Through The Ranks Monday 15th February 2010
Fulham FC News
Like many young African footballers, Fulham’s Cheick Touré grew up practising his skills and dreaming of playing in Europe.
For most that dream will remain a distant hope. However, the Ivorian youngster was selected to be one of the pupils at the famed Abidjan football academy where teenagers in West Africa have a better chance of realising their ambitions.
Graduates of the school include Manchester City’s Kolo Touré, Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboué, Portsmouth’s Aruna Dindane and Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou, as well as Didier Zokora and Yaya Touré who play for Sevilla and Barcelona respectively.
“I am very proud to have been part of the Abidjan academy,” reflects Cheick. “It has produced so many top players as well as lots and lots of other players across Europe.
“Some of those have gone on to make a big impact in English football and one day I would like to be thought of in the same way.
“The academy has a great reputation and is one of the best in Africa. If you get chosen you know that you have talent and that there is a good chance of getting that dream move.”
Founded by former French international Jean-Marc Guillou in 1993 with the aim of taking children off the street and giving them an education and top-class football training, the academy was soon producing a stream of undoubtedly talented players.
At one point coaches were watching 30,000 hopefuls in trial matches before picking just 18 aged between 12 and 15. The chosen live at the school during the week and take part in two football sessions per day, with a match on a Saturday.
“You live and breathe the game,” he explains. “But thankfully football was already a way of life for us.”
Unfortunately, the academy suffered when civil war broke out in 2002 but has since undergone a re-launch.
“I know that some people argue against such academies, but all I can say is that it helped me get to where I am today,” he says with conviction. And that place is Fulham Football Club.
Touré initially trialled at French club Auxerre, before being offered a professional contract at Millwall. However, it was at Motspur Park that he felt most at home, signing a one-year schoolboy contract last summer – a contract which has since become a two-year scholarship.
“I feel very comfortable here,” says Cheick. “It was difficult at first, but seven months on I believe I have made good progress and that I have become a better player.
“I came in as a midfielder, but have since been switched to the centre of defence. At the beginning I was not happy. I won’t lie, I did not want to play in defence, I wanted to play in midfield where I have always played.
“But my coaches here decided that I could become a better centre-back, which I now believe too. I certainly have the physique and power to do well in that position. The important thing is for me to be playing and moving to defence has made that happen.”
His education in football began on the dusty streets of Agnéby – one of 19 regions of Ivory Coast and with a population of 720,000.
It was here where he developed his unquestionable talent for the game and his unquenchable desire to succeed. He was a street player; one that played with a perpetual smile and with a ball constantly at his feet.
After an uneven transition into English football, Touré has overcome cultural differences and pressure to perform, with Academy staff and coaches praising his willingness to learn and develop, both as a player and as a person.
“In the beginning I didn’t know what was going on,” he admits. “I hardly spoke any English; I only knew a few words like ‘hello’, ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’. It was difficult to communicate with my new team-mates and coaches and I just didn’t understand.
“Everyone was very patient, but it must have been frustrating for them too. I was being told things, but without knowing what exactly it was that they wanted from me, I couldn’t go away and make those improvements.
“I was making mistakes and it was clear that the team was conceding goals because of me – which was difficult to take. And in the end I lost my place in the team.
“I cried when I found myself on the bench because I just wanted to be out there playing and showing everyone what I could do.
“But that setback made me want to succeed even more and I decided to do all I could to make sure that happened. I started coming in at 7am and doing extra work in the gym, as well as extra defensive sessions after training.
“I made even more of an effort to learn English and would speak and think it as much as possible because I was determined to not let this opportunity pass. I feel as my English has got better, so has my football.
“They were things that I just had to do, and still do to this day. I now know what my position entails; I know when I have to drop off, squeeze or push forward. When the manager shouts his instructions I can react immediately. I feel very happy now.”
The 17-year-old’s natural strength and admirable commitment have brought much to the team, and off the pitch he is a popular character with both team-mates and staff.
Touré has worked hard to get where he is and it is clear the game that we call football means an awful lot to him.
“For a lot of African people it is a dream to be able to play for a team like Fulham,” he says. “Before I became part of the Abidjan academy there would be days where I would miss school just so I could play football in the streets and develop my skills.
“Ivory Coast is a lot different to England, as you can imagine. Here you have everything, back home you have nothing. You don’t have these nice Nike shirts and most of the time you don’t even have boots on your feet.
“There have been a lot of problems there and it wasn’t just difficult for me – it was difficult for everyone. Football gave me the chance to escape what was going on and it has given me an opportunity to do good things with my life.
“For me, I only have football - it is all that I have.”
Touré’s path to SW6 is a remarkable story; a humbling narrative laced with courage and resolve and entwined with political struggle and war. He appreciates the chance that football has given him, and looks set to give all he can in the white of Fulham.
“There have been a lot of obstacles in the way,” reflects Cheick. “So far, my time at the Club has been a wonderful experience and I think I have come a long way in a short space of time.
“When I came in on trial my agent gave me my first real pair of boots. I’d only ever worn boots a few times before that day. I wasn’t used to them and even that was difficult for me.
“I remember just wanting to rip them off and play in bare feet. Imagine that, a player taking off his boots and kicking the ball and going in for tackles without protection on his feet! But I knew nothing else.”
Cheick Touré Up Close
My nickname is Petr. Well that’s what Mark Pembridge calls me anyway, as in Petr Cech.
A strength of mine is that I am very physical. I’m also very comfortable on the ball.
Although my weakness is probably the fact that I am not that quick. I need to work on my speed.
I would say I play most like Carlos Puyol. He’s strong and even though he is not quick he’s always a step ahead of the strikers.
The biggest influence on my career has been Kit Symons. He has helped me a lot since I have been at Fulham because playing in defence has been a new experience for me. But he’s helped me to adapt.
My hidden talent is my dancing. I do a good African dance that everyone loves to see me do.
My favourite Fulham player is Brede Hangeland. We play in the same position and he is a player that I can learn a lot from.
Growing up my idol was Alexandre Song of Arsenal. He can play in midfield and in defence. He’s a great player.
Five years from now I’ll be at the top of my game.
Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/February/ThroughTheRanksCheickToure.aspx#ixzz0fg2NIyYK
