Aboubacar Sissoko
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-10-09) 9 October 1995
Place of birth Bamako, Mali
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Forge FC
Number 33
Youth career
CS Mont-Royal Outremont
2013–2014 CS Longueuil
2015 CS Mont-Royal Outremont
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2019 Montreal Carabins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 CS Longueuil 2 (0)
2017–2019 CS St-Hubert 33 (1)
2020 HFX Wanderers 9 (0)
2021 Indy Eleven 21 (0)
2022– Forge FC 52 (6)
International career‡
2014 Mali U20 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 August 2020

Aboubacar Sissoko (born 9 October 1995) is a Malian professional footballer who currently plays for Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.

Early life

Sissoko was born in Bamako, Mali and moved to Montreal, Quebec in 2006 when his father, a diplomat, was posted there.[1]

He began playing youth soccer with CS Mont-Royal Outremont, later joining Longueuil.[1] In 2015, he won the Silver Ball with the U21 team of CS Mont-Royal Outremont in the LSEQ U21 division.[2] In 2016, he played at the senior amateur level in the LSEQ with CS Panellinios.[3]

University career

In 2015, he began attending the Université de Montréal, where he played for the Carabins men's soccer team, joining his brother who also played for the team.[4][5] He was named the Carabins' Rookie of the Year in 2015.[6] In 2017, he was named captain of the team.[6]

He helped the Carabins win reach the national championship three years in a row from 2017 to 2019,[7] helping them win their first national title in 2018,[8][9] as well as silver medals in 2017 and 2019.[10] He was an RSEQ First Team All-Star three times from 2017 to 2019,[6] as well as a U Sports First Team All-Star in 2019.[11] He was also named an RSEQ Indoor First-Team All-Star in 2017-18.[12]

After the 2019 season, he won the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding U Sports men's soccer player,[13][14] after having been named the RSEQ Player of the Year earlier.[15] He was also named the Montreal Carabins Athlete of the Year, across all of their sports teams.[16]

In June 2020, he was named the U Sports Athlete of the Year for 2019-20.[17][18] He became the first Carabin to ever win the honour.[19] As part of the award, he earned a $10,000 schaolarship.[20]

Club career

In 2014, he appeared with CS Longueuil in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.[3]

From 2017 to 2019, he played for CS St-Hubert in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.[21][22] In November 2018, at the 2018 CPL-U Sports Draft, Sissoko was selected 12th overall by Canadian Premier League club Forge FC.[23][24] He attended pre-season with the club, but did not earn a contract.[25][26] After leaving Forge, he returned to St-Hubert for another season in 2019, after which he departed the PLSQ club to begin his professional career.[27]

In November 2019, he signed with HFX Wanderers FC of the Canadian Premier League, ahead of the 2020 season.[28][29] In February 2020, after signing his contract, but before beginning the 2020 season, he went on trial with Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[30][31] Originally, the trial was to last for three days, but it was continually extended, finally ending after six weeks, after which he returned to join the Wanderers.[32][33] In his third match on August 23, he earned Man of the Match honours against Cavalry FC.[34] He helped the Wanderers reach the 2020 CPL Final, where they were defeated by Forge FC.[35][36] He led the league with a 91% dribbling success rate that season.[37] He was also named to the CanPL.ca 2020 Best XI.[38][39]

In February 2021, he joined USL Championship club Indy Eleven.[40][41][42]

In February 2022, he returned to the Canadian Premier League, signing with Forge FC.[43][44] He made his debut for the club in a 2022 CONCACAF Champions League match against Cruz Azul on February 16.[45] He won the league title with Forge in 2022.[46][47]

In October 2023, he helped Forge win their fourth league title, following a 2–1 win over Cavalry FC in the play-off final.[48][49]

International career

Sissoko represented the Mali U20 team at the 2015 African U-20 Championship qualification tournament in 2014. After returning to Canada following it, he was diagnosed with malaria and fell into a three-day coma.[50][51][52]

Personal

While representing the Mali U20 team, Sissoko, along with his mother and sister, paid for the construction of two water wells in an arid rural area of Mali and later formed the Macine Foundation (named in honour of his parents) with his sister and two brothers, as a water-supplying charity, and have built additional wells.[53]

Career statistics

As of match played on 28 October 2023[54]
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
CS Longueuil 2014[3] Première Ligue de soccer du Québec20——00—20
CS St-Hubert 2017[3] Première Ligue de soccer du Québec 100——30—130
2018[3] 110——10—120
2019[3] 121——00—121
Total 33100004000371
HFX Wanderers FC 2020 Canadian Premier League 9010———100
Indy Eleven 2021 USL Championship 210————210
Forge FC 2022 Canadian Premier League 274303[lower-alpha 1]0—2[lower-alpha 2]0354
2023 2522030——302
Total 52650600020656
Career total 1207606040201387
  1. ↑ Includes appearance in the 2020 Canadian Championship final (played in 2022)
  2. ↑ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League

References

  1. 1 2 "Aboubacar Sissoko's interview". Medium. 2 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Les gagnants du Tapis rouge du soccer québécois sont maintenant connus" [The winners of the Tapis rouge du soccer québécois are now known]. Journal Express (in French). 8 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "PTS-Ligue Archive". TSI Sports.
  4. ↑ Godin, Joanie (29 October 2015). "Tous des frères!" [All brothers!]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
  5. ↑ Roger, Christine (29 January 2021). "Aboubacar Sissoko gravit les échelons du soccer professionnel" [Aboubacar Sissoko climbs the ladder of professional soccer]. Ici Radio-Canada Télé (in French).
  6. 1 2 3 "Aboubacar Sissoko". OBELISQ (in French).
  7. ↑ "Les honneurs s'accumulent pour Aboubacar Sissoko" [Honours pile up for Aboubacar Sissoko]. Montreal Carabins (in French). 14 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko athlète de l'année de U Sports en 2020" [Aboubacar Sissoko U Sports Athlete of the Year 2020]. Université de Montréal (in French). 21 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Wanderers' Aboubacar Sissoko nominated for U SPORTS Lieutenant Governor Award". Canadian Premier League. 14 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Sissoko athlète de l'année du sport universitaire canadien" [Sissoko Athlete of the Year in Canadian University Sports]. Montreal Carabins (in French). 25 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko invité au camp des Whitecaps" [Aboubacar Sissoko invited to the Whitecaps camp]. Montreal Carabins (in French). 20 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Trois joueurs sur la 1re équipe d'étoiles" [Three players on the 1st All-Star Team]. Montreal Carabins (in French). 22 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko nommé joueur par excellence au Canada" [Aboubacar Sissoko named Canada's Most Valuable Player]. Montreal Carabins (in French). 6 November 2019.
  14. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko (Montréal) en tête d'affiche des lauréats des prix majeurs de soccer masculin U SPORTS" [Aboubacar Sissoko (Montreal) headlines U SPORTS men's soccer major award winners]. U Sports (in French). 5 November 2019.
  15. ↑ "Wanderers' Aboubacar Sissoko wins U SPORTS male athlete of the year award". HFX Wanderers FC. 25 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Montreal Carabins: Anaïs Arlandis, Aboubacar Sissoko named Athletes of the Year". U Sports. 30 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Wog, Sissoko chosen top athletes of 2020 in Canadian university sports". Sportsnet. 25 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Montreal's Sissoko, Manitoba's Wog capture 2020 Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards Presented by Makadiff Sports". U Sports. 25 June 2020.
  19. ↑ Milano, Pascal (6 July 2020). "Une année riche en émotions pour Aboubacar Sissoko" [A year full of emotions for Aboubacar Sissoko]. La Presse (in French).
  20. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko, des Carabins, nommé joueur universitaire de l'année au Canada" [Aboubacar Sissoko of the Carabins named Canadian University Player of the Year]. Ici Radio-Canada Télé (in French). 26 June 2020.
  21. ↑ "Un ancien du Club de soccer Saint-Hubert nommé Athlète universitaire de l'année" [A former Club de soccer Saint-Hubert named University Athlete of the Year]. Le Courrier du Sud (in French). 9 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko (St-Hubert) : « Notre équipe est plus soudée que l'année dernière »" [Aboubacar Sissoko (St-Hubert): “Our team is more united than last year”]. Just eSoccer (in French). 26 May 2018.
  23. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko drafté par Hamilton (CPL)" [Aboubacar Sissoko drafted by Hamilton (CPL)]. Just eSoccer (in French). 13 November 2018.
  24. ↑ "Belle opportunité pour Aboubacar Sissoko" [Great opportunity for Aboubacar Sissoko]. Montreal Carabins (in French). 13 November 2018.
  25. ↑ Trozzo, Louis-Philippe (9 December 2019). "Aboubacar Sissoko - De Carabin à joueur pro" [Aboubacar Sissoko - From Carabin to pro player]. CHMP-FM (in French).
  26. ↑ Jacques, John (13 February 2022). "Sissoko Embracing The Moment With Forge: 'It's Something To Enjoy'". Northern Tribune.
  27. ↑ "François Bourgeais (St-Hubert) : « Aboubacar Sissoko et Charles Auguste, deux exemples de notre projet »" [François Bourgeais (St-Hubert): “Aboubacar Sissoko and Charles Auguste, two examples of our project”]. Just eSoccer (in French). 17 December 2019.
  28. ↑ "Wanderers snap up Montreal Carabins duo Kreim and Sissoko". Canadian Premier League. 28 November 2019.
  29. ↑ MacDonald, Glenn (28 November 2019). "HFX Wanderers sign Carabins star midfielders Kreim, Sissoko". SaltWire Network.
  30. ↑ McColl, Michael (21 January 2020). "Quality group of trialists have "a real opportunity" to earn a roster spot as tough Whitecaps preseason training camp gets underway". Away from the Numbers.
  31. ↑ "Un ancien Carabin avec les Whitecaps" [A former Carabineer with the Whitecaps]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). 20 January 2020.
  32. ↑ Thompson, Marty (25 June 2020). "HFX Wanderers rookie Aboubacar Sissoko reflects on Whitecaps trial". Canadian Premier League.
  33. ↑ Jacques, John (23 February 2020). "Aboubacar Sissoko Finishes Trial With Whitecaps, Returning To Wanderers". Northern Tribune.
  34. ↑ Briggins, Jonathan (25 August 2020). "Playing for Mom and Papa: Abou Sissoko memorializes parents at Island Games". HFX Wanderers FC.
  35. ↑ Jacques, John (2 February 2022). "Forge Lands Aboubacar Sissoko". Northern Tribune.
  36. ↑ Jacques, John (8 November 2020). "Sissoko Ponders Halifax Return". Northern Tribune.
  37. ↑ Thompson, Marty (14 October 2020). "Abou Sissoko on HFX Wanderers' Island Games run, and Whitecaps' interest". Canadian Premier League.
  38. ↑ "CanPL.ca's Best XI of The Island Games: Wanderers and Forge lead the way". Canadian Premier League. 21 September 2020.
  39. ↑ Lévesque, Dave (5 November 2020). "Transition réussie" [Successful transition]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
  40. ↑ Jacques, John (10 February 2021). "Sissoko Lands In USL With Indy Eleven". Northern Tribune.
  41. ↑ "Indy Brings Aboard Midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko". USL Championship. 10 February 2021.
  42. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko rejoint la USL" [Aboubacar Sissoko joins the USL]. Just eSoccer (in French). 13 February 2021.
  43. ↑ Urciuoli, Anthony (2 February 2022). "Forge FC Hamilton sign Sissoko, Poku to multi-year deals". In The Hammer.
  44. ↑ "Forge FC sign midfielders Sissoko & Poku". Forge FC. 2 February 2022.
  45. ↑ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (16 February 2022). "Match Analysis: Forge FC 0-1 Cruz Azul — Concacaf Champions League". Canadian Premier League.
  46. ↑ "Aboubacar Sissoko et Garven Metusala champions de la CPL!" [Aboubacar Sissoko and Garven Metusala champions of the CPL!]. OBELISQ (in French). 31 October 2022.
  47. ↑ Parisis, Quentin (7 July 2023). "Aboubacar Sissoko et le Forge FC en opération "remontada"" [Aboubacar Sissoko and Forge FC in “reassembled” operation]. Canadian PRemier League (in French).
  48. ↑ Wharnsby, Tim (28 October 2023). "Borges scores 'Olimpico' goal as Forge FC completes comeback to win 4th CPL title". CBC. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  49. ↑ Tierney, Mitchell (28 October 2023). "HIGHLIGHTS + ANALYSIS: Forge wins 2023 North Star Cup, defeating Cavalry to lift fourth playoff crown (Oct. 28, 2023)". OneSoccer. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  50. ↑ "Life, Death, and the Number 85". Indy Eleven. 24 August 2021.
  51. ↑ Gelevan, Douglas (30 June 2020). "Tragedy, heartache shaped Aboubacar Sissoko's path to the top of university sports". CBC News.
  52. ↑ Thiero, Boubacar (3 July 2020). "Nos expatriés : Aboubacar Sissoko élu athlète de l'année au Canada" [Our expatriates: Aboubacar Sissoko elected athlete of the year in Canada]. Office of Radio and Television of Mali (in French).
  53. ↑ Milton, Steve (5 August 2022). "Water in Mali is Forge star Abou Sissoko's goal". The Hamilton Spectator.
  54. ↑ Aboubacar Sissoko at Soccerway
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