months. Despite this, he finished the 2019-20 season as Sheffield United's joint highest scorer, netting 6 goals alongside Oli McBurnie. He also ended the season as the joint highest assist provider for the club, contributing 4 assists along with Enda Stevens.
2.3.1. Loan to Salernitana
On January 31, 2022, Mousset was loaned to Salernitana, a club in the Italian Serie A.
2.4. VfL Bochum
On August 15, 2022, Mousset signed a two-year contract with VfL Bochum in Germany.
2.4.1. Disciplinary issues and loan to Nîmes
In January 2023, Mousset was suspended from the VfL Bochum first-team squad due to a series of disciplinary issues. These problems included a "lack of motivation, unpunctuality, and unprofessionalism." Patrick Fabian, VfL Bochum's sporting director, publicly expressed the club's disappointment, stating, "We kept giving him a chance, now there's no point. It's pretty disappointing because we naturally had a lot of hopes from him in terms of sport. At some point, however, the time has come when we have to protect the group as a whole."
Following these issues, Mousset was loaned to Ligue 2 club Nîmes on January 31, 2023. While with Nîmes, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in May 2023. His contract with VfL Bochum was eventually terminated by mutual consent on January 9, 2024, without him having made any appearances for the German club.
2.5. Bohemians
After being without a club for 13 months following his departure from VfL Bochum, Lys Mousset signed with League of Ireland Premier Division club Bohemians on February 5, 2025. This move came after a successful trial period with the Irish club.
3. International career
Lys Mousset has represented France at the youth international level. Born in France to a Senegalese father and a French mother, he is eligible to play for both the French national team and the Senegalese national team. He made his debut for the France U20 squad in 2015. For the France U-20 team, he played 8 matches and scored 1 goal. He also played for the France U21 team from 2017 to 2018, making 8 appearances and scoring 5 goals.
4. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Le Havre | 2013-14 | Ligue 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Ligue 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2015-16 | Ligue 2 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 29 | 14 | ||
| Total | 34 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 36 | 14 | |||
| AFC Bournemouth | 2016-17 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 14 | 0 | |
| 2017-18 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2018-19 | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | 28 | 2 | ||
| Total | 58 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 1 | - | 71 | 5 | |||
| Sheffield United | 2019-20 | Premier League | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 33 | 6 | |
| 2020-21 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22 | Championship | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 7 | 3 | ||
| Total | 48 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 53 | 9 | |||
| Salernitana (loan) | 2021-22 | Serie A | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | 4 | 0 | |||
| VfL Bochum | 2022-23 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Nîmes (loan) | 2022-23 | Ligue 2 | 11 | 1 | - | - | - | 11 | 1 | |||
| Bohemians | 2025 | LOI Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 156 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 29 | ||
5. Personal life
Lys Mousset was born in France to a father of Senegalese descent and a French mother. This heritage makes him eligible to represent both France and Senegal in international football competitions. His height is 72 in (184 cm). Beyond his dual nationality, limited specific personal details are publicly known.