Al Hassan Toure (born 30 May 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 2 club Ajaccio. Born a Liberian refugee in Guinea, he has represented Australia at youth level.
.jpg) Toure with Ajaccio in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 May 2000 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Conakry, Guinea | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Ajaccio | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Croydon Kings | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Croydon Kings | 23 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Adelaide United NPL | 17 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Adelaide United | 30 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Macarthur FC | 45 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022 | → Northbridge (loan) | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Eyüpspor | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | → Şanlıurfaspor (loan) | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Ajaccio | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | → Ajaccio II | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Australia U23 | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 January 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
Toure is eligible to represent Australia, Guinea and Liberia at national level. Toure was called up to the Australia national under-23 soccer team squad on 11 November 2019 for a series of friendlies against U-23 teams in Chongqing, China later that month.
Early life and family
editToure was born on 30 May 2000 in a refugee camp in Conakry, Guinea, the eldest of six children to Amara and Mawa Toure.[1][2][3] Before his birth, his parents originally hailed from Frelah, a town in the Salala District of Liberia and belonged to the Mandingo ethnic group.[2][3] They fled to Guinea during the Second Liberian Civil War, after the war had reached the town on the morning of 23 May 1990. Amara travelled for 18 days on foot before eventually resting in a refugee camp in Conakry where he met Mawa. During their 14-year stay at the camp, Al Hassan and his younger brother Mohamed were born. The Toures moved to Australia on 26 November 2004, settling in South Australia where Al Hassan's uncle, Ali, was staying. They initially resided on Prospect Rd at Blair Athol before moving to Croydon and then to a three-bedroom home in Clearview, a northern suburb of Adelaide.[2][3]
Growing up in a tight-knit Islamic family in the suburb of Croydon, Al Hassan spent a significant amount of time playing football with his two younger brothers, Mohamed and Musa, both of whom became professional footballers.[2][3] His father, Amara, was Al Hassan's biggest influence, training him from his experiences as a semi-professional in Guinea and Liberia.[4][5] He started his career to professional football with local club Croydon Kings, making his senior debut at the age of 16.[6]
Toure's goalscoring idol growing up was Cristiano Ronaldo, for his work ethic and leadership on the pitch.[7]
Club career
editAdelaide United
editOn 7 August 2019, Toure made his professional debut against Melbourne Knights in the 2019 FFA Cup, scoring the opening goal as Adelaide won the match 5–2.[8] Soon afterwards, Toure penned a two-year scholarship contract with the club.[9] He continued his scoring form in Adelaide's Round of 16 clash against Olympic FC, with a first-half brace helping Adelaide to a 3–2 win.[10] He scored again in the quarter-finals, pouncing on a Glen Moss error to score his fourth in three games as they beat the Newcastle Jets 1–0.[11] On 23 October 2019, Toure scored the opening goal in Adelaide's 4–0 win over Melbourne City in the 2019 FFA Cup Final,[12] being awarded the Mark Viduka Medal for his performance.[13]
Toure scored his first A-League goal in a Round 1 clash against Sydney FC, slotting home Adelaide's second as they lost 3–2 at Coopers Stadium.[14]
International career
editToure is eligible to represent Liberia and Australia. He was chosen in November 2019 to play for the Australian U23's (the Olyroos) in a friendly tournament in China, and scored on debut.[15] Toure played a big part in helping the Olyroos qualify for the 2020 Olympics for the first time in 12 years, scoring a crucial goal against Syria in the Quarter Finals of the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship, going on to win the game and qualifying a few days later in the 3rd Place Final.[citation needed]
Other appearances
editToure has taken part in the African Nations Cup of South Australia.[16]
Career statistics
edit- As of 2 October 2022
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Adelaide United | 2019–20 | A-League | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 |
| 2020–21 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 7 | ||
| Macarthur FC | 2021–22 | A-League Men | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 |
| 2022–23 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Total | 22 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 52 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 14 | ||
Honours
editClub
editAdelaide United
Macarthur
Individual
editReferences
edit- ^ Windon, Jacob; Green, Samuel (23 October 2019). "'Destined for really big things': Incredible story behind Toure's remarkable rise | Australia Cup". Australia Cup.
- ^ a b c d Burnett, Adam (22 March 2023). "Special Feature: Born in a mud hut in a refugee camp, to dreaming of dominating Australian football". Optus Sport. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d McGuire, Michael (13 April 2020). "How Adelaide's Toure family fled war in Africa to set up a new life in Australia". Adelaide Now. The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Dave (29 March 2020). "Australian football needs more risk-takers, says Toure clan's main man". SBS Sport.
- ^ "Toure v Toure: The special family eager to inspire young African-Australian footballers". KEEPUP. 16 October 2022.
- ^ Greenwood, Rob (27 September 2019). "How Adelaide's Toure family fled war in Africa to set up a new life in Australia". Adelaide Now. The Advertiser.
- ^ James, Euan (9 October 2019). "From NPL to A-League: Toure hopes to inspire future generations". The Football Sack.
- ^ "Reds progress to last 16 with 5–2 win over Knights". Adelaide United. 7 August 2019.
- ^ "Signing news: Verbeek rewards impressive Toure with scholarship contract". 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Olympic vs Adelaide United, FFA Cup, Round of 16, 21st Aug 2019". 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Reference at www.adelaidenow.com.au".
- ^ "FFA Cup: Adelaide United vs Melbourne City news, Al Hassan Toure, score, A-League, team news, highlights, video". Fox Sports. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ "Dream comes true for Al Hassan Toure as Adelaide lift FFA Cup again". The Guardian. 23 October 2019.
- ^ "Adelaide United vs Sydney FC: The A-League has finally returned. And it took just 20 minutes for VAR strike again". 11 October 2019.
- ^ Samuel Green (16 November 2019). "Toure scores on Australia U-23 debut to continue remarkable three-month rise". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Adelaide's African Nations Cup: A talent scout's dream". The Roar. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Dream comes true for Al Hassan Toure as Adelaide lift FFA Cup again". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
External links
edit- Al Hassan Toure at Soccerway