Who is Oumar Traoré, the Eagle who turned his back on Mali? | OneFootball

What should you know about Oumar Traoré?

Oumar Traoré/@al jazira

A former A' international with the Mali Eagles, Oumar Traoré has decided to switch his sporting nationality. The 23-year-old could soon feature for the United Arab Emirates national team.

After transferring to Al-Jazira from Stade Malien in 2020, the Malian right winger has established himself as one of his team's top performers, netting 24 goals and providing 19 assists in 140 appearances across all competitions.

Having lost hope of being called up to the Mali senior squad, Mali, he has now become a naturalized Emirati citizen. He could soon be called up by the Arabian Peninsula's national team.

Born in Korofina, he played three matches with Mali's local team during the 2020 CHAN qualifiers. By changing his nationality, he follows in the footsteps of Ivorian Kouame Autonne Kouadio (Al-Ain), who has already been capped 11 times for the UAE.