Coli Saco (born 15 May 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Napoli. Born in France, Saco represents Mali at under-23 level.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 15 May 2002 | |||||||||||||
Place of birth | Créteil, France | |||||||||||||
Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | Napoli | |||||||||||||
Number | 74 | |||||||||||||
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) | |||||||||||
International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
2023– | Mali U23 | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 July 2024 |
Club career
editBorn 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]
International career
editIn 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,[18][19] where the Eagles finished in third place and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[20][21]
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][22] where The Eagles were eventually eliminated in the group stage.[23]
Style of play
editSaco 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]
Personal life
editCareer statistics
editClub
editClub | 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 |
Honours
editMali U23
- U-23 Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal: 2023[20][21]
References
edit- ^ a b "Le bilan de la saison sochalienne en U17". La Bande à Bonal (in French). 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Il Napoli di Spalletti, l'amicizia con Malcuit e la Pro Vercelli: la storia di Coli Saco". La Casa di C (in Italian). 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Le tenant chute, un Poucet passe". French Football Federation (in French). 2 February 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Décision concernant les championnats amateurs et les compétitions". French Football Federation (in French). 16 April 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Lionetto, Riccardo (5 October 2020). "Milan, doppio colpo: presi Saco e Pobi". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Football. Coli Saco, pas conservé au FC Sochaux, signe au Milan AC". L'Est Républicain (in French). 7 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Brianti, Simone (20 June 2021). "Milan, Saco ai saluti: parole d'addio per il centrale rossonero". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Paesano, Luca (14 June 2022). "Largo ai giovani: Coli Saco". Sport del Sud (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Stesina, Marco (22 July 2022). "Il nuovo Pogba ha 20 anni e sbarca in Piemonte: muscoli e centimetri per impressionare". Sprint e Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Schirru, Francesco (23 July 2024). "Alle Olimpiadi c'è anche un giocatore del Napoli: tra i convocati del Mali anche l'ex Milan Coli Saco, occhio alla chance con Conte". Goal.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Brianti, Simone (6 January 2022). "Napoli, il messaggio social di Saco: "Non era il momento di esordire in Serie A"". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Regis, Sebastiano (15 July 2022). "BENVENUTO COLI SACO!". F.C. Pro Vercelli 1892 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Lanza, Raffaella (17 July 2022). "Corradini, Vergara e Coli Saco: la carica dei nuovi leoni. Awua, Panico e Vitale verso il Crotone". La Stampa (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "Pro Vercelli vs. Calcio Padova - 3 September 2022". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ "Pro Vercelli vs. AlbinoLeffe - 5 November 2022". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "SACO COLI E' UN NUOVO GIOCATORE DELL'ANCONA" [SACO COLI IS A NEW PLAYER FOR ANCONA] (in Italian). US Ancona. 1 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Ancona, si alza il sipario sul campionato: Cioffi e Spagnoli per scardinare l'Entella". Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Olivier, Anthony (12 June 2023). "CAN U23 : la liste du Mali avec un talent de Premier League et 3 nouveaux !". Afrik Foot (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Mali stages comeback to defeat Gabon in TotalEnergies CAF U-23 AFCON | Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Confederation of African Football. 25 June 2023. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Mali's U23 team ends 20-year wait, qualifies for Paris Olympics | Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2023". CAFOnline.com. Confederation of African Football. 7 July 2023. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ a b "CAN 2023 : le Mali se qualifie aux JO 2024". Sport News Africa (in French). 7 July 2023. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ Olivier, Anthony (8 July 2024). "JO 2024 : la liste du Mali avec 2 internationaux A !". Afrik-foot.com (in French). Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Lantheaume, Romain (30 July 2024). "JO 2024 : le Mali rate la qualification..." Afrik-foot.com (in French). Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ Coli Saco at WorldFootball.net
- ^ Coli Saco at Soccerway
External links
edit- Coli Saco at Soccerway
- Coli Saco at WorldFootball.net
- Player profile at UNFP