Adama Traoré Spanish Footballer Born in 1996

Early life

Adama Traoré Diarra was born on 25 January 1996 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, in the Barcelona area of Catalonia, to parents from Mali. His older brother Moha is also a professional footballer. After a short spell with the local club in his hometown, Traoré entered the youth system of FC Barcelona in 2004 and stayed with the club through his teens.

Career

Traoré moved up to Barcelona's reserve side in 2013 and made his debut for it on 6 October of that year in a Segunda División match away to Ponferradina. Within weeks he was in the first-team picture. In November 2013 he played in La Liga for the first time, coming on for Neymar late in a home win over Granada, and later that month he made his UEFA Champions League debut as a substitute in a group match at Ajax. With Barcelona's under-19 side he played in the first edition of the UEFA Youth League, which the team won, and he scored his first goal for the senior squad on 16 December 2014 in a Copa del Rey tie against Huesca. Barcelona went on to win that season's Copa del Rey.

In August 2015 he joined Aston Villa of the Premier League on a five-year contract, with Barcelona holding a buy-back option. He scored his first goal for Villa in the League Cup a few days after making his debut. Villa were relegated at the end of that season, and in August 2016 Traoré signed for Middlesbrough. His best season there was 2017-18, when he scored five goals and set up ten more in the Championship as the team reached the promotion play-offs. Middlesbrough's supporters, players and young-player voters each named him their player of the year.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, newly promoted to the Premier League, signed him in August 2018. He scored his first goal for the club on 1 September against West Ham United, and on 6 October 2019 he scored both goals in a win away to Manchester City. His first European goal for Wolves came in a Europa League group match against Braga in November 2019, and he was voted the PFA Player of the Month for January 2020. He reached 100 Premier League appearances for Wolves in May 2021. In January 2022 he went back to Barcelona on loan for the second half of the season, returned to Wolverhampton afterwards, and left when his contract ended in 2023, having played 201 games and scored 14 goals for the club.

Traoré joined Fulham on a free transfer in August 2023, signing a two-year deal with an option for a third, and scored his first goal for them on 2 March 2024 against Brighton. In January 2026 he moved to West Ham United, where he again worked with his former Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo. West Ham announced his release in June 2026 following the club's relegation, and in August 2026 Deportivo de A Coruña signed him on a two-year contract.

Recognition

Individual honours listed for Traoré include a place in the Segunda División Team of the Year for 2013-14, the three Middlesbrough player awards for 2017-18, and the PFA Player of the Month award in January 2020. His team honours are the 2013-14 UEFA Youth League and the 2014-15 Copa del Rey with Barcelona.

Public roles

Traoré was eligible to play for either Spain, where he was born, or Mali, through his parents. He played for Spain at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, making his under-21 debut on 22 March 2018. In 2019 he was named in a senior Spain squad but withdrew with an injury, and he made his senior debut on 7 October 2020 as a substitute in a friendly with Portugal. Three days later he appeared in a Nations League match against Switzerland, a competitive game that committed him to Spain under FIFA rules. He was part of Luis Enrique's squad for UEFA Euro 2020, where Spain reached the semi-finals and he played 14 minutes as a substitute in a group win over Slovakia.

Traoré is known for his speed and strength. A newspaper ranking of the fastest players of the 2019-20 Premier League season placed him second, with a recorded top speed of 23.48 miles per hour.