Bénie Traoré is 172 centimetres tall and already one of the Super League's biggest attractions after just 4 games. blue Sport met the tricky FCB speed dribbler.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The 21-year-old Ivorian Traoré provides spectacle and goals in Basel. That wasn't the case in his previous spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Nantes.
- "It's really good when you can get people excited again, when you can score again and play again," Traoré tells blue Sport.
- FC Basel play away against Sion on Saturday (18:00). blue Sport broadcasts all Super League matches live.
2 goals, 2 assists and countless spectacular moves. In the first four games of the Super League, Ivorian Bénie Traoré has already dribbled his way into the hearts of FCB fans.
The left winger is only 1.72 m tall, but is all the more agile and tricky. Although FCB reportedly paid 4.5 million euros to Sheffield United for Traoré, nobody expected the 21-year-old to hit the ground running so quickly. He went the whole of last season without scoring, first at Sheffield and then on loan at Nantes.
Most recently, he went 14 months without scoring
His last goal? At the beginning of June in a BK Häcken shirt in the Swedish league. 14 months without a goal. A difficult time. "It's really good when you can inspire people again, when you score again and can play again. It's really fun!", says Traoré to blue Sport.
And why FCB? "I knew the identity of the club and I know how FCB wants to play football. It's the football I like to play."
Traoré was threatened with the end of his career
At the age of 18, he left the Ivory Coast and his family and moved to Sweden to make a name for himself as a footballer in Europe. It wasn't easy, says Traoré. "I was all alone for a long time. That's just the sacrifice you have to make."
It became particularly difficult when he broke his tibia in spring 2022. It even threatened to end his career before it had really begun. "There were moments when I wondered whether I would make it back. But I never gave up, I always told myself: you have dreams that you want to realize."
His debut in Basel has been more than successful. And it's also easier off the pitch than elsewhere. Although his whole family still lives in the Ivory Coast, he is no longer completely alone in Basel. "I've had a girlfriend for a long time, she's with me now."
TV note
Basel play away against Sion on Saturday at 18:00. blue Sport broadcasts all Super League matches live.
