Musa Toure

Musa Toure
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-11-12) 12 November 2005 (age 18)
Place of birth Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Clermont
Number 49
Youth career
2016–2018 Croydon Kings
2019 FFSA NTC
2020–2024 Adelaide United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2024 Adelaide United NPL 52 (19)
2022–2024 Adelaide United 11 (1)
2024– Clermont 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 August 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 April 2022

Musa Toure (born 12 November 2005) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Clermont.

Early life

Musa Toure was born on 12 November 2005 in Darwin, Australia and is of Liberian descent.[1] His parents, Amara and Mawa Toure, were originally from Frelah, a town in the Salala District of Liberia, before having to flee from the Second Liberian Civil War on 23 May 1990. His family sought refuge in Conakry, Guinea where his two elder brothers were born and eventually settled in Adelaide, South Australia on 26 November 2004.[2]

Raised in the suburbs of Croydon, Musa played football with his two older brothers, Al Hassan and Mohamed, both of whom became professional footballers.[3] His father frequently coached them in a local park close to their home, nurturing their talents and mentality from his experiences as a semi-professional in Guinea and Liberia.[4] Alongside his brothers, Musa played for Croydon Kings as a junior before transferring to Adelaide United in their youth system. He was considered the most gifted out of the three by Croydon's U18 coach, Steve Pepper.[5]

Club career

Adelaide United

2020–2023: Early career

Following his signing for Adelaide United in 2020, Musa was named for the senior NPL side ahead of the 2020 NPL South Australia season.[6] In his first season, he registered 7 appearances, making his senior debut on 25 July 2020 in a 3–0 defeat to Adelaide Comets before scoring his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw to MetroStars a week later.[7] His second and third seasons saw him accumulate a further 6 goals in 24 appearances leading him to be called up for pre-season with Adelaide United ahead of the 2022–23 A-League season.[8][9]

Musa made his first-team debut as a substitute on 9 October 2022 in a 1–1 draw to Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium.[10] He signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 March 2023.[11] Following his brief stint in the first-team, Musa was demoted to the youth squad where he played a vital role in the Young Red's league campaign under Airton Andrioli's system.[12][13] He scored his sixth goal of the season and added an assist for his side to settle a 2–2 draw with West Adelaide on 6 May.[14]

Toure was recalled into the first team ahead of the 2023–24 A-League season but was ruled out with an ankle injury during the 2023 Australia Cup.[15] He made his first appearance of the campaign on 20 October 2023 in a 3–0 home win against defending champions Central Coast Mariners. He played a part in the third goal, being awarded a free kick that was taken by Bernardo and scored by a header from Nick Ansell.[16] On 29 October 2023, Toure scored his first goal for the club in a 6–0 demolition of Melbourne City,[17] becoming the fifth youngest scorer for Adelaide United and a part of the first brother trio to score for the club.[18]

Personal life

Musa grew up in a tight-knit Islamic family who shared a passion for football. His father was a footballer in Guinea and Liberia before taking the role of a teacher; he had played for AS Manee in the second division of Guinea, with the club president providing him with a house for his family.[2] Musa is the younger brother to Al Hassan and Mohamed Toure, both of whom made league appearances for Adelaide United. His younger sister, Miriam, plays in the youth league of Women NPL and his two younger brothers, Bilal and Idris, are playing in the NPL youth league.[3] His uncle, Ali, was also a prominent footballer who had played in NPL South Australia.[2] Musa and his brothers support English Premier League club Chelsea and have dreamed of playing for the club in the near future.[3] For his creativity and talents, Musa was nicknamed "The Brazilian" by his family.[4]

In terms of education, Musa and his older brothers Al Hassan and Mohamed attended Underdale High School, a secondary school located in the western suburb of Underdale, Adelaide.[19]

Musa participated in a charity match on 22 June 2023, organised by Mohamed, to raise money for kids who couldn't afford to play football in Adelaide.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Musa Toure". Adelaide United.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ a b c 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.
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Dave (29 March 2020). "Australian football needs more risk-takers, says Toure clan's main man". SBS Sport.
  5. ^ Lewis, Dave (17 February 2020). "Oh brother! Musa Toure latest in football family to impress Verbeek". SBS Sport.
  6. ^ "Adelaide United Youth squad revealed for NPL SA 2021 season". Adelaide United. 7 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Musa Toure - 2020 Player Statistics". GameDay.
  8. ^ "Musa Toure - 2022 Player Statistics". GameDay.
  9. ^ "Carl's Call: Fit and refreshed Reds ready for season opener". Adelaide United. 4 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Reds draw 1–1 with Phoenix". Adelaide United. 9 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Musa Toure signs United scholarship". Adelaide United. 1 March 2023.
  12. ^ "20-man squad named for Nix clash". Adelaide United. 16 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Young Reds held despite Toure brilliance". Adelaide United. 8 May 2023.
  14. ^ "West Adelaide Senior Men's NPL 2-2 Adelaide United Senior Men's NPL". DRIBL. 6 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Australia Cup Round of 32 squad named". Adelaide United. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Mariners' title defence begins with defeat as rampant Reds begin new era in style". Adelaide United. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  17. ^ "Six of the best! Adelaide send a statement to the rest of the competition with City demolition". Adelaide United. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  18. ^ "The Stats that matter: Round Two". Adelaide United. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  19. ^ Migliaccio, Val (3 March 2020). "Schoolboy Mohamed Toure, the A-League's youngest goalscorer was gutted when he had to miss sports day". Adelaide Now. The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Making sure their community can afford football: our night out at an extraordinary event". KEEPUP. 21 June 2023.