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They were one of the surprise teams at the U17 World Cup in 2023. Mali, coached by Soumaila Coulibaly, reached the semifinal of the tournament and, after losing to France, beat Argentina in the final for third place. Issa Traore was one of the standout players and was signed by Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen after the tournament.
The defender played every minute at the tournament despite being one of the few players born in 2007 and only turning 16 during the World Cup. Playing as the left-side center-back, he was one of the main reasons that Mali only conceded four goals and had the second-best defense behind only France.
During the tournament, Traore played for Djoliba AC Bamako in his native Mali and will remain there for all of 2025. FIFA regulations mean he can’t move to Europe until he turns 18 in January 2026. Until then, the tall and athletic center-back is expected to visit Leverkusen a few times and train with the U19.
The transfer has also yet to be officially announced. At the start of the year, Traore had a three-week trial with the Bundesliga club—and he convinced. Contract talks were conducted following the trial, and in October, the transfer was leaked to the public. The player posted pictures on Instagram that showed him wearing a Leverkusen shirt. Leverkusen have reportedly paid no more than a compensation fee.
Leverkusen beat out a long list of competitors to secure Traore’s signature. Olympique Marseille, Olympique Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, Stade Rennes, Stade Reims, Red Bull Salzburg, and Bayern Munich were interested.
How did Leverkusen do it? Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast; he has since joined Atalanta), and Amine Adli (Morocco) were stars at the Africa Cup last January. The club also has Victor Boniface under contract; the Nigerian missed the tournament with an injury. As a result, Leverkusen have developed an excellent reputation in Africa.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2007 and 2008. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
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