Sports

Meet Burkina Faso’s ‘legendary’ striker, Aristide Bancé, who has played for 24 clubs in 14 countries

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2023

Retired Burkina Faso striker, Aristide Bancé, was more of a journeyman footballer in his playing days and ended up playing for 24 different clubs in 14 countries and leagues across Europe and beyond.

The 38-year-old Bancé has become a legend in the game in his country and has become a reference point on how to be a roller coaster in one’s career.

Bancé started his youth career in 2000 with Stade d’Abidjan in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, his birth place. While there, he managed to score eight goals from 33 appearances for the club.

In 2001, he signed for Athlétic Adjamé where he appeared 30 times and scored five goals before joining RFC Daoukro in 2022. There he also scored eight goals in 20 appearances for the club.

In 2003, Bancé signed for Santos Burkina and represented the club 16 times and managed to find the back of the net nine times.

From 2003–2006 Bancé became a Lokeren player where he made 77 with 27 goals. He then turned out for Metalurh from 2006-2008.

In 2007, he joined Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine and made 12 appearances with two goals before moving to Germinal Beerschot in Germany on loan in 2008, playing nine times with no goal to show.

He was then shipped to Kickers Offenbach on loan where he played 10 matches and scored four goals.

He also starred for Metalurh Donets, also in Ukraine, before turning out for German club Mainz 05 in 2010, where he made 62 appearances and scored 24 goals.In his first season at Mainz, helping the team gain promotion to the Bundesliga with 14 league goals.

Bancé illustrious career by country:

Germany (Mainz 05, Augsburg, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Kickers Offenbach)

Belgium (Lokeren, Beerschot AC)

Ukraine (Metalurh Donetsk, Shakhtar Donetsk),

Turkey (Samsunspor)

UAE (Al-Ahli)

Qatar (Umm Salal)

Finland (HJK Helsinki)

Kazakhstan (FC Irtysh Pavlodar)

Egypt (Al-Masry)

South Africa (Chippa United)

Cote d’Ivoire (ASEC Mimosas, Stade d’Abidjan, Athlétic Adjamé, RFC Daoukro, Williamsvills)

Latvia (Riga FC)

Guinea (Horoya AC)

Burkina Faso (Santos Burkina, US des Forces Armées).

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Sports

Ghana Black Stars in disarray as 8 players withdraw from 2025 Afcon qualifiers

Published

15 hours ago

November 12, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The chances of the Black Stars of Ghana qualifying for the 2025 AFCON seems slimmer by the day with the withdrawal of eight first team players from the squad as the team prepares for crucial qualifiers against against Angola on November 15 in Luanda and against Niger at the Accra Sports Stadium on November 18.

The latest to pull out of the double headed qualifiers are Inaki Williams and Antoine Semenyo due to injuries, with the withdrawals forcing head coach Otto Addo, to scramble for last minute replacements to reshape his squad with little time to spare.

Other top stars who have withdrawn from the team are Thomas Partey, Tariq Lamptey and Jerome Opoku

Others are Jonas Adjetey, Alexander Djiku and Joseph Paintsil, all of whom have been sidelined due to injuries or personal reasons.

Ghana currently sits in third place in Group F with two points, trailing Angola, who leads with 12 points, and Sudan with seven points.

To stand any chance of qualifying, the Black Stars must win all their remaining matches and hope Sudan stumble in their final games.

Sports

CAF celebrates Ademola Lookman’s AFCON goals ahead of AFY award

Published

3 days ago

November 10, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ahead of the 2024 African Footballer of the Year (AFY) award scheduled to hold in Morocco next month, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rolled out the drums to celebrate the goals scored by Super Eagles of Nigeria forward, Ademola Lookman, at the last AFCON.

After finishing in 14th position at the Ballon d’Or, many have tipped the Atalanta star as the clear favourite to win CAF’s African Footballer of the Year award for 2024 and the continent’s football governing body seems to align with the verdict by celebrating his goals at the AFCON and his iconic celebrations depicting those of late Green Eagles player, Samuel Okwaraji.

Lookman was a key member of the Nigerian Super Eagles at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, in addition to his hat trick in the Europa League final, where Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen to win the trophy.

This season, the striker has continued where he stopped, notching up two Champions League goals and six goals and four assists in eight league games is one of the best in the world right now.

The CAF awards will take place in Rabat on December 16 at the famous Mohammed VI Grand Theatre and if Lookman picks up the gong, will be taking over from Nigerian team mate, Victor Osimhen who won the 2023 edition.