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Kenza Dali

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Kenza Dali
Dali with the San Diego Wave in 2025
Personal information
Full name Kenza Dali[1]
Date of birth (1991-07-31) 31 July 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Sainte-Colombe,[2] France
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 San Diego Wave
Number 10
Youth career
2005–2009 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Lyon 1 (0)
2010–2011 Rodez 22 (2)
2011–2016 Paris Saint-Germain 89 (36)
2016–2018 Lyon 2 (0)
2018 → Lille (loan) 10 (1)
2018–2019 Dijon 17 (6)
2019–2021 West Ham United 32 (5)
2021–2022 Everton 20 (0)
2022–2025 Aston Villa 48 (7)
2025– San Diego Wave 13 (2)
International career‡
2007–2008 France U17 5 (3)
2009 France U19 7 (3)
2012 France U20 2 (0)
2014–2018 France U23 8 (4)
2014– France 76 (13)
Medal record
Women's football
Representing  France
UEFA Women's Nations League
Runner-up 2024
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 June 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 April 2025

Kenza Dali (born 31 July 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the France national team.

Early life

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Dali was born in Sainte-Colombe, Rhône,[4] and grew up in the suburbs of Lyon. She is of Algerian descent, with her father immigrating to France from Algeria at 18 years old.[5] Dali lost her brother when she was 13 and subsequently saw her mother beat breast cancer.[6] She has cited these moments as experiences which have strengthened her mentally.[7] She started playing football at 6 years old and joined Olympique Lyonnais at the age of 11.[8]

Club career

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Lyon

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Dali spent the majority of her career with Lyon playing on the club's reserve team in D3 Féminine, the third level of women's football in France. She signed her first professional contract at age 16, but only played one match with Lyon's first team.[9][10][11] Due to an interest in gaining more playing time, Dali ultimately departed from Lyon after three years with the club.[12]

Rodez

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On 25 July 2010, Dali signed with Rodez.[13] She made a total of 24 appearances with the club across all competitions in her quest to gain more experience.[14]

Paris Saint-Germain

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Following a successful stint at Rodez,[12] Dali transferred to Paris Saint-Germain.[15] She made 89 league appearances in 5 seasons with the club. Her final campaign with PSG was marred by a knee injury that kept Dali sidelined for the first half of the season.[16]

Lyon

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In the summer of 2016, Dali returned to her training club Olympique Lyon. She made her league debut against ASJ Soyaux-Charente on 11 September 2016.[17] 9 days later, she injured her knee and subsequently underwent surgery and re-surgery. She was eventually able to return to full fitness, but found it difficult to secure a regular place in the Lyon squad.[18]

Loan to Lille

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After finding little playing time in her injury-riddled second stint at Lyon, Dali was loaned out to Lille on 17 January 2018.[19][20]

Dijon

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Dali made her league debut against Montpellier HSC on 25 August 2018.[21]

West Ham United

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On 25 July 2019, Dali was announced at West Ham.[22] She made her league debut against Arsenal on 8 September 2019.[23] Dali scored her first league goal against Brighton on 13 October 2019, scoring a penalty in the 70th minute.[24] On 21 May 2021, Dali was released by West Ham United.[25]

Everton

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On 1 July 2021, Dali signed a two-year contract with Everton.[26] She made her league debut against Manchester City on 4 September 2021.[27] Dali scored her first goal for Everton in the Women's FA Cup on 27 February 2022 against Charlton Athletic, scoring in the 34th minute.[28] She made 27 appearances across all competitions for Everton before departing from the club in August 2022.[29]

Aston Villa

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After her stints with West Ham and Everton, Dali originally planned to depart from England.[30] However, after a conversation with Carla Ward, she changed her mind and signed a contract with Aston Villa on 5 August 2022.[31] She scored a goal in her club debut, helping Aston Villa beat Manchester City 4–3 at Villa Park in September 2022.[32] Within her first seven months at Aston Villa, Dali racked up 6 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.[30] On 2 June 2023, she signed a new contract until June 2025 with the option of a further year.[33] On 7 February 2024, in the 2023–24 Conti Cup quarterfinal against Brighton, Dali assisted the goal to tie the game 1–1, and her team later advanced on penalties.[34]

San Diego Wave FC

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Dali joined National Women's Soccer League club San Diego Wave FC on 24 January 2025, signing a two-year contract with the team.[35] She made her NWSL debut in San Diego's season opener against Angel City FC, starting and playing 90 minutes.[36] Two games later, Dali recorded her first Wave assist, serving up a cross to Chiamaka Okwuchukwu in a defeat to the Orlando Pride.[37] She notched her first NWSL goal in a 4–1 victory over Racing Louisville FC on 19 April, scoring directly from a free kick.[38] At the end of April 2025, she received her first NWSL Team of the Month accolade alongside French teammate Delphine Cascarino.[39] Two months later, Dali repeated the feat, winning another Team of the Month award for her performances in June.[40]

International career

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Dali was called up to the France national team for the first time in her career in 2014. She played her first game in a 2015 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Hungary, being substituted into the game in the 76th minute. She scored her first goal for the senior national team in a friendly match against Brazil.[41]

On 30 May 2022, Dali was called up to the France squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.[42]

Dali was included in the squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[43] She scored one goal in the tournament, the second tally in a 4–0 Round of 16 victory over Morocco.[44] One match later, she participated in France's quarterfinal penalty shootout against Australia.[45] Opposing goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold saved Dali's first spot-kick attempt, but Dali was given the chance to redo the kick after it had been discovered that Arnold had stepped off her line too early. However, Arnold saved the second shot as well, helping Australia win the shootout, 7–6.[46]

Dali was included in the squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[47]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 5 October 2024[48][49]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lyon 2009–10 Division 1 Féminine 1 0 — — 0 0 1 0
Rodez 2010–11 Division 1 Féminine 22 2 2 1 — 0 0 24 3
Paris Saint-Germain 2011–12 Division 1 Féminine 22 10 5 2 — 4 1 31 13
2012–13 21 6 5 2 — 0 0 26 8
2013–14 22 6 3 0 — 1 0 26 6
2014–15 17 11 3 2 — 7 1 27 14
2015–16 7 3 2 0 — 4 0 13 3
Total 89 36 18 6 – 16 2 123 44
Lyon 2016–17 Division 1 Féminine 2 0 4 1 — 0 0 6 1
2017–18 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 4 1 – 0 0 6 1
Lille (loan) 2017–18 Division 1 Féminine 10 1 0 0 — 0 0 10 1
Dijon 2018–19 Division 1 Féminine 17 6 2 3 — 0 0 19 9
West Ham United 2019–20 Women's Super League 14 2 0 0 4 5 — 18 7
2020–21 18 3 0 0 2 0 — 20 3
Total 32 5 0 0 6 5 — 38 10
Everton 2021–22 Women's Super League 20 0 3 1 4 0 — 27 1
Aston Villa 2022–23 Women's Super League 21 5 4 1 5 1 — 30 7
2023–24 17 1 1 0 5 0 — 23 1
2024–25 3 0 0 0 1 0 — 4 0
Total 41 6 5 1 11 1 — 57 8
Career total 234 55 34 13 21 6 16 2 305 76

International

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As of match played 4 April 2025[50]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
France 2014 5 1
2015 9 1
2016 5 0
2017 0 0
2018 3 2
2019 3 0
2020 6 1
2021 8 4
2022 10 1
2023 13 2
2024 13 1
2025 1 0
Total 76 13
Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dali goal.
List of international goals scored by Kenza Dali[51]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 26 November 2014 Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France  Brazil 2–0 2–0 Friendly
2 6 March 2015 Estádio Algarve, Loulé, Portugal  Denmark 3–0 4–1
3 9 October 2018 Stade des Alpes, Grenoble, France  Cameroon 4–0 6–0
4 5–0
5 1 December 2020 Stade de la Rabine, Vannes, France  Kazakhstan 6–0 12–0 2022 UEFA Women's Euro qualification
6 10 June 2021 Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg, France  Germany 1–0 1–0 Friendly
7 22 October 2021 Stade Dominique Duvauchelle, Créteil, France  Estonia 11–0 11–0 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
8 26 October 2021 Astana Arena, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan  Kazakhstan 2–0 5–0
9 26 November 2021 Stade de la Rabine, Vannes, France  Kazakhstan 6–0 6–0
10 2 September 2022 Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 2–0 9–0
11 18 February 2023 Stade Raymond Kopa, Angers, France  Uruguay 2–1 5–1 2023 Tournoi de France
12 8 August 2023 Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia  Morocco 2–0 4–0 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
13 25 July 2024 Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu, France  Colombia 2–0 3–2 2024 Summer Olympics

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: France (FRA)" (PDF). FIFA. 11 July 2023. p. 10. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Fédération Française de Football". Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  3. ^ "2015 World Cup" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Football féminin : polémique après l'autorisation du port du voile". Le Parisien. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  5. ^ Cédric Lecocq (December 2013). "Le rêve éveillé de Kenza Dali" (in French). Le Parisien. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  6. ^ Wrack, Suzanne (31 October 2019). "West Ham's Kenza Dali: 'Football was my escape. I had a bad life then'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Kenza Dali : « Ma mère c'est un super héros »". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  8. ^ Pellissier, Pauline (14 June 2016). "Kenza Dali (PSG/Équipe de France) : "Même sur Instagram, je suis très football"..." Grazia (in French). Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Here Come the Girls". French Football Weekly. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  10. ^ "Kenza Dali savoure la victoire du PSG". UEFA. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  11. ^ "Kenza Dali : « Ma meilleure saison". Le Parisien. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  12. ^ a b Hozé, Alexandre (15 July 2022). "Kenza Dali, la surprise à répétition". ÀBLOCK! (in French). Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Kenza Dali signe à Rodez". FootoFeminin (in French). 25 July 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  14. ^ "Cinq choses à savoir sur Kenza Dali". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  15. ^ "Kenza Dali: Tout a Changé". Paris St. Germain. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  16. ^ "PSG : Kenza Dali poursuit sa rééducation". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Soyaux vs Olympique Lyon - 11 September 2016". uk.women.soccerway.com.
  18. ^ "DFCO - Au cœur des Rouges : Kenza Dali, le Bleu lui va si bien - ici". ici, le média de la vie locale (in French). 10 October 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Kenza Dali : "retrouver mon meilleur niveau"". www.losc.fr (in French).
  20. ^ "Kenza Dali prêtée par Lyon à Lille (D1 féminine)". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Dijon vs Montpellier - 25 August 2018". uk.women.soccerway.com.
  22. ^ "West Ham United capture France international Kenza Dali". www.whufc.com.
  23. ^ "Arsenal vs West Ham - 8 September 2019". uk.women.soccerway.com.
  24. ^ "Brighton and Hove Albion vs West Ham United - 13 October 2019". uk.women.soccerway.com.
  25. ^ Fisher, Bethany (21 May 2021). "West Ham announce the departure of eight senior players". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Kenza Dali: France midfielder completes move to Everton Women on two-year deal after leaving West Ham". www.skysports.com.
  27. ^ "Everton vs Manchester City - 4 September 2021". uk.women.soccerway.com.
  28. ^ "Charlton Athletic vs Everton - 27 February 2022". uk.women.soccerway.com.
  29. ^ "Dali Leaves Everton". Everton FC. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  30. ^ a b "Kenza Dali: Aston Villa Women's assist machine on a mission to entertain at Villa Park". Aston Villa Football Club. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Kenza Dali joins Villa Women!". www.avfc.co.uk. 5 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Aston Villa 4-3 Manchester City: Rachel Daly scores twice on debut as hosts win seven-goal thriller". BBC Sport. 18 September 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Kenza Dali signs contract extension!". www.avfc.co.uk. 2 June 2023.
  34. ^ "Aston Villa beat Brighton in shootout to reach semis". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  35. ^ Grueskin, Birgen (24 January 2025). "San Diego Wave FC Acquires French Midfielder Kenza Dali". San Diego Wave Fútbol Club. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  36. ^ Kenza Dali at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  37. ^ Grueskin, Birgen (29 March 2025). "San Diego Wave FC Falls 2-1 to Orlando Pride at Inter&Co Stadium". San Diego Wave Fútbol Club. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  38. ^ Grueskin, Birgen (19 April 2025). "San Diego Wave FC Earns 4-1 Road Win Over Racing Louisville FC". San Diego Wave Fútbol Club. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  39. ^ O'Keefe, Megan (2 May 2025). "San Diego Wave FC Midfielder Kenza Dali and Forward Delphine Cascarino Named to NWSL Best XI for April". San Diego Wave Fútbol Club. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  40. ^ Grueskin, Birgen (3 July 2025). "San Diego Wave FC Midfielder Kenza Dali Named to NWSL Best XI for June". San Diego Wave Fútbol Club. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  41. ^ "France - Brésil" (in French). Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  42. ^ "Championnat d'Europe de l'UEFA 2022: Liste des joueuses retenues" (PDF). Fédération Française de Football. 30 May 2022.
  43. ^ "Les vingt-trois Bleues retenues pour la Coupe du monde". www.fff.fr.
  44. ^ "France vs. Morocco highlights: France cruises to 4-0 win over Morocco". FOX Sports. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  45. ^ "2023 Women's World Cup: Australia gripped by penalty drama on historic night". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  46. ^ "2023 Women's World Cup: Australia gripped by penalty drama on historic night". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  47. ^ Mayen, Phillipe. "La liste des Bleues pour les JO". www.fff.fr (in French).
  48. ^ "Kenza Dali" (in French). footofeminin. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  49. ^ "France - K. Dali - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Women Soccerway". uk.women.soccerway.com. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  50. ^ "Equipe de France A - Kenza Dali". Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  51. ^ "Equipe de France A - Kenza Dali". footofeminin.fr. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
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