Personal information | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 15 May 2002 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Créteil, France | |||||||||||||
Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Central midfielder | |||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Bari (on loan from Napoli) | |||||||||||||
Number | 94 | |||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||
2017–2018 | Le Havre | |||||||||||||
2018–2020 | Sochaux | |||||||||||||
2020–2021 | AC Milan | |||||||||||||
2021–2022 | Napoli | |||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
2022– | Napoli | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
2022–2023 | → Pro Vercelli (loan) | 34 | (3) | |||||||||||
2023–2024 | → Ancona (loan) | 32 | (7) | |||||||||||
2024– | → Bari (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
2023– | Mali U23 | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 July 2024 |
Coli Saco (born 15 May 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie B club Bari, on loan from Napoli. Born in France, Saco represents Mali at under-23 level.
Born in Créteil, Saco joined Le Havre's youth sector in 2017, aged 15, before moving to Sochaux one year later. [1] [2] He then came through the youth ranks of the Lionceaux, [1] taking part in the 2019–20 Coupe Gambardella, where Sochaux reached the round of 16 before the competition was cancelled, due to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] [4]
In October 2020, Saco entered AC Milan's academy; [5] [6] however, he was released after just one season, having not managed to break into the under-19 team consistently. [2] [7] In September 2021, he officially joined fellow Italian club Napoli after a successful trial. [8] [9]
Having impressed with his performances for Napoli's under-19 squad, during the 2021–22 season Saco started training with the first team, under manager Luciano Spalletti. [2] [10] The midfielder originally received his first official call-up to the senior team for a Serie A match against Juventus on 6 January 2022: however, having tested positive for COVID-19, he eventually had to withdraw from the match-day squad. [2] [10] [11]
On 15 July 2022, Saco joined Serie C side Pro Vercelli on a season-long loan. [12] [13] He then made his professional debut for the club on 3 September, starting and playing 90 minutes in a 1–0 league win against Padova. [14] On 5 November, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 league loss against AlbinoLeffe. [2] [15]
On 1 September 2023, Saco joined fellow Serie C club Ancona on loan for the remainder of the season. [16] [17]
On 30 August 2024, Saco moved on loan to Bari in Serie B. [18]
In June 2023, Saco was included in the final squad of the Malian under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Morocco, [19] [20] where the Eagles finished in third place and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. [21] [22]
In July 2024, he was included by head coach Aliou Badra Diallo in the Malian squad for the men's football tournament at the Summer Olympics in Paris, [10] [23] where The Eagles were eventually eliminated in the group stage. [24]
Saco is a left-footed midfielder, who has been mainly regarded for his physical attributes, which allow him to win many headers and keep possession. [8] [9] Despite his slow pace, he has proved to have good abilities in reading the game and finding goal opportunities, thanks to his off-the-ball movement and his heading. [2] [8] He has also been noticed for his vision and his long-range passing prowess. [8]
Although he has been compared to André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, [8] he cited Paul Pogba and Yaya Touré as his main sources of inspiration. [9]
Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Napoli | 2022–23 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
Pro Vercelli (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie C | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 | ||
Ancona (loan) | 2023–24 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 7 | |||
Career total | 65 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 10 |
Mali U23
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