Abdou Traore

A professional football player from Mali, Abdoulaye Traore is midfielder who has gone on to represent his country at the international level. Traore began his playing career at the youth team at Cercle Olympique de Bamako, in his home town back in Mali. From 2003 to 2005, he impressed scouts who got him an opportunity at the FC Girondins de Bordeaux youth academy.

In 2006, he moved to France and, for two seasons, was part of the academy at the club. When he graduated from the youth academy, Traore didn’t get an opportunity to play for the first team at Bordeaux and had to go back to Mali and re-join his old club at Bamako. He played one season at the Malian Premiere Division before being signed up by Bordeaux as a professional player.

Traore had played 47 times for CO Bamako and scored 14 goals, enough to impress Bordeaux who brought him in, in 2008. Since 2008, Bordeaux have played him 32 times although Traore did spend the 2010-11 season out on loan to OGC Nice, where he played 23 times and scored a goal. For Bordeaux, Traore has made 32 appearances and scored once.

Since 2009, Traore has been a regular fixture in the Malian national team, although he has made just five appearances for his country, so far, scoring once.