Adama Traoré

Barcelona

Traoré was born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, to Malian parents. He joined Barcelona's youth setup in 2004 at the age of eight, after a brief period with neighbouring L'Hospitalet. In 2013 he was promoted to the B-team, and made his debut on 6 October in a 0–1 away defeat against Ponferradina in the Segunda División championship. 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. Two weeks later, he played his first La Liga game at the age of 17, replacing Neymar late on in the 4–0 home win over Granada; 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 Ajax in the group stage. Traoré also featured for Barcelona's under-19 side in the inaugural edition of the UEFA Youth League, playing five games and scoring twice as they won the trophy. He scored his first official goal for Barcelona's first team on 16 December 2014, playing 16 minutes and contributing in an 8–1 home victory over Huesca in the 2014–15 Copa del Rey.

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. He made his debut eight days later against Crystal Palace, contributing to a lone own…

Traoré is eligible to represent Spain, his country of birth, and Mali through his parents, On 17 February 2014, the Malian Football Federation reported that Traoré and his older brother Moha had decided to represent Mali at senior level. However, in an interview with BBC Sport in October 2015, the former stated that he was still considering his international options. 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 in the 2019 UEFA European Championship qualifiers. In November 2019, Traoré declared that he wanted to play for Mali. However, days later he received his first call-up in the Spain national team for Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Malta and Romania in place of injured Rodrigo. He pulled out of the squad voluntarily due to injury, and was replaced by Pablo Sarabia. In January 2020, he said he had not decided between Spain and Mali after a photograph of him posing with a Mali shirt circulated online, saying "I am grateful (to have the chance) with the two international teams – Spain where I was born and Mali where my origins are." In August 2020, Traoré was again called up ahead of Spain's September UEFA Nations League matches against Germany and Ukraine. However, he was removed from the squad after testing positive for COVID-19 on 31 August. He missed the Germany match as he awaited the result of the second test to determine if the initial result was a false positive. The second test…

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" as he can only run in a straight line. In 2018, ESPN's Matt Stanger acknowledged Traoré's pace and strength, and added that he was "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"; he was also described by Teesside Gazette's Philip Tallentire as a 'talismanic playmaker', after his form during the 2017–18 season. The Daily Mirror listed Traoré second in the top 10 fastest players of the 2019–20 Premier League season, with a top speed of 23.48 mph. 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.

Mali and Lille

Born in Bamako, Traoré joined his hometown's JMG Academy at the age of 12 in 2007. Five years later he joined Malian Première Division club AS Bakaridjan where he was only able to play three games before he got injured. In January 2014, Traoré signed for Ligue 1 club Lille and was immediately loaned out to Belgian Second Division club Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 24 September 2014, in a 1–0 away defeat against Nice. On 7 January 2015, he scored his first competitive goal at senior level for Lille in a 1–0 home-league win over Thonon Évian Savoie F. C.

Monaco

On 10 July 2015, Traoré joined AS Monaco on a four-year deal worth €14 million. On 4 August, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 4–0 win against Young Boys in the third qualifying round, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Mario Pašalić. In January 2017, Traoré was loaned out until the end of the season to Primeira Liga side Rio Ave FC. He played seven games for the team from Vila do Conde, and scored the only goal of their win at Boavista on 1 April. In January 2019, he was loaned out for the same duration to Belgian First Division A side Cercle Brugge KSV. On 31 August, he went on a season-long loan to fellow Ligue 1 club Metz. He scored his first goal for them on 23 November, equalising in a 1–1 home draw with Reims.

Hatayspor

On 11 September 2020, Traoré moved to Hatayspor of the Turkish Süper Lig, on a two-year deal with the option…

Traoré was part of the Mali under-20 team who participated in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. During the competition, he scored four goals and had three assists, and helped Mali win the bronze medal and earned himself the Adidas Golden Ball as the best player in the competition. On 9 October 2015, Traoré made his national team debut in a 4–1 friendly win over Burkina Faso. On 4 September 2016, he scored his first international goal in a 5–2 win against Benin in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. On 4 January 2017, Traoré was named in Mali's 23-man squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, and was unused as the team were eliminated in the group stage. Two years later, on 16 June 2019, he was named in Mali's 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. On 24 June 2019, he scored in his side's 4–1 opening match win against Mauritania. Mali was eliminated in the Round of 16 after a defeat to Ivory Coast. In December 2021, Traoré was selected by manager Mohamed Magassouba to participate in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. On 2 January 2024, he was included in the list of twenty-seven Malian players chosen by Éric Chelle to compete in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Club

As of 16 February 2025.

International

As of 15 October 2024

Scores and results list Mali's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Traoré goal.

First steps

Born in Bondoukou, Ivory Coast, Traoré began his career in his native Ivory Coast, where he played for Ecole de Football Yéo Martial. Traoré later signed a three-year contract with former A-League club Gold Coast United, after impressing in trial matches. Gold Coast United invited him for a trial after having watched highlights of his performances at the 2007 Toulon Tournament. In 2010, Traore stated the move to the former A-League club Gold Coast United was a stepping stone in his ambitions of playing club football internationally. Due to Gold Coast United having its A-League license revoked, he had to leave the club.

Melbourne Victory

On 15 March 2012, it was announced that Traore had signed a two-year contract with A-League club Melbourne Victory. Traore made his debut for the Victory in their Round 1 clash with cross-town rivals Melbourne Heart, an encounter which the Victory lost 2–1. On 9 March 2013, Traore suffered a high grade, high ankle ligament rupture which sidelined him for the rest of the 2012–13 season. After Clive Palmer's club collapsed Adama Traore signed with Melbourne Victory – and stated his desire to play for Australia's national team. In May 2014, Traoré's contract with Melbourne expired after declining renewals in hopes of pursuit a career in Europe. The most prestigious award given to a Melbourne Victory player, the Victory Medal, was awarded to Adama Traore at the end of season awards ceremony on 10 May 2014.

…

Traoré has had spells with the Ivory Coast U-17, Ivory Coast U-19, and Ivory Coast U-20, playing a total of seven games for his country, scoring only one goal. He has played two games in the CAF-organised 2007 African Youth Championship (versus Congo and The Gambia) which doubled as a qualifier for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. During the same year, Traoré also participated in the Toulon Tournament and the UEMOA Tournament. After arriving in Australia, Traoré stated that he would like to play for the Socceroos. However it later became clear that this was impossible as he had represented Ivory Coast at youth level. Under the regulations of FIFA, a player's national allegiance cannot change after they have represented their country of origin at national youth level unless the player held dual nationality upon their original call-up. Traoré has also previously been selected for the senior national team to play against Senegal. However, having not yet played a game he has not received a full international cap, he turned down the opportunity to play this game as he had the ambition to play for the Socceroos. Traore was called up by Ivory Coast for the first time on 7 November 2014 for their matches against Sierra Leone and Cameroon but did not play. He was again called up for the match on 6 September 2015 against Sierra Leone in the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt (Nigeria) for an Africa Cup of Nations qualification game. Traoré made his national team debut in the…

Club

As of match played 6 December 2020

International

As of match played 10 September 2019

TP Mazembe

In 2011, Traoré joined the youth ranks of Olympique Bamako, and in summer 2013 joined TP Mazembe. He made his CAF Champions League debut in a 0–0 draw to Egyptian side Zamalek in the 2014 CAF Champions League group stage. On 10 August 2014, he scored his first goal in the CAF Champions League, in a 3–1 home win against Sudanese club Al-Hilal. Next season, he helped Mazembe win a 5th continental title, playing in both the legs of the final against USM Alger, coming close in the second match when his shot from close range missed the target narrowly. Mazembe thus qualified for the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, where they finished 6th after losing to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and América. On 20 February 2016, he won the 2016 CAF Super Cup, after a 2–1 win over Tunisian side Étoile du Sahel. In the 2016 season, after losing 3–1 on aggregate to Wydad Casablanca, Mazembe qualified for the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup play-off round where they faced Stade Gabèsien. He made his CAF Confederation Cup debut in the first leg against Gabèsien and was subbed out in the 69th minute for Déo Kanda. Mazembe eventually went all the way and on 6 November 2016 won their first Confederation Cup title after defeating MO Béjaïa in the final. Mazembe retained the Confederation Cup next season, when they defeated Supersport United in the final. Traoré scored in the first leg when his strike made its way through a crowd of players leaving Ronwen Williams very little time to react.…

Traoré was part of the Mali under-20 team who participated in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. He only played one match where he was withdrawn at half time for Tiécoro Keita, in a 4–1 defeat against Mexico, as Mali went down in the group stage. On 6 July 2013, Traoré made his national team debut in a 3–1 2014 CHAN qualification win over Guinea. On 6 January 2014, he was named in Mali's 23-man squad for the 2014 African Nations Championship. Five days later, he scored his first ever senior international goal in the 2–1 opening match win against Nigeria, nutmegging keeper Chigozie Agbim in a 2–1 win. After topping the group ahead of Nigeria, Mali were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, 2–1 by Zimbabwe. In November 2015, Traoré was named in Mali's 21-man squad for the 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal. On 16 June 2019, he was named in Mali's 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. On 24 June 2019, he scored in his side's 4–1 opening match win against Mauritania, coming on in the 61st minute for Adama Noss Traoré.

Club

As of match played 31 August 2025

International

As of match played 15 November 2024

Scores and results list Mali's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Traoré goal.

Traoré was born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, to Malian parents. His elder brother, Moha, is also a footballer. He is also a practising Muslim.

Traoré was an international teammate of a player of the same name, who was born in the same month. The two were also at Metz at the same time. To distinguish between them, Traoré was also known as Adama Noss Traoré.

Growing up in Ivory Coast, Traoré said football was his passion and wanted to play the sport, even finishing school. In March 2014, Traoré became an Australian citizen after staying in the country for five years. He stated that: "Australia has felt like home ever since my first few years in the Gold Coast."

Traoré was an international teammate of a player of the same name, who was born in the same month. The two were also at Metz at the same time. To distinguish between them, the latter was also known as Adama Noss Traoré.