Football News
He skips Mali for Ivory Coast, Idriss Diallo finally drops the very good news!
The president of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), Idriss Yacine Diallo, made a great announcement for Côte d'Ivoire. After the second day of the CAN 2025 qualifiers, the head of the Ivorian football governing body announced a major reinforcement for the national team. The eligible player who is sought after in Mali has decided on his future.
Ivory Coast is no longer forcing anything, everything is coming towards it. In great shape with coach Emerse Faé, the Elephants are making a great impression. While players like Christophe Operi or Guéla Doué, eligible to play with other countries, in this case France, have joined the African champions' boat for a few months, many others are about to arrive. Among the newcomers who are making their mark, we have the young 18-year-old midfielder Malick Yalcouyé, who plays for Brighton.
The good news from Idriss Yacine Diallo
Currently on loan to the Austrian club Sturm Graz, the young prodigy will arrive in Ivory Coast next month. Indeed, Ivorian by blood, Malick Yalcouyé was called up by Mali, his country of birth, at the beginning of September to strengthen the national team. Despite this great opportunity, the Brighton & Hove Albion player (Premier League) simply declined the Eagles' invitation and is waiting for his chance with the Elephants.
After the Elephants' great victory over Chad last Tuesday, the president of the FIF, Idriss Yacine Diallo, announced the arrival of the 18-year-old who will, initially, remain with the Espoirs selection. Yalcouyé has declined the call-up to the Malian selection and will participate in the next gathering of young people from Côte d'Ivoire ” he said in an interview with the media The Future. For the Ivorians, this is good news, since the young player is making a very good impression and is promised a bright future.
The meteoric rise of Yalcouyé
As for the player, who will return to the Premier League at the end of his loan in Austria next June, it is a strong choice. Rejecting the possibility of defending the colors of an A selection like that of Mali, where he has the opportunity to assert himself right now, to join the Ivorian youth selection is a hell of a choice. In any case, when we know that the system put in place by the Ivorians is well oiled to allow young players to shine, unlike the confused situation in Mali, we can understand Malick Yalcouyé's motivations.
Let's point out that at the beginning of next October, things will be official with the Brighton midfielder since the FIFA international break will be back with the country competitions. Trained at ASEC Mimosas, Yalcouyé, who is around 1.69 meters tall, made the big jump to Europe at the beginning of 2023. With IFK Göteborg (D1 Sweden), the new reinforcement for the Ivorians played his first 11 professional matches and took the opportunity to score his first goal, before catching the eye of the Brighton management, with whom he signed until June 2029.
Having arrived at the club where stars like Simon Adingra, his compatriot, and the new Cameroonian nugget Carlos Baleba play, Malick Yalcouyé joined the U21s. After a match with the Brighton reserve, the native of Bandiagara, Mali, went back on loan to Austria to get some playing time, gain experience, and return at 19 to the Premier League club, where he will be able to assert himself better in the months to come. In any case, the choice for his international career was quickly made, and it is clear to all parties.
