1. Early Career
Djilobodji was born in Kaolack, Senegal, on 1 December 1988. He began his youth career with his hometown team, ASC Saloum, where he eventually made his senior debut during the 2007-08 season. After two successful seasons playing in the Senegal Premier League, Djilobodji moved to France in October 2009. He joined the amateur team US Sénart-Moissy, where his performances in the Championnat de France amateur 2 quickly attracted the attention of professional clubs.
2. Club Career
Djilobodji's professional club career saw him play for several teams across various European leagues, marked by significant transfers, key performances, and notable disciplinary incidents.
2.1. ASC Saloum
El Hadji Papy Mison Djilobodji started his football journey in his native Senegal with ASC Saloum. He made his senior debut for the club in the 2007-08 season, playing for two successful seasons in the Senegal Premier League before moving to France.
2.2. US Sénart-Moissy
In October 2009, Djilobodji transferred to the French amateur club US Sénart-Moissy. He played a strong first half of the 2009-10 season in the Championnat de France amateur 2, making 7 appearances and scoring 1 goal during his brief tenure. His impressive displays at this level quickly led to a transfer to a professional club.
2.3. FC Nantes
Djilobodji signed with FC Nantes on 27 December 2009. He made his debut for the club on 14 May 2010, in a Ligue 2 match against Caen, which Nantes lost 3-1. In his second year at the club, he became a regular starter, playing 27 games and scoring two goals. Over five and a half seasons with Nantes, including the final two in Ligue 1, Djilobodji accumulated a total of 186 appearances and scored 9 goals. In the summer transfer window of 2015, his performances reportedly drew interest from several English Premier League clubs, including Sunderland and Aston Villa, though no bids were formally made by either club at that time.
2.4. Chelsea FC
On 1 September 2015, Djilobodji signed a four-year contract with Premier League champions Chelsea. The transfer fee was reported to be in the region of 2.70 M GBP to 4.00 M GBP. The day after his signing, he was notably excluded from Chelsea's 25-man squad for the UEFA Champions League. Djilobodji made his only senior appearance for Chelsea in the third round of the League Cup on 23 September 2015, coming on as a substitute for Radamel Falcao in added time during a 4-1 victory away against Walsall. His limited playing time led to a loan move the following transfer window.
2.5. Werder Bremen (loan)
On 21 January 2016, Djilobodji was loaned to Bundesliga club Werder Bremen until the end of the 2015-16 season. He made his debut for the club just three days later, on 24 January, in a 3-1 away victory against Schalke, where his performance received praise. On 13 February, Djilobodji scored his first goal for Werder Bremen, netting a 13th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
In March, he received a retrospective two-match ban for making a throat-slitting gesture towards Mainz 05's Pablo de Blasis. Despite this disciplinary action, Djilobodji played a crucial role in the final game of the season, scoring a late winning goal against Eintracht Frankfurt. This goal secured Werder Bremen's safety from relegation, while simultaneously condemning their opponents to the relegation play-off.
2.6. Sunderland AFC
On 5 August 2016, Djilobodji signed a four-year deal with Sunderland for a reported fee of 8.00 M GBP. He made his Premier League debut for Sunderland 16 days later, on 21 August, in a 2-1 home loss to Middlesbrough. Despite the defeat, his performance was highlighted by the Sunderland Echo as a "rare positive."
On 19 November, he was sent off in the final minute of a 3-0 victory over Hull City at the Stadium of Light. In January 2017, Djilobodji was charged with violent conduct by The FA after an incident where he caught West Bromwich Albion's Darren Fletcher in the face during a 2-0 loss. He subsequently received a four-match ban for this offense. He made a total of 23 appearances for Sunderland during the season, which concluded with the club's relegation from the Premier League.
Following Sunderland's relegation to EFL League One in 2018, Djilobodji was among several players who expressed a desire to leave the club rather than play in England's third tier. He reached an agreement with the new club owner, Stewart Donald, allowing him to remain on unpaid leave during July to secure a transfer away from the club. This agreement included a condition that he maintain his fitness in case he needed to return to Sunderland. However, Djilobodji failed to return to training in August, leading Donald to suggest that he and fellow absentee Didier Ndong were "willfully devaluing themselves" to secure cheaper moves. On 2 September 2018, Djilobodji informed Sunderland of his intention to return to training, insisting he had done nothing wrong. However, he subsequently failed a fitness test and missed additional training sessions, prompting Donald to accuse him of "gross misconduct." Consequently, on 12 September 2018, Djilobodji's contract with Sunderland was terminated due to breach of contract and failure to pass a fitness test.
2.7. Dijon FCO (loan)
Djilobodji returned to France's top flight on 31 August 2017, signing a season-long loan deal with Dijon. He made his debut for Dijon nine days later, on 9 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 loss at Caen, during which he received a yellow card. He made 30 appearances for Dijon during his loan spell.
2.8. EA Guingamp
On 31 December 2018, EA Guingamp announced the signing of Djilobodji on a six-month deal. He made his debut on 19 January 2019, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Yeni Ngbakoto in a 9-0 loss against holders Paris Saint-Germain. Three days later, he started in a Coupe de France Round of 32 match away to Nancy and scored the winning goal in extra time. On 26 January, Djilobodji was sent off in a 1-0 home loss to Stade de Reims for breaking Pablo Chavarría's nose with a kick, which resulted in a six-match ban. He made a total of 4 league appearances for Guingamp.
2.9. Gazişehir Gaziantep FK
On 22 July 2019, Djilobodji joined Turkish club Gazişehir Gaziantep FK. He became a key player for the club, making 119 appearances and scoring 14 goals across multiple seasons in the Süper Lig.
2.10. Kasımpaşa SK (loan)
During the 2022-23 season, Djilobodji had a loan spell at Kasımpaşa SK, another Turkish club. He made 10 appearances and scored 1 goal for Kasımpaşa during this period.
2.11. Fatih Karagümrük
Following his loan spell, Djilobodji joined Fatih Karagümrük. As of August 2024, he has made 2 appearances for his current club.
3. International Career
Djilobodji made his international debut for the Senegal national team in 2013.
3.1. 2015 Africa Cup of Nations
He was included in the Senegal squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations held in Equatorial Guinea. Djilobodji played in two matches during Senegal's campaign in Group C, from which they were ultimately eliminated. In their opening match, a 2-1 victory over eventual finalists Ghana at the Estadio de Mongomo, he was substituted at half-time for Lamine Gassama.
4. Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sénart-Moissy | 2009-10 | CFA Group D | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 7 | 1 | |
| Nantes | 2009-10 | Ligue 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010-11 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 31 | 2 | |||
| 2011-12 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 40 | 4 | |||
| 2012-13 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2013-14 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 30 | 3 | ||
| 2014-15 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 33 | 0 | |||
| Total | 171 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 9 | ||
| Chelsea | 2015-16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2015-16 | Bundesliga | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 2 | ||
| Sunderland | 2016-17 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 21 | 0 | |
| 2017-18 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Dijon (loan) | 2017-18 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 31 | 1 | |
| Guingamp | 2018-19 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |
| Gaziantep | 2019-20 | Süper Lig | 33 | 6 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2020-21 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 38 | 2 | ||||
| 2021-22 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 33 | 6 | ||||
| 2022-23 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 119 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 15 | ||
| Kasımpaşa(loan) | 2022-23 | Süper Lig | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 1 | ||
| Fatih Karagümrük | 2024-25 | Süper Lig | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 373 | 27 | 23 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 406 | 29 | ||
5. Personal Information
El Hadji Papy Mison Djilobodji was born on 1 December 1988, in Kaolack, Senegal. He stands at a height of 76 in (192 cm) and weighs 181 lb (82 kg). Djilobodji is a left-footed player and is capable of playing both as a centre back and a defensive midfielder.