Adama Traoré (footballer, born 1990)
Adama Traoré | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 3, 1990 Bondoukou, Ivory Coast |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Known for | Playing as a left back for Melbourne Victory and Ivory Coast national team |
Adama Traoré (; born 3 February 1990) is a professional footballer from Ivory Coast who operates primarily as a left back and currently represents Melbourne Victory in the A-League Men.
Early career
Hailing from Bondoukou, Ivory Coast, Traoré initiated his football journey at the Ecole de Football Yéo Martial. After showcasing his talents during trials and impressing with his performances at the 2007 Toulon Tournament, he secured a three-year contract with the now-defunct A-League side Gold Coast United.<ref>Following the revocation of Gold Coast United's A-League license, Traoré was compelled to depart from the club.<ref>
Melbourne Victory
On 15 March 2012, Traoré committed to a two-year deal with Melbourne Victory, an A-League outfit. He made his first appearance in Round 1 against local adversaries Melbourne Heart, in a match that ended in a 2–1 defeat for Victory. In March 2013, he sustained a rupture to his high ankle ligament that ruled him out for the remainder of that season.<ref>
Following the dissolution of Gold Coast United, Traoré transitioned to Melbourne Victory and voiced his desire to eventually play for Australia’s national team.<ref> By May 2014, he opted not to renew his contract with Melbourne Victory, aiming to explore professional prospects in Europe.<ref>
At the conclusion of the 2013–14 campaign, Traoré was honored with the Victory Medal, awarded to Melbourne Victory’s most outstanding player.<ref>
Vitória de Guimarães
On 14 June 2014, Traoré inked a multi-year contract with Portuguese side Vitória de Guimarães.
Basel
After spending half a year in Portugal, Traoré transferred to FC Basel on 10 January 2015, signing for three and a half years. He joined Basel’s senior squad for the 2014–15 season under head coach Paulo Sousa. His league debut came on 22 February 2015 during a 2–4 defeat against Young Boys at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern. That season, Basel clinched their sixth straight Swiss Super League title and finished as runners-up in the Swiss Cup after losing 3–0 to FC Sion. Additionally, Basel advanced to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds but were eliminated by Porto in the Round of 16. Traoré participated in a total of 17 matches across all competitions, including 12 league appearances.
In the following 2015–16 season, with new manager Urs Fischer at the helm, Traoré netted his first goal for Basel on 1 August 2015 during a 3–0 victory over Sion. He played an integral role as Basel secured the league title once more that season and again repeated as champions in the 2016–17 season, marking their eighth consecutive championship and twentieth overall. That same campaign, Basel also captured the Swiss Cup, completing their sixth domestic double.
Traoré departed Basel in August 2017. Between 2014 and 2017, he accumulated 95 appearances and scored three goals: featuring in 59 Swiss Super League matches, seven Swiss Cup games, ten UEFA competition fixtures (Champions League and Europa League), and nineteen friendlies. His scoring tally included one goal each in league play, cup competition, and friendly matches.
Göztepe
Traoré became a member of Göztepe on 14 August 2017. In October 2018, he endured a knee ligament injury that sidelined him for the rest of that season.
Melbourne Victory
Traoré renewed his contract with Melbourne Victory on 12 September 2019, signing for one year. He was subsequently released from the club on 11 June 2021.
International career
Traoré represented Ivory Coast across various youth levels, including U-17, U-19, and U-20, accumulating seven appearances and scoring once. He took part in the qualifiers for the 2007 African Youth Championship as well as tournaments such as Toulon and UEMOA.
Upon relocating to Australia, Traoré showed interest in representing the Socceroos; however, FIFA regulations rendered him ineligible due to his previous youth caps for Ivory Coast. Although called up to Ivory Coast’s senior team in 2014, he did not feature in any matches. His senior debut occurred during a 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Sierra Leone, where he was forced off due to injury; the game concluded in a goalless draw.
In February 2022, Traoré participated in an Australian invitational XI match against FC Barcelona, scoring for the Australian side while another player with the same surname netted for Barcelona.
Personal life
Raised in Ivory Coast, Traoré developed a strong passion for football while also completing his academic studies.
After residing in Australia for five years, he was granted Australian citizenship in March 2014, expressing that "Australia has felt like home ever since my first few years in the Gold Coast."
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||||||||
| Gold Coast United | 2009–10 | A-League | 11 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 29 | 2 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–12 | 27 | 1 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 27 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 67 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 69 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 2012–13 | A-League | 22 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2013–14 | 24 | 1 | – | – | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Vitória de Guimarães | 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Basel | 2014–15 | Swiss Super League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2015–16 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | – | 30 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–17 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 32 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 58 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Göztepe | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 19 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2018–19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Melbourne Victory | 2019–20 | A-League | 23 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 31 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Total !23 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 00 | 31 | 00 | |||||||||||||
International
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | |
Honours
Basel
Ivory Coast
- Champions of the UEMOA Tournament: 2007
Individual
- Awarded Melbourne Victory Player of the Season for 2013–14
- Selected for the A-Leagues All Star squad in 2022