Chaka Traorè: A raw diamond waiting to be cut by Milan after fleeing from Africa
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Talents Calendar
An excellent first touch, a quick La Croqueta trick, the body placed between the ball and the opponent followed, a turn and a precise finish. Moments like the one in the game between Parma’s U15 and Ritorno 2019 are the ones that secured Chaka Traorè a short path from the fields in the Emilia Romagna to the Serie A. Traorè has overcome all odds to secure a place in professional football.
All the odds were against Traorè when he decided to flee Africa for Europe. In 2015 he took a small boat from Africa’s north coast with the aim to reach Italy. Once in Italy, Traorè and his agent, who was later found guilty of assisting illegal immigration, were headed to Parma. Traorè was traveling under a false name and was listed as Cissè in his passport. In Italy, the then 11-year-old took on various part-time jobs to survive before he finally was discovered by U.S. Audace—a prominent academy club in the provincial capital.
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That Kluiverth Aguilar would move to Europe was already certain last year. Signed by Manchester City, the right-back is currently under contract at Lommel SK, which also is part of the City Group.
For Xavi Simons the last season was a mixed back. First close to the first team, the talented attacking midfielder has been ignored by Mauricio Pochettino and is currently considering a transfer to another club.
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Hannibal Mejbri is the third player in the calendar to switch national teams. Previously with France, the Man United talent has since made the switch to Tunisia.
Not surprising Caden Clark will join RB Leipzig this winter. This year the 18-year-old played his first full season with New York Red Bulls with whom he was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
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Yusuf Demir has fulfilled his wish and joined FC Barcelona where he has already made his debut for the first team.
“He arrived here as an 11-year-old, together with an older man, who we thought was his brother,” Luigi Mavilla, Traorè’s first coach and president of the football school that is considered one of the best in the country said to Transfermarkt. He stayed with his age group for half a year; then, we sent him to the older group because of his talent. He always played on the left-wing.”
Like it is often the case with talented African players, there were discussions about Traorè’s age. Later a court even suspended the player to clear up his situation as a non-EU player. But neither stopped Traorè’s enthusiasm for the game. “He was on the training pitch every day, even on his own,” Mavilla said. “He has a passion for football. Once, he started juggling the ball and attracted the attention of spectators. Kids and staff stood around him. The ball never dropped to the ground. He was almost like one of those street artists who capture large crowds of pedestrians. An artist.”
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Scouts from Parma, to be precise Andrea Monica, then spotted Traorè at the 2017 regional amateur championships. Monica then recommended the player to Fausto Pizzi, the head of the club’s youth academy. Just one training session at the Ducali was enough to convince the club to sign him for their U17.
The rapid rise continued. After a few games with the U19, Traorè made his debut in the Serie A—the first player born in 2004. The club lost 1-3 to AC Milan, the same team he would join just a few months later. The Rossoneri want to give the attacking player the necessary time to get used to their system. Nobody doubts that Traorè is talented, but he needs to improve his tactical game.
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Traorè is a typical winger who benefits from his creativity, which ideally is supposed to improve his team. But at times, he still loses the ball in dangerous situations, and at times his decision-making still needs work in certain situations. At Milan, they are still describing the player as a raw diamond yet to be cut. But once cut, Traorè should have a fabulous career.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2003. 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.
