Nicolas Pepe Biography: Net Worth, Salary, Family, Lifestyle and Career Stats

Nicolas Pepe, once a household name of the Premier League club Arsenal, plays as forward for Villarreal CF in La Liga currently. The France-born winger has pledged his services to Ivory Coast since the beginning of his international career. Rising through the ranks of Solitaire Paris Est and Poitiers, Pepe went on to represent major clubs like Lille, Arsenal and Nice before playing in La Liga for the Yellow Submarine.

The 29-year-old tall striker, widely known for his intense workload and ability to counter quickly, won the 2019-20 FA Cup title during his days with the Gunners. Pepe was also an important part of the Ivory Coast team that lifted the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2023. This article will take a close look at the biography, lifestyle, family, career stats, and net worth of Nicolas Pepe.

Nicolas Pepe Bio

Player name	Nicolas Pepe
Date of birth	29th May, 1995
Birth Place	Mantes-la-Jolie, France
Nationality	French
Height	1.83 m
Current teams	Villarreal CF, Ivory Coast national team
Position	Forward
Senior Debut	2013
Jersey number	19
Net worth	£30 million
Agent	Luis Ferrer
Yearly salary	£3 million
Instagram Followers	1 million

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Nicolas Pepe Net Worth and Salary

Salary (Annual)	Season
£3 million	2024-25
£2.5 million	2023-24
£5.6 million	2022-23
£8.2 million	2021-22

The former Arsenal winger, Nicolas Pepe is reported to have an estimated net worth of around £30 million, as of February 2025. The most contribution to his massive net worth has come from the wages paid by different clubs he has played in so far. He currently earns around £3 million per year at Villarreal in salary. 

Brand Endorsements/ Advertisements

There is not too much information available right now regarding the sponsorships and brand endorsements associated with Nicolas Pepe. During his stint in the English Premier League, the official sponsor of Arsenal, Emirates endorsed the Villarreal winger for two years.

Nicolas Pepe Family & Wife

Nicolas Pepe was born to Celestin and Kathy Pepe, the two Ivory Coast nationals who used to work as a prison guard and a housekeeper respectively in Paris suburbs. Pepe grew up alongside his two siblings – Jonathan and Corinne. 

Once the record-signing of Arsenal has a beautiful wife Fanny B and they have maintained a beautiful relationship since their marriage in 2019. The hot couple welcomed their first child in 2020.

Nicolas Pepe Early Life

Born in an Ivory Coast immigrant family, Nicolas Pepe began his football career as a goalkeeper for a local amateur club Solitaire Paris Est due to his fragile physique. After a few years at Poitiers, Pepe worked hard to develop his physique and became a regular member of the club’s playing XI. At that club, he first played as a forward and began to understand his scoring prowess.

Following an impressive 2012-13 season, Angers, a club from Southern France offered Nicolas Pepe his first professional contract. Then everything in his life went upward.

Nicolas Pepe Career

Club Career

In 2012-2017: Pepe faced a lot of barriers in the initial stage of his club career as he was forced to wear gloves and stand between the sticks for his lean body, which many deemed unfit to operate in the middle of the front. However, after getting recruited by Poitiers, Pepe was given a chance to move up on the turf. Following an impactful 2014-15 season, the young winger was sent to Orleans on a loan deal. 

Pepe continued to impress the fans and clubs alike and returned to Angers after helping Orleans earn promotion in Championnat National. For his explosive performance, the French international was handed his Ligue 1 debut in 2017. 

In 2017-2019: Nicolas Pepe signed a five-year deal with Lille for a reported fee of €10 million. In his debut season, the forward was a regular part of his new club’s setup, having missed only two games and scored 13 times in the process. He was pivotal in Lille’s famous 5-1 win over PSG in 2019 when he scored one and assisted twice. His incredible 19-goal tally in the 2018-19 season earned him multiple transfer offers from several top European clubs.

In 2019-2023: Arsenal broke their transfer record by signing Nicolas Pepe for €79 million. The French forward completed a winning debut in the English Premier League in a 1-0 victory against Newcastle United. He also led the Gunners’ charge to lift a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford with Mikel Arteta in his first match as a manager. Pepe also accumulated an assist in Arsenal’s FA Cup title victory against Chelsea. However, he lost the favor of Arteta and was sent to Nice on loan. 

In 2023-2025: Nicolas Pepe moved to Trabzonspor, a Turkish professional club. After playing one season for them, he joined Villarreal and is currently operating in La Liga.

Club name	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Angers	49	6	2
US Orleans	33	9	2
Lille	79	37	18
Arsenal	112	27	21
OGC Nice	28	8	0
Trabzonspor	23	6	3
Villarreal	17	1	2

International Career

Despite being born in France, Nicolas Pepe has represented Ivory Coast on the international level because of his family roots. In 2016, he received his first international call-up and made his debut against France in a friendly. He has not savored the taste of success for Ivory Coast due to a poor run of form in the national jersey. But, he was a part of the nation’s team when they lifted the 2023 African Cup of Nations. Pepe scored his first international goal against Togo.

Appearances
Goals
Assists

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Nicolas Pepe Awards & Achievements

• FA Cup: 2019–20
• Africa Cup of Nations: 2023
• Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2018–19
• Prix Marc-Vivien Foé: 2019
• Lille Player of the Season: 2018–19 
• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2020–21

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