Ilay Camara
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ilay Alioune Gino Rian Camara[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 18 January 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Bonheiden, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Anderlecht | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Keerbergen | |||
| OH Leuven | |||
| Anderlecht | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Anderlecht B | 30 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | RWDM | 28 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | → Standard Liège (loan) | 34 | (0) |
| 2025– | Anderlecht | 25 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018 | Belgium U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Belgium U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2025– | Senegal | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:06, 18 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Ilay Alioune Gino Rian Camara (born 18 January 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a full-back or winger for Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht. Born in Belgium, he plays for the Senegal national team.
Club career
[edit]Born in Bonheiden in Antwerp Province, Camara began playing as a youth for KSC Keerbergen before joining OH Leuven. In 2019, he joined R.S.C. Anderlecht.[2] In February 2023, while playing for the reserve team of Les Mauves in the third-tier Belgian National Division 1, the 20-year-old signed his first professional contract, lasting until June 2025.[3]
On 6 September 2023, Camara joined Belgian Pro League side R.W.D. Molenbeek on a three-year deal in a free transfer. He arrived to cover the injury of Sambu Mansoni.[4] He played 28 games, scoring three goals and assisting five, as his team were relegated;[5] on 26 November he was sent off in a 2–1 loss on his return to Anderlecht.[6]
In June 2024, Camara was linked with a transfer to three clubs of the EFL Championship – Coventry City, Preston North End and Burnley – for a fee of £1.5-2 million. Stade de Reims of the French Ligue 1 were also interested.[7][8] Instead, on 13 August he was loaned to Standard Liège of the Belgian top flight, with the option to purchase.[5] In his first month at the club, he played at left and right full-back positions, being praised for his performances by newspaper La Dernière Heure.[9]
In April 2025, Standard signed Camara on a permanent four-year deal, before selling him back to Anderlecht on 5 July for a fee reported by RTBF as between €4 million and €4.5 million.[10] He signed a contract to last until 2030.[11] Having missed the start of the season through injury, he made his debut on 3 August with an assist in a 2–0 win away to Cercle Brugge, and four days later on his European debut he set up the opening goal for Nilson Angulo in a 3–0 home win over Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol in UEFA Conference League qualifiers.[12] He was substituted from that game after 30 minutes and was ruled out with a hamstring injury.[13]
International career
[edit]Camara was born in Belgium to a Senegalese father and Belgian mother and holds dual citizenship. He is a former youth international for Belgium.[14]
On 13 March 2025, Camara was called up to the senior Senegal national team for a set of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.[15] Eight days later, his request to switch international allegiance to Senegal was approved by FIFA.[1] He made his debut in the starting line-up in a 2–0 win over Togo on 25 March.[16]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 21 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| RSCA Futures | 2022–23 | Challenger Pro League | 17 | 0 | — | — | 9[a] | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Challenger Pro League | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||||
| RWDM | 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||
| Standard Liège (loan) | 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| Anderlecht | 2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | |
| Career total | 109 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 125 | 2 | ||
- ↑ Appearances in Challenger Pro League play-offs
- ↑ Appearance in UEFA Conference League
International
[edit]- As of match played 18 November 2025
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2025 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "FIFA Change of Association Platform". knowledge.fifa.com. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
- ↑ Delstanches, Christophe (13 September 2024). "Formé à Anderlecht, Ilay Camara veut devenir un pion incontournable au Standard" [Formed at Anderlecht, Ilay Camara wants to become an undisputed part of Standard] (in French). RTBF. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ Bourlon, Antoine (24 February 2023). "Premier contrat pro pour un espoir des RSCA Futures" [First pro contract for an RSCA Futures prospect] (in French). WalFoot. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ "Ilay Camara, des U23 d'Anderlecht à titulaire avec le RWDM en D1 : " Il doit saisir sa chance "" [Ilay Camara, from Anderlecht U23 to starter with RWDM in First Division: "He must take his chance"] (in French). Sud Info. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- 1 2 "Nouvelle arrivée au Standard de Liège : Ilay Camara débarque en prêt du RWDM" [New arrival at Standard Liège: Ilay Camara arrives on loan from RWDM] (in French). RTBF. Belga. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ Janssen, Louis (28 November 2023). "Le RWDM demande que Camara, exclu contre Anderlecht, ne soit pas suspendu : "Ça ouvrirait la porte à toutes les dérives", explique Boucaut" [RWDM ask that Camara, sent off against Anderlecht, not be suspended: "It would open the door to all sorts of precedents", explains Boucaut]. La Dernière Heure (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ Jones, Jordan (20 June 2024). "Burnley reportedly join Preston North End and Coventry City in £1.5m transfer chase". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ Turner, Andy (28 June 2024). "Sell, marry, avoid - Coventry City's transfer priorities amid Joe Worrall and Ilay Camara links". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ Sterpigny, Sébastien (13 September 2024). "Ilay Camara s'est rapidement fait une place au Standard : "Je veux réaliser de grandes choses au Standard"" [Ilay Camara is quickly making a place for himself at Standard: "I want to perform great things at Standard"]. La Dernière Heure (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ↑ "Retour à la case départ : Ilay Camara quitte le Standard pour Anderlecht" [Back to the starting point: Ilay Camara leaves Standard for Anderlecht] (in French). RTBF. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ↑ "Officiel : Ilay Camara retourne à Anderlecht" [Official: Ilay Camara returns to Anderlecht]. La Dernière Heure (in French). 5 July 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ↑ Elikplim, Bokor. "Senegalese international Ilay Camara shines early but exits injured in Anderlecht's Conference League triumph". Africa Soccer. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ↑ "Anderlecht sera à nouveau privé de son défenseur Ilay Camara pendant "quelques semaines"" [Anderlecht will again be deprived of their defender Ilay Camara for "some weeks"] (in French). BX1. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
- ↑ "Belgique ou Sénégal, Ilay Camara se confie : « Ce sera un choix du cœur »" [Belgium or Senegal, Ilay Camara confides: "It will be a choice from the heart"] (in French). D Sports. 1 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ↑ "Senegal announce squad for March international break; Sadio Mane included". Khel Now. 13 March 2025.
- ↑ "Senegal 2-0 Togo". fifa.com. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
External links
[edit]- Ilay Camara at Soccerway
- 2003 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Bonheiden
- Senegalese men's footballers
- Senegal men's international footballers
- Belgian men's footballers
- Belgium men's youth international footballers
- Senegalese people of Belgian descent
- Belgian people of Senegalese descent
- Sportspeople of Senegalese descent
- Black Belgian sportspeople
- Men's association football defenders
- Men's association football midfielders
- Oud-Heverlee Leuven players
- RSC Anderlecht players
- RWDM Brussels players
- Standard Liège players
- Belgian Pro League players
- Belgian Division 1 players
- 21st-century Belgian sportsmen
- 21st-century Senegalese sportsmen