Senegalese / French · Dakar, Senegal · Born 25 May 1985Powerful and prolific striker whose goals for Newcastle United and Chelsea earned him a reputation as one of the Premier League's most dangerous finishers.
Demba Ba was born on 25 May 1985 in Sèvres, France, to Senegalese parents, and progressed through French youth football before beginning his professional career with Rouen in 2005. He moved to Belgium's Mouscron before a breakthrough spell at Germany's Hoffenheim, where his clinical finishing established him as one of the Bundesliga's most reliable strikers. Ba signed for West Ham United in 2011, and despite the club's relegation from the Premier League that season, he still finished as their top scorer, prompting Newcastle United to sign him. He continued his prolific form on Tyneside before a mid-season move to Chelsea in January 2013, where he scored a decisive goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City and helped the club win the Europa League. Ba moved to Turkey's Beşiktaş in 2014, spending several productive seasons there before a lucrative move to China with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, and later returned to Turkish football with Göztepe and İstanbul Başakşehir, closing out his playing career in Switzerland with Lugano. Ba represented Senegal from 2007 to 2015, and after retiring became involved in football administration and ownership, serving as chairman of the National Independent Soccer Association club Albion San Diego in the United States, extending his involvement in the sport into executive leadership.
Scoring the goal that ended Liverpool's title hopes in 2014
His instinctive finish for Chelsea against PSG in the 2014 Champions League, capitalising on a slip by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, kept Chelsea in the tie and is one of his most celebrated moments in English football.
Did You Know?How They Played
Physical striker with good finishing and aerial ability
Lasting Impact
Ba established himself as one of the most reliable African strikers in European football during the 2010s, helping raise the profile of Senegalese football internationally.
Career Honours
- Süper Lig 2016, 2017 (Besiktas)
- Süper Lig 2016
- Süper Lig 2017
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rouen | 2005–2006 | — | 26 | 22 |
| Mouscron | 2006–2007 | — | 12 | 8 |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 2007–2011 | Free transfer | 97 | 37 |
| West Ham United | 2011–2011 | Free transfer | 12 | 7 |
| Newcastle United | 2011–2013 | Free transfer | 54 | 29 |
| Chelsea | 2013–2014 | £7m | 33 | 7 |
| Beşiktaş | 2014–2015 | — | 29 | 18 |
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 2015–2018 | — | 29 | 20 |
| Beşiktaş | 2017–2017 | loan | 2 | 1 |
| Göztepe | 2018–2018 | — | 13 | 7 |
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 2018–2018 | — | 17 | 5 |
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 2019–2021 | — | 59 | 20 |
| Lugano | 2021–2021 | — | 3 | 0 |
 Senegal | — | — | 22 | 8 |
Senegalese / French Athletes