Highlights: Kamory Doumbia, 20, is Mali's playmaker for the round of 16 of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored four goals in 26 minutes in a Breton derby (4-0), on December 20, just before leaving for CAN training. He is much more effective with the Eagles: in 11 selections, he has scored five goals, and, if he has not yet scored in Ivory Coast, he provided two assists for Lassine Sinayoko, against Africa South (2-0) and Tunisia (1-1)

CAN 2024: Kamory Doubia, the Malian comet that Burkina Faso must be wary of

Before Mali-Burkina Faso, on January 30 in Korhogo, Kamory Doumbia, 20, carries on his young shoulders the weight of the role of playmaker for the Eagles. With the Malian selection, the young nugget, playing in Brest, has always performed better than in Ligue 1, and now has a continental stage to shine in a round of 16 of the CAN.

Malian midfielder #26 Kamory Doumbia fights for the ball with Tunisian midfielder #14 Aissa Laidouni (L) during the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group E football match between Tunisia and Mali at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium in Korhogo on January 20, 2024. AFP - FADEL SENNA

By: RFI Follow

Little known before a resounding

quadruple with Brest against Lorient in Ligue 1

, Kamory Doumbia is, at 20 years old, Mali's playmaker. He will be responsible for the offensive animation of his team for the round of 16 of the

African Cup of Nations

against neighboring Burkina Faso, Tuesday (5 p.m. UT) in Korhogo.

Read alsoCAN 2024: Calendar and results

“

His quadruplet caused a lot of talk, but it didn't surprise me, he's a devil in front of goal

,” says Vincent Dufour, who recruited him at the age of 11 at the Académie Jean-Marc Guillou (JMG) from Bamako. However, in Ligue 1, Doumbia did not look like a goalscorer. His four goals in 26 minutes in a Breton derby (4-0), on December 20, just before leaving for CAN training, represented almost half of his total among the pros.

Previously, he had only scored five goals in 50 matches between Reims, his post-training club, and Brest. He is much more effective with the Eagles: in 11 selections, he has scored five goals, and, if he has not yet scored in Ivory Coast, he provided two assists for Lassine Sinayoko, against

Africa South (2-0)

and

Tunisia (1-1)

. Against the Carthage Eagles, he was named man of the match.

🇲🇱 Kamouri Doumbia 🇲🇱

The playmaker from Mali is your TotalEnergies man of the match after a great show! 👏#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #TUNMLI | Football Together pic.twitter.com/yhwtAwLmZZ

— FEMAFOOT (@femafoot) January 20, 2024

“Question of trust”

“

Normally, it doesn't take three chances to score one

,” continues the general director of the JMG Academies.

It's more a question of confidence, he totally has it with the Mali jersey on his shoulders. There, he is an offensive boss, he is not afraid to take the game into his own hands, maybe he needs responsibility

? »

“

Confidence is starting to come and I think that with time, we will see beautiful things

,” said the frail (1.70 m) and shy Kamory Doumbia on the evening of his exploit in the French championship.

The coach

(from Mali Eric Chelle)

sent me a message of congratulations and that’s nice

.”

Read alsoKamory Doumbia, the young Malian author of a historic quadruple in Ligue 1

His trainer at Brest, Eric Roy, had noted this dichotomy. In November, “

he scored two goals in two matches with the Eagles, in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, against Chad

(3-1)

and the Central African Republic

(1-1), recalls the Brest technician.

So when we got home, before the match against Montpellier, we told him, now you need to start scoring with us. And he did it in the match against Montpellier

(3-1 victory).

So, actually, in

‘

Kamo

’,

you just have to ask him, what

,” jokes Roy. Before continuing, more seriously: “

In a role of number ten, a bit old-fashioned, he fulfilled his role beyond my expectations during Brest-Lorient

,” says the coach.

It’s his position with Mali

.”

A real number 10

“

For me, it’s a number 10

,” confirmed Eric Chelle in

Ouest France

on December 2.

A real one like we don't make many anymore. He moves well between the lines, makes his team play while being able to be on the last pass or finish

.” From his first selection in Zambia (1-0 victory) on September 23, 2022, he also offered a decisive pass to El-Bilal Touré.

“

We are starting to see him more and more in the opposing area and being where the ball falls

,” noted the Malian coach.

He decided to plan ahead. He understood that even if football is a team sport, to exist at a high level, it must have statistics

.”

Doumbia was “

very well trained at the JMG

,” says Roy.

Jean-Marc Guillou is a true technician, with an idea of football based on technique, on movement. This is what we find in Kamory's training, this ease with the ball, this ability to be destabilizing through his support and also this intuition, this feeling in the game that he has of being there at the right time, in the right place, well placed, always projecting himself into the penalty area

,” continues the Brest coach. “

He’s a real number 10 scorer

,” concludes Dufour.

We hope that he will confirm, because he has everything for the very high level

CAN 2024: Kamory Doubia, the Malian comet that Burkina Faso must be wary of

CAN 2024: Kamory Doubia, the Malian comet that Burkina Faso must be wary of

“Question of trust”

A real number 10

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