From Paris To The World – Football’s Hottest Talent Factory1 min read
Ibrahima Traore smiles as he parks his black Range Rover outside the apartment block where his footballing story began.
He is back in Pantin, just outside the north-east corner of the peripherique – the ring road that separates central Paris from its suburbs.
Amid the din of sirens and the aroma of fast food, Traore buzzes in and takes the lift to the fifth floor. The doors open and his brother is waiting to welcome him back to their childhood home.
Inside, there are photos of the pair’s Guinean father and Lebanese mother, as well as shots of grandparents and younger generations of the family. Dominating the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, across a dual carriageway and tramline, is a vast sports complex, with two 4G football pitches.
“That’s our Camp Nou, our Anfield,” Traore says. “We used to jump over the fence at seven in the morning to practise our free-kicks. Before school and after school, it was football. Only football.”
For many of the kids growing up here, constant practice can lead to the ultimate reward – a career in the professional game.
Traore, now 35, played more than 250 games for four different clubs in Germany’s Bundesliga and captained Guinea at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
For many of the kids growing up here, constant practice can lead to the ultimate reward – a career in the professional game.
Traore, now 35, played more than 250 games for four different clubs in Germany’s Bundesliga and captained Guinea at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
