Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe, The $95 Million Arsenal Signee

Pepe was a classic outside forward for Lille. He began in wide positions before settling in the inner channel or central lane, as close to the goal as possible, in order to get a shot off. On a weekly basis, his aggressive running and dribbling caused trouble for Ligue 1 defenders; a large majority of his goals came after he had outpaced an opponent and then bent a left-footed shot into the far corner.

After struggling against a greater range of defenders in the Premier League, he has not been as fortunate. Pepe had some success getting in behind in France, making runs between the opposing left-back and center-back to get through on goal, but he has found it difficult to find comparable opportunities in the Premier League.

As a result, he has significantly fewer clear-cut opportunities and scores far fewer goals. Pepe averaged 0.8 shots on target per 90 minutes in Premier League games during his first 18 months with Arsenal, exactly half of the 1.6 he averaged in Ligue 1 during his final season at Lille.

The Ivorian has glimpses of brilliance, especially when it comes to close control to beat an opponent, but he needs to improve his dribbling consistency.

He can defeat most defenders, but he has trouble closing down quickly, especially when his opponent takes a hard approach. Pepe is too easily muscled off-balance and off the ball, thus he has to improve his ball-handling and evasive skills. As Riyad Mahrez, Dwight McNeil, and Diogo Jota have demonstrated, an apparent lack of physical presence should not be an obstacle to Premier League success.

Providing the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe

By reading these quick facts, you will have a more clear image of the footballer in your mind.

Quick Facts

• Full Name:

   Nicolas Pepe

• Nicknames:

   Nico, Bip Bip

• Date of Birth:

   29 May 1995

• Place of Birth:

   Mantes-la-Jolie, France

• Age:

   26

• Nationality:

   French

• Height:

   1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)

• Weight:

   73 kg

• Marital Status:

   Married

• Girlfriend: 

  Fanny B

• Market Value: 

  £31.50m

• Position:

   Winger, Forward

• Current Team:

   Arsenal

• Jersey Number:

   19

Nicolas Pepe Upbringing Years and Family Roots

Nicolas Pepe was born in the commune of Mantes-la-Jolie in north-central France on the 29th of May 1995 to his mother and father, Papa Celestin.

Nicolas Pepe came from an impoverished household with humble roots.

Despite the fact that he was born in France, his parents are Ivorians who moved to France in the mid-1990s in search of a better life.

The footballer's parents had to look for work when they arrived in Paris. His father, Celestin, became a prison warder, while his mother remained a housekeeper.

Nico was born to them and raised in the commune of Mantes-la-Jolie.

His parents decided to move to Poitiers, western France, later in his childhood after his father found a job there.

There were no toys or games when he was a kid in Northeast Paris. Nicolas only did one thing: kick his soccer balls, one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe. 

He was always enthralled with the ball at his feet. His education reached a pinnacle point when he was six years old.

This was the point at which he was approached by his teacher, who asked him, “Nicolas, what do you want to do in life?” "When I grow up," Nicolas said, "I want to be a professional football player."

Nico's teacher was taken aback by his decision because he had no idea Nico was so determined to achieve his ambitions.

As a result, he decided to assist the kid. Following France's victory at the 1998 World Cup, a large number of African migrants took up football.

Our young lad was no different. Despite this, he continued his education while also playing football until he was in his early teenage years.

Nico was never a member of a beginner's academy for children aged 5 to 9, another one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe.

Nicolas Pepe Career Buildout

Nicolas' persistent interest in soccer led to his passing trials and enrolling with Poitiers FC, a local French team (now known as Stade Poitevin).

The senior team of the club competed in the French fifth-tier league at the time. Everyone was blown away by his talent on the ball when he first joined the team.

Despite his solid results at the youth level, football scouts from larger academies were put off by Nicolas Pepe's great physique and concerns about his temperament, one of the

Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe.

There were rumors that the youngster was unreliable or sluggish in certain scenarios. As a result of this, no one contacted him or appreciated him.

Pepe understood exactly what he wanted, despite the doubts of football scouts and other recruiters. He regained his form after becoming a regular in Poitiers' first team.

Nicolas Pepe's excellent form continued as he played a key role in the Poitiers' 3-1 victory, which saved them from relegation in the 2012-2013 season.

As a result of his achievements, he was offered a contract with Angers, a football club in Western France. This was the pivotal moment in Nicolas Pepe's career. It all took place on a very lovely day. 

It was the day Nicolas was spotted by Sporting Director Luis Campos at a match he was playing in.

Despite the fact that the former

scout was there to observe a player from the rival squad.

However, after seeing Pepe, he had no interest in any other soccer player, not even the one he had come to scout, another one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe.

This "love at first sight" was strengthened when Pepe equalized brilliantly in the 82nd minute.

In an interview with France Football, Campos said, "I quickly fell in love with him."

After seeing enough of Pepe, he told Lille's new owner that he wanted to buy the French-Ivorian star.

On August 26, 2014, he made his professional debut in Angers as a 73rd-minute replacement for Yohann Eudeline in a 2–1 home loss to Arles-Avignon in the second round of the Coupe de la Ligue.

On November 21, 2014, he played his debut Ligue 2 match, a 1–1 Ligue 2 tie away to

.

The young soccer player was loaned to Orleans for the 2015–16 Championnat National, where he was instrumental in the club's promotion from the third tier as runner-up.

He rejoined the

team in Ligue 1 that advanced to the 2017 Coupe de France Final, where he started in a 1–0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade de France.

Nicolas Pepe Path to Prominence

Pepe signed a five-year contract with

on June 21, 2017, for a maximum transfer fee of €10 million, after being examined by head coach Marcelo Bielsa, who had watched footage of every Ligue 1 game he had participated in for Angers before scouting him in person, one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe.

Bielsa is "special" and a "great coach," according to Pepe. He began the season as a striker after being converted to the position by Bielsa, before concluding the season as a winger under new Lille head coach Christophe Galtier.

He was a regular in a Lille side that barely escaped relegation in the 2017–18

season, missing only two games and netting 13 goals, including two each in away wins against Metz and Toulouse.

The Ivorian winger produced a hat-trick, including two penalties, in a 3–2 away win over Amiens on September 15, 2018, during the 2018–19 Ligue 1 season.

A few days later, club president Gerard Lopez said that Barcelona was one of several clubs looking to sign him, another one of the

Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe.

Pepe scored a goal and added two assists in a 5–1 home triumph over Paris Saint-Germain on April 14, 2019.

He was chosen to the UNFP Team of the Year after finishing the 2018–19 Ligue 1 season with 22 goals and 11 assists, second only to PSG's

.

Nicolas Pepe Ascend to Prominence

Pepe joined

club Arsenal for a club-record sum of €79 million (£72 million) on August 1, 2019, surpassing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's previous record of €62 million, one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe. He was given the number 19 shirt when he joined Arsenal.

The footballer made his Arsenal debut in a 1–0 away win over Newcastle United on August 11th, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute for Reiss Nelson.

Two weeks later, he made his first appearance for the club in a 3–1 loss to Liverpool, in which he played the entire 90 minutes.

On September 22, he netted his first Arsenal goal, a penalty kick, in Arsenal's 3–2 home triumph over Aston Villa.

On October 24, the great winger produced two free-kicks in

's 3–2 home win over Vitoria de Guimaraes in the UEFA Europa League.

Pepe scored Arsenal's first goal in a 2–0 home win over Manchester United on January 1, 2020, marking new head coach Mikel Arteta's first win. 

Pepe scored once and assisted twice in a 4–0 triumph over

on February 16.

In a 2–1 away win against Sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter-finals on June 28, he scored his first FA Cup goal from the penalty spot in the 25th minute, giving Arsenal the advantage.

He played the entire 90 minutes of the FA Cup Final against Chelsea on August 1 to win his first club trophy as an Arsenal player, as well as providing the assist for

's second goal.

Thw winger was sent off for the first time in his career in a 0–0 away draw against Leeds United on November 22, 2020, after headbutting Ezgjan Alioski in the 51st minute.

In a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on February 2, 2021, he beat two defenders before scoring; that goal was later voted Goal of the Month for February on Arsenal's official website, another one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe.

Pepe was born in France to Ivorian parents. In November 2016, he was called up to the

, and on November 12, he was an unused replacement in a goalless draw away to Morocco in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

He made his debut three days later in a friendly against his native country, France, at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, replacing Max-Alain Gradel for the final four minutes.

The 26-year-old was nominated to Michel Dussuyer's 23-man team for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, however, he did not play because the Elephants were knocked out of their group.

He scored his first international goals in a friendly against Togo in France on March 24, 2018, in the first half of a 2–2 tie.

Three days later, he scored again in the same stadium, this time in a 2–1 triumph over Moldova.

Pepe was called up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. He was absent from their quarter-final penalty shootout defeat by

, having been dropped for Max Alain Gradel due to a lack of form.

Nicolas Pepe Personal & Love Life

Fanny B, Nicolas Pepe's long-term partner, is his wife. There is no official word on how long the pair have been together, but we assume Fanny and Pepe have been dating since 2017.

The couple married in a secret wedding ceremony in France, which was attended by all of their closest family members and friends.

One of the

Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe

is that the Ivorian player didn't mention anything about his marriage on social media, but it's even stranger that his sister, who is quite active on Instagram, didn't post anything about it.

Fanny B is 26 years old, having been born on October 4, 1995. Fanny's zodiac sign is Libra, which implies she is a social creature who enjoys being in the company of people, according to her birthday.

We couldn't figure out what her real name is. Fanny is a French national because she was born in France. 

We assume Fanny is a full-time mother who is currently unemployed, but we don't know what her occupation was prior to the pregnancy.

She is still new to social media, having only started using Instagram in 2020, she is still quite popular though, with over 6K followers, but she is more active on creating stories rather than posts.

Pepe and Fanny surprised Arsenal fans when they announced the birth of their first child. No one knew Fanny was expecting because she and Pepe kept it a secret.

Fanny gave birth to their first child, a son named Isaiah Pepe, on July 4, 2020.

Knowing Nicolas Pepe's personal details will help you form a more complete picture of him. To begin with, he has a quick-witted personality.

Pepe is a friendly, outgoing individual who is always up for a good time with his pals. He does, however, get serious and thoughtful at times.

These are the times when he considers his future. Finally, the soccer enthusiast has the persistent feeling that there isn't enough time in his life to do what he wants.

Nicolas Pepe Networth & LifeStyle

The winger signed a contract with Arsenal in August 2019 that pays him a hefty 5.7 million Euro (5.2 million Pounds) each year.

According to calculations, he earns €28,257 (£25,580) every day and €1,177 (£1,066) each hour! This means that to earn the same amount as he does in a month, the average man must work for at least 14.3 years.

LOSC Lille, a Ligue 1 team, was where the player established his name. The big European clubs took notice of his 22 goals, 11 assists, and subsequent UNFP Team of the Year selection in the 2018/19 Ligue 1 season.

He joined Arsenal in the Premier League in 2019 for a club-record price. His net worth is estimated to be around €30 million (£27 million), and his market value is in the same neighborhood.

With this type of cash, he is unquestionably a millionaire, one of the Top Facts about Nicolas Pepe. However, this fact does not translate into a lavish lifestyle.

Nicolas Pepe is a smart businessman when it comes to his football finances. This entails either cutting back on his spending or altering his lifestyle.

Nicolas Pepe Family

Nico's achievement is due to his loving parents and family members. His father, for example, gave up everything to ensure a brighter future for his son.

Nicolas' father, Celestine Pepe, was a professional footballer who never made it. Through his son Nicolas, Papa Celestin decided to fulfill his dreams. 

This was the turning point in his decision to give up his job as a prison superintendent in order to provide for his little son.

Celestin worked and made time to go to his son's training sessions. In order to be closer to his son, he went so far as to obtain a license as a soccer educator.

Nicolas looks to have a nice relationship with his mother, based on his social media accounts. 

He has siblings too, one of them is Kwame Pepe, as well as other close relatives. Pepe's dedication to ensuring his parents' comfort and happiness is truly admiring.

Read More:

Follow 

for the