Joane Kouakou Gadou (born 17 January 2007) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg.
In 2024, Gadou was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2007 worldwide.
Club career Born in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis, Gadou's first youth team was ES Nangis in Nangis, Seine-et-Marne. Although a forward in his early days with the club, he was gradually moved down the pitch by his coaches, initially to midfield and finally to the defense, due to his great stature. Gadou was eventually recruited by the Paris Saint-Germain Academy in 2020, with scouts discovering him when he played in the second departmental division for ES Nangis. In the 2022–23 season, despite being only 16 years of age, Gadou was playing with the PSG under-19s in the Championnat National U19 and the UEFA Youth League, notably starting in PSG's defeat in the final of the former competition. In the second half of 2023, Le Parisien described Gadou as one of the "great hopes of the Parisian academy", and L'Équipe called him "one of the most promising French players in his position".
On 7 January 2024, Gadou was included in Paris Saint-Germain's first-team matchday squad for the first time, ahead of a Coupe de France match against Revel. He made his debut in a Ligue 1 squad on 1 March 2024, replacing the injured Danilo Pereira before a match against Monaco. Four days later, he was named in a UEFA Champions League squad for a match against Real Sociedad. With the under-19s, Gadou achieved success in the Championnat National U19, starting in the 3–1 win over Auxerre in the final on 16 June 2024. On 7 August 2024, he made his senior debut for PSG in a 2–2 draw against Sturm Graz in a friendly.
In August 2024, it was reported by L'Équipe and RMC Sport that Gadou had declined to sign a professional contract with PSG, and that he would be sold during the ongoing transfer window. On 3 September 2024, Gadou signed for Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg on a three-year contract. A fee of €10 million (not including bonuses) circulated in the media, making it PSG's record sale for a player younger than 18.
