Adama Traoré (footballer, born 1996)

Adama Traoré Diarra (born 25 January 1996) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or wing-back for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Traoré and the second or maternal family name is Diarra.
Adama Traoré
Traoré playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020
Personal information
Full name Adama Traoré Diarra[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-25) 25 January 1996[2]
Place of birth L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Playing position(s) Winger / wing-back
Club information
Current team
 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number 37
Youth career
Hospitalet
2004–2013 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Barcelona B 63 (8)
2013–2015 Barcelona 1 (0)
2015–2016 Aston Villa 11 (0)
2016–2018 Middlesbrough 61 (5)
2018– Wolverhampton Wanderers 57 (5)
National team
2012 Spain U16 5 (0)
2012–2013 Spain U17 5 (1)
2013–2014 Spain U19 6 (0)
2018 Spain U21 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:33, 2 April 2020 (UTC)

He began his career with Barcelona, appearing mainly for the reserves. In 2015 he signed for Aston Villa and a year later Middlesbrough, before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2018.

Traoré represented Spain at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels.

Club career

Barcelona
Traoré playing for Barcelona B in 2012

Traoré was born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia to Malian parents.[4] He joined Barcelona's youth setup in 2004 at the age of eight, after a brief period with neighbouring CE L'Hospitalet.[5] In 2013 he was promoted to the B-team, and made his debut on 6 October in a 1–0 away defeat against SD Ponferradina for the Segunda División championship.[6]

On 9 November 2013, Traoré came on as a half-time substitute but was sent off for conceding a penalty in a 0–3 loss to Real Jaén at the Mini Estadi.[7] Two weeks later, he played his first La Liga game at the age of only 17, replacing Neymar late on in the 4–0 home win over Granada CF;[8] he made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League on 26 November, coming on for Cesc Fàbregas in the 82nd minute of a 1–2 defeat away to AFC Ajax in the group stage.[9]

Traoré also featured for Barcelona's under-19 side in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Youth League, playing five times and netting twice as they won the trophy.[10] He scored his first goal for the Blaugrana's main squad on 16 December 2014, playing 16 minutes and contributing to an 8–1 home demolition of SD Huesca in the Copa del Rey.[11]

Aston Villa

On 14 August 2015, Traoré joined Premier League club Aston Villa on a five-year deal for a reported £7 million (€10 million) that could rise to €12 million, with Barcelona inserting a three-year buy-back clause in his contract.[12] He made his debut eight days later against Crystal Palace, and his cross led to an own goal from Pape Souaré eight minutes after he had entered the game as a substitute for Carlos Sánchez.[13] He scored his first goal three days later, the team's first of a 5–3 home win over Notts County in the second round in the League Cup.[14]

Traoré came on as a second-half substitute for the last-placed Villans away to relegation rivals Sunderland on 2 January 2016, and via a counter-attack he assisted compatriot Carles Gil's aerial volley equaliser – he was later replaced himself through injury, as his team lost 3–1.[15] Following that game, he was dropped from the team due to indiscipline,[16] as the season ended with relegation.

Middlesbrough

On 31 August 2016, Traoré signed a four-year contract with Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee and Albert Adomah moved in the opposite direction.[17] He made his debut on 10 September 2016 in a 1–2 home loss to Crystal Palace, replacing Cristhian Stuani for the final nine minutes;[18] during his first season, he took part in 31 matches without scoring.[19]

Traoré impressed during 2017–18, first under Garry Monk and then Tony Pulis, with his pace causing several problems for opposition defenders, including an impressive performance against Leeds United on 2 March 2018 in a 3–0 win.[20] He totalled five goals and ten assists during the campaign as his team reached the play-offs in the Championship,[21] where they were knocked out by his former side Aston Villa;[22] consequently, he won Middlesbrough's Fans' Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards.[23]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 8 August 2018, Traoré joined newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee[24] in the region of £18 million.[25] He scored his first goal for the team and in the Premier League on 1 September – in his 40th appearance in the competition – in a 1–0 win away to West Ham United.[26] His first start occurred on 27 October, in a 0–1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.[27]

On 6 October 2019, in his 50th competitive appearance for Wolves, Traoré scored both goals in a 2–0 away victory against reigning champions Manchester City.[28] He scored his first goal in UEFA European club football as Wolves drew 3–3 away to Braga in the UEFA Europa League group stage on 28 November.[29]

Traoré scored his debut Molineux goal for his club in a 1–2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 15 December 2019.[30] He won the PFA Player of the Month award for January 2020 with 45 percent of fan votes.[31]

International career

On 17 February 2014, the Malian Football Federation reported that Traoré and his older brother Mohamed had decided to represent Mali at senior level.[32] However, in an interview with BBC Sport in October 2015, the former stated that he was still considering his international options.[33] He made his debut for the Spanish under-21s on 22 March 2018, playing 15 minutes in the 5–3 away win over Northern Ireland for the 2019 UEFA European Championship qualifiers.[34]

In November 2019, Traoré declared that he wanted to play for Mali. However, days later he received his first call-up to the Spanish national team for Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Malta and Romania in place of injured Rodrigo.[35] He pulled out of the squad himself due to injury, and was replaced by Pablo Sarabia.[36]

In January 2020, he said he was undecided where his international future lay.[37]

Style of play

Tim Sherwood, Traoré's manager at Villa, compared him to both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, saying he had "a bit" of both. Catherine Wilson of ESPN FC credited his "athleticism", though also remarked that his "footballing brain and teamwork skills are definitely up for debate".[38] Remarking on his physique, the Belfast Telegraph stated "He's built like an absolute tank. Size of the arms on that man. One drive and it would be lights out".[39]

In 2018, ESPN's Matt Stanger acknowledged Traoré's pace and strength, and added that he "is now showing the composure to find the killer pass", while boasting "rapid acceleration" and "excellent close control to shield the ball from defenders"; Stanger also believed Traoré's "defensive contribution" to be developed, pointing his key weaknesses as "moments of recklessness" and "decision-making" which "continues to frustrate his teammates";[40] he was also described by Teesside Gazette's Philip Tallentire as a 'tallismanic playmaker', after his form during the 2017–18 season.[23]

While with Wolverhampton Wanderers, after his first three appearances as a substitute, Michael Butler of The Guardian reported: "Traoré has always been regarded as a rough diamond, lightning quick but perhaps lacking composure or an end product. [...] Per 90 minutes, nobody in the Premier League has created more chances than the 22-year-old or completed even half the number of successful dribbles: Eden Hazard has 5.56 to Traoré’s 11.87.

Personal life

Traoré's elder brother, Moha, is also a footballer.[41]

Career statistics
As of match played 27 June 2020[42]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barcelona B 2013–14 Segunda División 265————265
2014–15 Segunda División 373————373
Total 638————638
Barcelona 2013–14 La Liga 1000—1[lower-alpha 3]00020
2014–15 La Liga 0021—00—21
Total 1021—100041
Aston Villa 2015–16 Premier League 1000011——111
2016–17 Championship 100000——10
Total 1100011——121
Middlesbrough 2016–17 Premier League 2704000——310
2017–18 Championship 3452020—2[lower-alpha 4]0405
Total 6156020—20715
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2018–19 Premier League 2915020——361
2019–20 Premier League 314200013[lower-alpha 5]2—466
Total 6057020132—827
Career total 19618151511422023222
  1. Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearances in Championship play-offs
  5. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Barcelona Youth

Barcelona

Individual

References
  1. "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. "Adama Traore". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  3. "Adama Traoré: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  4. Gabilondo, Aritz (24 February 2012). ""Mis padres llegaron de Mali en los 80. Yo soy de Barcelona..."" ["My parents arrived from Mali in the 80s. I am from Barcelona..."]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  5. Capdevila, Josep (4 April 2013). "Adama Traore, juvenil de primer año, puede ser la gran novedad del Barça B el sábado" [Adama Traore, first-year juvenil, may be Barça B surprise Saturday]. Sport (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  6. "Ponferradina – Barça B: Un penalti condena al filial (1–0)" [Ponferradina – Barça B: Penalty condemns reserves (1–0)] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  7. "FC Barcelona B v Real Jaén: Bad luck in front of goal (0–3)". FC Barcelona. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  8. "Granada pay the penalty". ESPN FC. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  9. "Ajax claim Barcelona scalp to stay in contention". UEFA. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  10. "First Youth League title goes Barcelona's way". UEFA. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  11. Egea, Pablo (16 December 2014). "Los suplentes culés también cuentan" [The culé backups also count]. Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  12. "Adama Traore: Barcelona winger joins Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  13. Emons, Michael (22 August 2015). "Crystal Palace 2–1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  14. "Aston Villa 5–3 Notts County". BBC Sport. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  15. Young, Chris (2 January 2016). "Sunderland 3 Aston Villa 1: Jermain Defoe double secures priceless win". Sunderland Echo. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  16. Evans, Gregg (8 April 2016). "Will Adama Traore start for Aston Villa? Here's what Eric Black has to say on the matter". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  17. "Deadline day: Aston Villa's Adama Traore joins Boro". Middlesbrough F.C. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  18. Tallentire, Philip (12 September 2016). "Karanka on Adama Traore: 'I never bring a player in just to be on the bench'". Teesside Gazette. Middlesbrough. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  19. Lewis, Darren (20 June 2017). "Chelsea ready to make a shock move for Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore". Daily Mirror. London. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  20. Urquhart, Joe (2 March 2018). "Middlesbrough 3 Leeds United 0: Wiedwald faces wrath of Whites fans after Riverside defeat". Yorkshire Evening Post. Leeds. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  21. "Wolves complete signing of winger Traore". The New York Times. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  22. Scott, Ged (15 May 2018). "Aston Villa 0–0 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  23. Tallentire, Philip (7 May 2018). "Middlesbrough's award winner Adama Traore is linked with big money move in the summer". Teesside Gazette. Middlesbrough. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  24. "Traore completes Molineux move". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  25. Stone, Simon (29 January 2019). "Wolves in talks with Atletico Madrid over £18m deal for Jonny Castro Otto". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  26. Oscroft, Tim (1 September 2018). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–1 West Ham United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  27. "Brighton 1–0 Wolves: Match report". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  28. Stone, Simon (6 October 2019). "Man City 0–2 Wolves: Champions beaten at home". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  29. "Braga 3–3 Wolves: Premier League side progress after thrilling draw". BBC Sport. 28 November 2019.
  30. Poole, Harry (15 December 2019). "Wolves 1–2 Tottenham: Late Jan Vertonghen goal seals win for Jose Mourinho's side". BBC Sport.
  31. "Adama Traore crowned PFA player of the month for January". Express & Star. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  32. "Barca's Adama Traore to play for Mali". SuperSport. MultiChoice. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  33. Okeleji, Oluwashina (4 October 2015). "Aston Villa's Traore in no rush to decide international future". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  34. "International round-Up: Traore makes international bow". Middlesbrough F.C. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  35. Munday, Billy (10 November 2019). "Adama Traore called into Spain squad to replace injured Rodrigo". Marca. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  36. "Wolves' Adama Traore forced to withdraw from Spain squad". BBC Sport. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  37. "Wolves' winger Adama Traore yet to decide between Spain and Mali". BBC Sport. 3 January 2020.
  38. Wilson, Catherine (18 January 2017). "Boro would miss Traore's tenacity, urgency if he were sold to Chelsea". ESPN FC. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  39. Hanna, Gareth (22 March 2018). "Northern Ireland U21s 3–5 Spain U21s: Irish League stars shine against La Liga talent despite harsh defeat". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  40. Stanger, Matt (7 March 2018). "Scouting spotlight: Jonathan Tah, Adama Traore, Andrija Zivkovic". ESPN. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  41. Gascón, Javier (9 February 2014). "Mali viene a buscar a Adama" [Mali come to get Adama]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  42. "Adama Traoré: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  43. "El once ideal de la Liga Adelante 2013/14" [Liga Adelante's All-Star XI 2013/14] (in Spanish). Liga de Fútbol Profesional. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  44. Swarbrick, Rosie (3 February 2020). "Adama Traore crowned PFA player of the month for January". Express & Star. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
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