Africa is constantly producing some of the best young talents in the world and in 2023, it is a phenomenon which is more prevalent than ever before. We decided to take a look at one of them in the form of Souleymane Alio, a leader among the next generation from the continent.
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Danish side FC Nordsjaelland recently confirmed the signing of the Burkina Faso youth international following his exploits with his national team in 2023. The 17-year-old has been a prominent figure for the Stallions this year, with his performances earning him his first taste of top division football. Alio comes from third-tier side New Stars in his native country, but it was with the Sa Ibrahima Traore-coached national side that the young talent really shone this year.
It all started at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria in May. Burkina Faso contested only two matches in the group stage due to South Sudan's disqualification from the competition.
While the competition did not get off to the best of starts for the west Africans with a 1-0 defeat to Mali, the team, and Alio, came to life against Cameroon, against whom he bagged a brace in a 2-1 victory. In the knockout phases, the Ivory Coast-born striker provided the game-clinching assist for Aboubacar Camara to make it 2-0 for Burkina Faso and they progressed to the semi-finals against Nigeria. He was awarded Man of the Match honours in both matches as his prominence within the tournament began to rise.
Unfortunately for Nordsjaelland's new man, he missed the decisive penalty in the shootout against Senegal in the final four which ultimately saw them go out of the U17 AFCON. They did get revenge against Mali in the third-place play-off as they triumphed 2-1, a victory that earned them a place at the U17 FIFA World Cup. Despite his nation only finishing third at the youth continental showpiece, Alio was still named the Most Valuable Player of the competition.
It was these performances that ultimately captured the roving eye of Right to Dream's head of global scouting Jeremey Seethal, and when Soccer Laduma asked the South African what Alio's strongest attributes are, he said: "It's his decision-making, movement, relational play of a high level, quality of first touch.
"He is the type of player I have to keep my feet on the ground as I can get carried away by talking him up too much."
Coming from a man who has unearthed some of Africa's biggest stars such as Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Simon Adingra and Ernest Nuamah, there is a strong chance Alio also becomes a success on the European stage. In a recent Instagram post, the striker expressed how the long-time talent-spotter was an "X factor" as to why he joined Nordsjaelland, and having had a track record of finding and nurturing quality talent, perhaps Alio is indeed in good hands.
The youngster's arrival in Denmark comes after he claimed Man of the Match honours in Burkina Faso's 2-1 victory in their final group stage match at the U17 World Cup against South Korea, as well as his nomination for 2023 CAF Young Player of the Year prize.
Speaking to the 2011/12 Danish champions after signing, Alio spoke of his eagerness not only develop as a player but also as a human.
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"I have been waiting for this day all my life. It's always been my dream to be a professional soccer player, so I'm really happy right now. I am sure that this is only the start of something big for me and FC Nordsjaelland," he told the club's official website.
"It is with great pride that I sign my first contract with FC Nordsjaelland. I know it's a really good club for a young player like me, where I can develop both on and off the pitch. Coming to FC Nordsjaelland is the best thing that could happen to me, and I hope it can be the start of a good career."
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