Player Profile: Idrissa Gueye

In football, some players live in the spotlight, defined by their goals, their flamboyant skills, their highlight reels. Others, like Idrissa Gana Gueye, earn respect by doing the work few are willing to do — closing space, winning duels, harrying opponents, and keeping their teams balanced. At 34, Gueye has become the embodiment of Everton’s fight for stability in a turbulent era. He may not score often or make headlines with assists, but his presence is the heartbeat of a midfield that would otherwise struggle to hold shape.

Early Roots and the Road to Everton

Born in Dakar in 1989, Gueye’s football education began at the famed Diambars Institute, a Senegalese academy co-founded by Patrick Vieira and dedicated to nurturing African talent. Like many graduates, Gueye left home for Europe, joining Lille’s academy in 2008. It was there that he began shaping his game into what we know today: industrious, disciplined, and intelligent.

He broke into Lille’s first team at a time when the club was riding high, fresh from their Ligue 1 triumph in 2011. By the time he left in 2015, Gueye had developed into a dependable midfielder — not flashy, but trusted. That trust earned him a move to Aston Villa, his first taste of English football.

Villa, however, were in turmoil. Gueye was one of the few bright spots in a side that spiraled into relegation in 2016. For most players, relegation would dim their Premier League prospects. For Gueye, it had the opposite effect. Everton triggered his £7.1m release clause, seeing in him a profile that could transform their midfield.

First Spell at Goodison: From Underrated to Indispensable

When Gueye first walked through the doors at Finch Farm in 2016, he was not a marquee signing. But almost immediately, his numbers spoke louder than any headline could. In his debut season, he ranked among the top tacklers and interceptors in the Premier League, second only to N’Golo Kanté — the player with whom he is most often compared.

But while Kanté’s fairytale rise at Leicester City was bathed in glory, Gueye’s work was quieter, often overlooked. Still, Everton fans knew what they had: a midfielder who seemed to be everywhere at once, breaking up play, protecting defenders, and giving the team a platform to play.

Over three seasons, Gueye became a mainstay under multiple managers. He even chipped in with the occasional goal, though it was never his primary function. What mattered was his consistency — whether Everton were fighting for European spots or merely survival, Gueye was the constant in the middle.

Parisian Interlude: A Taste of the Elite

By 2019, his performances had attracted suitors from the very top. Paris Saint-Germain swooped in, paying around £30m to take him back to Ligue 1. For Gueye, it was a chance to test himself on the Champions League stage, to share a dressing room with Neymar, Mbappé, and Messi.

In Paris, he lifted domestic trophies and played in high-profile European nights, including PSG’s run to the 2020 Champions League final. But though he contributed at the highest level, Gueye was never the star in Paris. He was the glue, the facilitator, the one tasked with sweeping up when attacks broke down.

Yet even amid the glamour of the Parc des Princes, he admitted something was missing: the feeling of home he had found at Everton.

The Return: Homecoming in a Time of Crisis

When Gueye returned to Goodison Park in 2022, it was more than just a transfer. It was a reunion. Everton were in crisis — battling financial problems, points deductions, managerial churn, and flirtations with relegation. They needed experience, resilience, and a player who understood the club’s heartbeat.

Gueye delivered. Even as age advanced, his tackling numbers remained elite. In the 2024/25 campaign alone, he registered 128 tackles in the Premier League — among the highest in Europe’s top five leagues. And while his legs may not carry him quite as far as they once did, his reading of the game has sharpened with time. He positions himself smartly, intercepts danger before it escalates, and sets a tone of commitment that resonates with teammates.

For Everton fans, Gueye’s return symbolizes something deeper: continuity in a club where so much has been uncertain. His energy on the pitch mirrors the grit of the terraces, his humility reflects the values Everton supporters hold dear.

Style of Play: The Invisible Engine

To understand Gueye’s value, you must look past goals and assists. He has never been an attacking midfielder, nor a playmaker who sprays Hollywood passes. Instead, his craft lies in disruption.

He wins tackles at a rate few in the Premier League can match, closing down spaces with remarkable timing. Across his Everton career, he has racked up over 800 successful tackles and nearly 500 interceptions — evidence of a midfielder who doesn’t just chase shadows but anticipates where danger will arise. His passing is steady, safe, and often understated; he has completed more than 10,000 passes in Everton colours, most of them short, incisive, and geared toward maintaining possession rather than gambling on creativity.

Going forward, the numbers are modest: seven goals and nine assists in nearly 230 league appearances for Everton. But they tell you what Gueye is — and what he isn’t. He is the platform, the balance, the one who allows others to play with freedom, because they know he will be there to clean up behind them.

International Stage: The Lion of Teranga

Beyond Merseyside, Gueye is a giant of Senegalese football. With more than a century of caps, he has been part of the nation’s golden generation, culminating in Senegal’s historic Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 2022. His role mirrored what he does at club level — shield the defence, win battles, and allow attacking stars like Sadio Mané to flourish.

For Senegal, as for Everton, he is not always the headline act. But ask his teammates, and they will tell you he is indispensable.

Legacy and What Comes Next

At 35, the end of Gueye’s career is closer than the beginning. Yet his influence shows no sign of waning. For Everton, a club still trying to navigate its way through uncertainty, Gueye remains a rare constant: a player who understands the badge, who fights for every ball, and who brings calm to chaos.

When he eventually leaves, Everton will not just lose a midfielder. They will lose a symbol of resilience, a reminder that not all heroes are measured by goals or glamour. Some are measured by the dirt on their shorts, the tackles won in midfield, and the roar of a crowd who knows a true grafter when they see one.

And that is Idrissa Gana Gueye: relentless, unglamorous, indispensable.