Ismaël Bangoura

Early career

Bangoura began his career at local side Athlético Coléah, before being spotted by scouts from French amateurs Gazélec Ajaccio. He joined the Corsican side, scoring 15 times in 44 games for his new club, before moving to French Ligue 1 side Le Mans in 2005. He made his debut on 5 November 2005 against French club Marseille, starting his top-flight career with a goal in his sides 3–0 victory. He ended his first season having played 23 times, scoring a six goals. He was the top scorer for Le Mans in the 2006–07 season, with 12 goals in 33 games as well as being the joint second highest scorer in Ligue 1.

Dynamo Kyiv

On 5 July 2007, Bangoura signed a five-year contract with Dynamo Kyiv. The transfer fee was estimated to be around €5 million. Bangoura quickly became a fan favourite, and established himself as a goal scorer. He was known to celebrate goals with teammate and Senegalese international defender Pape Diakhaté, resembling an African dance. Playing in Kyiv gave Bangoura the chance to showcase his abilities in European competition, with the team playing in the 2007–08 season. The forward made the most of the opportunity, scoring three goals in three games for the Ukrainians, including a 25-yard strike against Manchester United in his sides 4–2 defeat on 23 October 2007. Bangoura also scored two goals against Shakhtar Donetsk on 11 November 2007, which ended in a 2–1 win. Bangoura scored in the UEFA Cup second leg in a 3–0 win against Paris…

Bangoura was a member of the Guinea squad for the 2006 African Nations Cup as Guinea were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 2–3 to Senegal. He later represented Guinea at the tournament in 2008 and 2012. Bangoura turned down a place in Guinea's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations squad to focus on his club career.

Club

International

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

Bangoura holds both Guinean and French nationalities. In October 2018 he was convicted of fraud by a French court and fined €130,000; his house was also seized. In the end of February 2020 Ismaël gave an exclusive interview to the Ukrainian football news agency "FootballHub" with complimentary comments to several Ukrainian players and Dynamo Kyiv in general.