Adama Traoré (footballer, born 1996)


Adama Traoré Diarra is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or wing-back for club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He began his career with Barcelona, appearing mainly for the reserves. In 2015 he signed for Aston Villa and a year later Middlesbrough, before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2018.
Traoré represented Spain at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels.

Club career

Barcelona

Traoré was born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia to Malian parents. He joined Barcelona's youth setup in 2004 at the age of eight, after a brief period with neighbouring CE L'Hospitalet. In 2013 he was promoted to the B-team, and made his debut on 6 October in a 1–0 away defeat against SD Ponferradina for 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 only 17, replacing Neymar late on in the 4–0 home win over Granada CF; 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 AFC 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 times and netting twice as they won the trophy. He scored his first goal for the Blaugrana's main squad on 16 December 2014, playing 16 minutes and contributing to an 8–1 home demolition of SD Huesca in the 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 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, and his cross led to an own goal from Pape Souaré eight minutes after he had entered the game as a substitute for Carlos Sánchez. He scored his first goal three days later, the team's first of a 5–3 home win over Notts County in the second round in the League Cup.
Traoré came on as a second-half substitute for the last-placed Villans away to relegation rivals Sunderland on 2 January 2016, and via a counter-attack he assisted compatriot Carles Gil's aerial volley equaliser – he was later replaced himself through injury, as his team lost 3–1. Following that game, he was dropped from the team due to indiscipline, as the season ended with relegation.

Middlesbrough

On 31 August 2016, Traoré signed a four-year contract with Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee and Albert Adomah moved in the opposite direction. He made his debut on 10 September 2016 in a 1–2 home loss to Crystal Palace, replacing Cristhian Stuani for the final nine minutes; during his first season, he took part in 31 matches without scoring.
Traoré impressed during 2017–18, first under Garry Monk and then Tony Pulis, with his pace causing several problems for opposition defenders, including an impressive performance against Leeds United on 2 March 2018 in a 3–0 win. He totalled five goals and ten assists during the campaign as his team reached the play-offs in the Championship, where they were knocked out by his former side Aston Villa; consequently, he won Middlesbrough's Fans' Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 8 August 2018, Traoré joined newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee in the region of £18 million. He scored his first goal for the team and in the Premier League on 1 September – in his 40th appearance in the competition – in a 1–0 win away to West Ham United. His first start occurred on 27 October, in a 0–1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
On 6 October 2019, in his 50th competitive appearance for Wolves, Traoré scored both goals in a 2–0 away victory against reigning champions Manchester City. He scored his first goal in UEFA European club football as Wolves drew 3–3 away to Braga in the UEFA Europa League group stage on 28 November.
Traoré scored his debut Molineux goal for his club in a 1–2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 15 December 2019. He won the PFA Player of the Month award for January 2020 with 45 percent of fan votes.

International career

On 17 February 2014, the Malian Football Federation reported that Traoré and his older brother Mohamed 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 for 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 to the Spanish national team for Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Malta and Romania in place of injured Rodrigo. He pulled out of the squad himself due to injury, and was replaced by Pablo Sarabia.
In January 2020, he said he was undecided where his international future lay.

Style of play

, 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". Remarking on his physique, the Jordan Gale stated "He's built like an absolute tank. Size of the arms on that man. One drive and it would be lights out".
In 2018, ESPN's Matt Stanger acknowledged Traoré's pace and strength, and added that he "is 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 'tallismanic playmaker', after his form during the 2017–18 season.
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.

Personal life

Traoré's elder brother, Moha, is also a footballer.

Career statistics

Honours

Barcelona Youth
Barcelona
Individual