Karamoko Dembélé

Celtic

Dembélé started playing football for Park Villa Boys Club at the age of five and was recognised as a prodigy from a young age. He joined Celtic aged 10 in 2013. In July 2016, Dembélé was named as player of the tournament when representing Celtic under-13s at the St Kevin's Boys Academy Cup. Soon after his appointment as Celtic head coach, Brendan Rodgers invited Dembélé to participate in a light technical training session with the first-team squad. On 3 October 2016, Dembélé gained widespread media attention after making his debut for Celtic's under-20 side aged 13 playing with and against players who were up to seven age groups above him. He was named on the bench because several regular starters were away playing for Scotland's under-19 team and was brought on during the 81st minute, replacing the youngest first-team player in Celtic's history, 16-year-old Jack Aitchison. A match report on the official Celtic website stated that "the diminutive playmaker didn't look out of place and played his part in the closing stages." The response to Dembélé's under-20s debut included concern about the physical and mental impact of such a young player being fast-tracked through the developmental ranks. On 2 June 2017, Dembélé signed a youth registration contract to stay at Celtic. On 24 December 2018, aged 15, Dembélé signed his first professional contract with Celtic, set to keep him at the club until 2021. In April 2019, he featured for Celtic's academy team in the…

Dembélé is eligible to represent Scotland, England or the Ivory Coast internationally. On 19 October 2016, he was called up to the Scotland national under-16 football team for the 2016 Victory Shield. He made his debut for the Scotland under-16s on 1 November, coming on as a second-half substitute during a 2–2 draw against Wales. Coach Brian McLaughlin commented: "He was excellent. He looked confident and it's a very good group to come into." Dembélé made a further appearance a few days later in a 3–0 defeat, as a 63rd-minute substitute against the Republic of Ireland. Prior to participating in the Victory Shield, Dembélé travelled south in October 2016 to train with England under-15s at St George's Park. On 18 November 2016, Dembélé confirmed his intention to join up with the England under-15s ahead of a match against Turkey that December. On 17 December 2016, Dembélé came off the bench against Turkey to make his England debut and assisted a goal in a 5–2 victory. On 16 February 2017, Dembélé made his first start for England under-15 in a match against Belgium. He also continued to represent Scotland, playing an integral part in the Scotland under-16 squads for two UEFA development tournaments in 2017, both of which Scotland won. Most notably, Dembélé featured in a Scotland victory over England in July 2017. On 19 August 2018, he made his debut for Scotland under-17s in a 1–0 away win against Russia, coming on as a 50th-minute substitution for Connor Barron, and went on to…

Dembélé was born in 2003 in Lambeth, South London, to parents from Ivory Coast. His family moved north to Scotland, to Govan, before his first birthday. Dembélé, or "Kaddy" as he is known, attended St Constantine's Primary School in Drumoyne. He started at St Ninian's High School in Kirkintilloch (the affiliated school for Celtic's academy players) in 2015.

Dembélé's older brother, Siriki Dembélé, plays as a winger. Another brother, Hassan, was playing for Celtic's academy in November 2017.