Cédric Kipré


Cédric Kipré is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Wigan Athletic. He has previously played for Leicester City, Corby Town and Motherwell.

Club career

Leicester City

After coming through the Youth Academy at Paris Saint-Germain, Kipré joined Leicester City in 2014 and was part of both their Under 18s and Under 21s in his debut season for the club, playing in the then Premier League 2 and FA Youth Cup.
He spent the next few seasons at the King Power Stadium, but only managed games for the Under 21s and the Under 23s. He also formed part of the Under 23s side that played in the EFL Trophy tie against Cheltenham in January 2017.

Corby Town (loan)

In September 2015, Kipré joined National League North side Corby Town on a one-month loan deal.
He made his debut for The Steelmen against Boston United the next night, turning in an excellent performance prompting boss Tommy Wright to say: "Cedric looked the real deal. He was strong, powerful, very good technically on the ball and he was a breath of fresh air.
He returned from his short loan spell having played three first-team games.

Motherwell

After his release from Leicester, Kipré joined Motherwell on trial and played in pre-season games against Stirling Albion and Livingston. He impressed manager Stephen Robinson so much that he was awarded an initial one-year deal on 5 July 2017.
He played his first ever competitive game for the club against Queens Park at Hampden in the League Cup on 15 July, setting up Motherwell's fourth goal in a 5–1 win.
On 28 April 2018 the French-Ivorian defender scored his first Motherwell goal with a glancing header to beat Dundee 2-1.
On 23 August 2017, Kipré extended his contract with Motherwell by a further year, until the summer of 2019. Kipré extended his contract again on 13 April 2018 until the summer of 2020.

Wigan Athletic

signed Kipré to a three-year contract on 3 August 2018, having agreed a transfer fee with Motherwell. He made his league debut the following day, playing the full 90 minutes of the 3–2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 3–1 defeat at Queens Park Rangers on 24 August 2019. On 1 January 2020 Kipré netted from close range to give Wigan Athletic a 3-1 lead against Birmingham City in a match that concluded with a 3-2 win for the "Latics".

International career

Kipré is eligible to play for the Ivory Coast, with his mother and father being born there. On 21 March 2018, he was called into the squad for the first time. He made his debut for the under-23s on 27 March 2018, against Togo.

Personal life

His elder brother Steve is also a footballer and has played in France, Germany and Scotland, with which he had a short spell with Clyde.

Career statistics