Panathinaikos FC announces the signing of Alban Lafont on loan from French club Nantes! The 26-year-old French goalkeeper has signed a one-year contract and becomes the fourth addition to the Green roster for the new season.
Lafont was born on January 23, 1999, in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. At the age of nine, he moved to France, where he began playing football at the AS Lattoise academy, initially as an attacking midfielder and later as a goalkeeper. His talent quickly stood out. He signed with Toulouse in 2014 and, on November 28, 2015, against Nice, became the youngest goalkeeper ever to play in Ligue 1 – he was just 16 years old!
He kept eight clean sheets and played a key role in helping his team avoid relegation in the 2015–16 season. By the age of 18, he had already made 50 appearances in France’s top division, with his name ranked among the most promising goalkeepers worldwide. In 38 appearances during the 2016–17 season, he had 11 clean sheets, significantly contributing to Toulouse’s solid campaign.
In the 2017–18 season, where he recorded 12 clean sheets, the CIES Football Observatory ranked him as the second most promising player in the world, behind only Gianluigi Donnarumma and ahead of Kylian Mbappé.
After tallying 106 appearances for Toulouse and delivering several standout performances, he drew the attention of many clubs. In July 2018, he joined Italian side Fiorentina on a five-year deal worth around €8 million. He made 38 appearances for the Viola in the 2018–19 season, but the following summer returned to France with a two-year loan move to Nantes, including a €7 million purchase clause. The clause was activated in May 2021 after two impressive full seasons.
Over the next three years, he was a key starter and even captained Nantes several times, a testament to his character. Highlights of this period included winning the French Cup in 2022 and a strong European campaign in the 2023 Europa League, with Lafont playing a crucial role.
During his six-year stint at Nantes, he made 198 appearances and kept 47 clean sheets. In total, he has 278 Ligue 1 appearances and became – at just 23 years old – the youngest goalkeeper since 1951 to reach 200 matches in the French top flight.
Lafont has represented France at all youth levels and has also been called up to the senior national team.
We welcome Alban to the Panathinaikos family!
