Erling Haaland. Dominik Szoboszlai. Sadio Mané. Dayot Upamecano. Konrad Laimer. Karim Adeyemi. Marcel Sabitzer. Naby Keïta. Takumi Minamino.
What do all of those gamers have in widespread? All of them honed their craft at Crimson Bull Salzburg earlier than making the transfer to Europe’s greatest golf equipment. One other participant who has thrived after ascending via Salzburg’s growth system is Diadié Samassékou.
Born in Bamako, Mali, Samassékou was 11 years previous when he enrolled within the JMG Academy, which had already produced numerous soccer stars like Gervinho, Yaya and Kolo Touré, and Salomon Kalou. Dwelling away from his household and coping with the taxing calls for of a loaded tutorial and coaching schedule, Samassékou was compelled to develop into a person forward of schedule. Finally, it paid off as he joined AS Actual Bamako in 2013 and commenced taking part in common minutes within the Malian prime flight.
“I performed within the streets till I used to be 11 earlier than becoming a member of the Jean-Marc Guillou Academy, the place I took lessons till I used to be 18,” acknowledged Samassékou in an unique World Soccer Speak interview. “While you’re a child, you simply play to get pleasure from your self… it’s completely different from skilled soccer, but it surely’s much more enjoyable. I had the possibility to develop up with quite a lot of gamers which might be professionals now, so it was a very nice time for me. I used to be nonetheless dwelling in Bamako, however I used to be all the time behind closed doorways and solely noticed my mother and father on the weekends. Nonetheless, I noticed that I wasn’t the one child in that state of affairs and realized that I needed to do it. I used to be simply an 11-year-old child, I wasn’t used to it, however on the finish of the day, this made me what I’m right this moment.”
Having progressively made his mark within the Malian Première Division and the CAF Champions League, Samassékou’s first huge breakthrough got here in New Zealand in the course of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with Mali edging Mexico to a spot within the knockout spherical earlier than beating Ghana and Germany. Though they did not beat Serbia within the semifinals, Samassékou would come away with a bronze medal and earn the eye of Austrian giants Crimson Bull Salzburg, who signed him to a four-year deal.
After biding his time within the second tier, Samassékou emerged as a full-fledged starter in 2016/17, main Salzburg to a home double underneath Óscar García earlier than guiding them to a different league title in 2017/18. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than main pundits like Leonardo Bertozzi and Nico Cantor had been beginning to declare Samassékou as one of many rising stars in African soccer, with the Malian making the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season after main Salzburg to the semifinals. The next season, Samassékou scored 2 targets and a pair of assists in 45 appearances to information Salzburg to one more home double alongside different future Premier League gamers like Hwang Hee-chan, Patson Daka, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Erling Haaland.
“To see the extent that he’s at proper now… I don’t even assume Erling himself would’ve believed he’d be the place he’s right this moment,” says Samassékou of Manchester Metropolis’s Norwegian striker. “You would see that he was actually sharp at discovering angles and he simply needed to attain targets, however no one would have anticipated what he’s doing now. He’s fairly quick, and as a striker, he has all of the qualities wanted to carry out on the highest degree. His performances over the previous few years have been actually wonderful, and that goes all the way down to his dedication to continuously enhance.”
After a sensational chapter in Salzburg that noticed him win two Austrian Cups and three Austrian Bundesliga titles, in addition to being named in two Austrian Bundesliga Groups of the Season, Samassékou made the transfer to Hoffenheim, who paid a club-record price of £10.8 million for him in 2019. Samassékou was eased into the workforce and finally grew to become a starter in midfield on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding them to Europa League qualification and rising as a fulcrum within the middle of the pitch. Nonetheless, after failing to persuade new supervisor André Breitenreiter, Samassékou made the transfer to Greek giants Olympiacos, the place he performed 25 occasions earlier than returning to Hoffenheim.
Samassékou struggled for minutes each at Hoffenheim and at Spanish facet Cádiz earlier than returning to Germany, the place, after being frozen out for the primary months of the 2024/25 marketing campaign, he made seven straight beginning appearances in December and January, solely to endure a muscular damage. He returned two months later however would final simply 5 minutes earlier than injuring his thigh vs. Heidenheim, which might find yourself being his 97th and remaining look for Hoffenheim. After a number of weeks as a free agent, Samassékou determined to finish his European journey and be part of MLS facet Houston Dynamo on a 1.5-year contract on August 23, 2025. On September 20, he made his MLS debut after changing Brooklyn Raines for the ultimate seconds of Houston’s 1-0 win vs. Portland Timbers.
“It was an incredible feeling to make my Houston debut. I used to be put into the match throughout a really demanding second; the toughest state of affairs to come back right into a match as a participant is once you’re successful 1-0, since you want to have the ability to learn the sport. Nevertheless it was very nice, and the ambiance within the stadium was actually good. That’s what I like about MLS: you’ll see within the pre-match festivities that each recreation is a present. I’m actually joyful to be right here, so let’s see what I can deliver to the workforce. I’m simply trying ahead to beginning to play each recreation for Houston.”
He was left on the bench for the ultimate three matches of the season as Houston narrowly missed out on a playoff spot for the primary time since Ben Olsen’s appointment in 2023. Though he has competed in three completely different Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Mali, all indicators level to him being neglected of the squad for subsequent month’s event, which can see them face off towards Zambia, Morocco, and Comoros. Nonetheless, at 29 years of age, time is on Samassékou’s facet as he appears to be like to make it again into the nationwide workforce for the primary time since June 2024 and earn his forty second cap for Les Aigles.
“Taking part in for the Mali nationwide workforce, particularly in midfield, you’ve acquired to cope with some powerful competitors. Initially, I simply have to concentrate on myself and provides my finest; it’s extra about performances than the rest, so I’m simply making an attempt to be one of the best model of myself right here in Houston. If the nationwide workforce coach [Tom Saintfiet] thinks that I can deliver one thing to the workforce and calls me up for the event, then I will probably be joyful to play in my fourth AFCON. However I believe they’re already doing a great job and have already got quite a lot of good gamers, so I’m not unhappy to not be within the workforce. If I can assist Mali, then I’ll do it, however my precedence proper now could be to get pleasure from and carry out and be one of the best model of myself that I might be.”
