Ivorian · Bingerville, Ivory Coast · Born 10 December 1988Swansea City's powerful Ivorian striker who set a Premier League goals record for the club before becoming one of City's most expensive signings.
Wilfried Guemiand Bony was born on 10 December 1988 in Bingerville, Ivory Coast, and grew up playing street football before joining the Cyril Domoraud Academy in his hometown. He began his professional career with Issia Wazy in the Ivorian top flight before a trial with Liverpool in 2007 went unsuccessfully, leading instead to a loan move to Czech club Sparta Prague, where he helped the B team win a championship before establishing himself in the first team. Bony developed into one of the most prolific strikers in Czech and Dutch football, winning the Czech First League title with Sparta Prague in 2010 before moving to Vitesse Arnhem in 2011, where his goalscoring exploits — including five goals in the Europa League — made him one of the most sought-after forwards in European football. Swansea City signed Bony in 2013, and his powerful, direct style of centre-forward play made him an instant success in the Premier League, leading to a big-money move to Manchester City in 2015. Though injuries and competition for places limited his time at City, including a loan spell at Stoke City, he later returned to Swansea before finishing his European career with spells in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Bony represented Ivory Coast at the 2014 World Cup and across three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning the trophy in 2015 as the Elephants triumphed on penalties against Ghana. He earned dozens of caps for his country before later playing in the Netherlands and Bolivia to close out his career.
Being Swansea City's Premier League record goalscorer
His goal record at Swansea attracted the attention of Manchester City, who paid £25 million — then a record fee for a Welsh club.
Did You Know?How They Played
Physical striker with strong aerial ability and clinical finishing
Lasting Impact
Bony established himself as one of the most successful African strikers in Premier League history during the mid-2010s.
Career Honours
- AFCON 2015
- Swansea PL record scorer
- Africa Cup of Nations 2015
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issia Wazy | 2006–2008 | — | — | — |
| Sparta Prague B | 2007–2008 | — | 14 | 2 |
| Sparta Prague | 2008–2011 | loan | 59 | 22 |
| Vitesse Arnhem | 2011–2013 | — | 65 | 46 |
| Swansea City | 2013–2015 | — | 54 | 25 |
| Manchester City | 2015–2017 | — | 36 | 6 |
| Stoke City | 2016–2017 | loan | 10 | 2 |
| Swansea City | 2017–2019 | — | 22 | 3 |
| Al-Arabi | 2019–2019 | loan | 7 | 5 |
| Al-Ittihad | 2020–2020 | — | 10 | 5 |
| NEC Nijmegen | 2022–2022 | — | 1 | 0 |
| Always Ready | 2023–2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
 Ivory Coast | — | — | 60 | 11 |
Ivorian Athletes