There are footballers out there with incredible hidden talents—players like Boubakary Soumare, who is a sleeping giant. He’s a footballer with rare skills, but at the time of writing, he still hasn’t shown the world his full potential. This article dives into the untold soccer story of the French defensive midfielder, who is one of the most underrated players in his position.
Not many football fans know that Boubakary Soumaré grew up as a bit of a “sulker”—the kind of kid who didn’t show much cheerfulness. In fact, he was that super adorable child who would never cry and could often be found in his own little corner. This was a defining trait of his childhood and early life.
Above all else, Boubakary Soumaré only truly enjoyed one thing—playing football. When he wasn’t on the pitch, you’d probably find him indulging in his favourite snack, a good old meat pie. Now, let’s dive into the heart of Boubakary Soumaré’s story.
Football’s Quiet Prodigy: The Untold Story of Boubakary Soumare
Preamble:
This article on Boubakary Soumaré’s biography goes deeper than what you’ll find on YouTube. It shares insights into his childhood, early life, parents, family background, and more. You’ll also learn about Soumaré’s love life, net worth, lifestyle, and personal life.
In short, this is the story of the French professional footballer, from his boyhood days to his rise to fame. To give you a taste, we’ve put together a gallery showing his journey from childhood to adulthood—a perfect introduction to our take on Boubakary Soumaré’s bio.
The Biography of Boubakary Soumare – Behold, the Early Life and Rise of the French soccer genius.
Sure, everyone knows Bouba as the type of footballer who, like N’Golo Kanté, plays with calmness under pressure, even in tight spaces, and has the power and athleticism to win the ball back. Boubakary is an athlete, and he is often compared to Boubacar Kamara, another defensive midfielder of his generation, thanks to his physicality and impressive technical skills.
In all the French football stories we’ve shared, we’ve noticed that not many soccer fans have read Boubakary Soumaré’s biography, which is really fascinating. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Boubakary Soumare Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For starters of his Biography, Boubakary Soumare was born on the 7th day of February 1999 to his parents in Noisy-le-Sec, France. Below is a photo of Noisy-le-Sec, a commune located in the eastern suburbs of Paris. This is the commune (Noisy-le-Sec) where Boubakary Soumare’s family lived before and after his birth.
This is Noisy-le-Sec, where the Boubakary Soumare Family came from.
Judging from his looks above, you could suggest Boubakary Soumare’s parents are NOT pure natives of France. The truth is that they have their family roots in Senegal and are most likely to be migrants who decided to leave their homeland to settle in France for better opportunities for their family members.
Like most migrants, Boubakary Soumare’s parents had a middle-class family background. In order to earn a living, they would most times travel for about 8.6 km to Paris’s city centre, where the best blue- and white-collar job opportunities lie.
Boubakary Soumare’s Early Life:
According to FranceFootball, Boubakary Soumaré was known for being a bit of a “sulker” as a child—someone who wasn’t naturally cheerful.
He was the super adorable child who would NEVER CRY and would always be found in his little corner (a pure characteristic of his childhood and early life trait).
Among all things, Boubakary Soumare only enjoyed sporty moments- that is, moments when he played football. When he is not playing football, the little lad is most likely to be found eating his favourite snack recipe- The Meat Pie. Below is a rare early-life photo of Boubakary Soumare doing what he knew how to do best as a child.
Boubakary Soumare’s Early Life- A rare photo of him eating Meat Pie.
Boubakary Soumare Education:
Having realized he wasn’t the social kid and that it was only football that kept him going, Boubakary Soumare’s parents decided to allow their son to follow his destiny (becoming a footballer), which they realized early on.
Did you know?… The effect of his loneliness made up for the efforts he used to push himself to do things out of the ordinary with the ball.
Educating himself thoroughly in the game gave birth to his great mentality, one that made Boubakary Soumare achieve whatever he set his eyes on doing with the soccer ball.
As a child footballer, he was ahead of others who played alongside him on local pitches in his neighbourhood.
Following France’s success in the 2006 World Cup, Boubakary Soumare’s parents, who were footballitically inspired, decided they must set things formal with their son.
They decided to seek a nearby club so little Bouba could have trials. Boubakary Soumare, who was aged 7 (in the year 2006), travelled for 23km.
Alongside his parents from his Noisy-le-Sec neighbourhood to Voie des Saules. This was where he had trials with Paris FC.
Boubakary Soumare Biography – Early Career Life:
Within seconds after it was announced he had secured a successful trial with the club, the joy of the Boubakary Soumare’s family members knew no bounds.
In that same World Cup year (2006), young Bouba—his childhood nickname—joined the academy at Paris FC (not PSG). This move laid a solid foundation for his budding football career.
Bouba was quick to settle into the Paris FC academy. Approaching his teenage years, he was still able to do everything- always ahead of the others while he played at Paris FC’s Déjerine stadium.
Back then, Marc Moesta- his U12 and U13 coach at Paris FC- once testified that Boubakary Soumare was able to do high-level things for his young age.
Although he still had his habit of being reserved and always found in his corner. In fact, Bouba was the kind of young footballer who enjoyed playing football a little bit individually- a pure sign of a Loner.
Road to Fame Story:
While the rising star was in his U13, news of his skills & talent had already begun spreading across France.
At that time, Boubakary Soumare’s parents decided to approve the idea of their son leaving Paris FC to PSG, where he had a successful trial. Bouba continued to progress with PSG, joining the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, who was one of PSG’s best youth stars at that time.
Boubakary Soumare began his U14s youth level at PSG under coach Sébastien Thierry, who saw him as an extremely determined player- a warrior on the field. Despite being praised, there came a constant worry for the young lad after academy graduation.
Playing with Paris Saint-Germain B meant he was under the shadows of the PSG senior team, a development that looked like a passing fantasy. Sadly, the young lad still found himself under the shadows of PSG’s top midfielders.
Bouba did all he could but still remained under the shadows of PSG’s top midfielders.
Gaining entrance into the PSG senior team means outranking any of the likes of Marco Verratti, Javier Pastore, Julian Draxler, and Adrien Rabiot, who, once upon a time, were all at the peak of their powers.
Growing further impatient and having left with no options, Boubakary Soumare shockingly turned down the request to sign a professional contract with PSG. This gave many junior clubs the opportunity to prey on him and beg for his signature.
Boubakary Soumare Biography – Rise to Fame Story:
Among all clubs, it was Lille OSC that seized the opportunity thanks to the club’s sports adviser, Luis Campo. Campo got his hands on the highly coveted talent in the summer of 2017.
At first, things didn’t go as expected for Boubakary Soumare, as he was frustrated seeing coach Christophe Galtier installing a 4-2-3-1 system that left only two places in the midfield.
Having only two midfield slots called for huge competition among midfielders. Bouba was up to the task.
While the scanty mid-field issue persisted, Boubakary Soumare’s family advised him to be patient about his development and never to relent in taking opportunities that came his way.
As expected, Bouba didn’t disappoint when an opportunity presented itself. He had brought more impact on the field than his fellow compatriot Thiago Maia, who had previously been ahead of him in the hierarchy of midfield replacements.
The Great Rise:
But rather than crumble, the midfielder went from strength to strength, achieving a meteoric rise in his combative midfield nature.
To date, one of Bouba’s key attributes is his wonderful range of passing, which allows him to dictate the tempo of the game, keep things ticking in the midfield and switch the play to set up attacks. Boubakary Soumare’s style of play reminded everyone of Paul Pogba.
Bouba, at the age of 20, could do almost anything on Midfield.
Comfortable with the ball at his feet, Bouba can pick a pass or dribble forward with his deceptively quick and agile body- making his opponents struggle to dispossess him. He, alongside his close friend, Mike Maignan, was part of a Lille team that won the Ligue 1 trophy in 2021.
Even if they do, they then can’t overpower him. This attribute gave rise to his nickname, “The New Pogba” because Bouba resembles the mould of the French footballer who helped his country win the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Without a doubt, football fans are on the verge of seeing even a better version of Paul Pogba blossoming into a world-class talent right in front of our very eyes.
Boubakary Soumare, like Carlos Baleba, is indeed one of the endless production lines of defensive midfielders coming from French-speaking nations. The rest, as they say, is history.
Personality:
Now it’s time to answer the real question that says
Who is Boubakary Soumare?…
Getting to know Boubakary Soumare’s Personal Life would surely help you get a better picture of him.
Who is Boubakary Soumare? – His Personal Life Facts would help you get a better picture of him.
Starting off, Boubakary Soumare is someone who speaks very little. And you’ll have to tickle him OR do something extra-ordinary funny to make him smile.
Also, he is not afraid of anything and has known what he wants since childhood. When you talk to Bouba, you have to get straight to the point.
He is someone who is determined, and he wants to go as high as possible.
Another note on Boubakary Soumare’s personal life is his habit of refusing all requests for interviews (according to La Voix du Nord). At the time of writing, he dislikes seeing the media around him.
According to FranceFootball, Bouba does not believe in the need to have a social media network for himself. Boubakary Soumare’s family, close friends and club respect his desire for social media discretion.
For friends, he was very close to former clubmate Nicolas Pepe. Both are like family- in fact, brothers.
Thirdly, in Boubakary Soumare’s personal life, as you must have observed, his entire person is summarized into three words- (family, friends, or football).
There is no social life at the time of writing. When something doesn’t please him, it gets to him too easily. And he doesn’t mind expressing his anger in the field.
You can easily know when he gets angry about something. According to FranceFootball, he once sulked when he was played as a central defender while at PSG.
Boubakary Soumare Family Facts:
In this section, we provide you with extra information about the Boubakary Soumare Family members, beginning with his parents.
Starting off, our very own Bouba comes from a family who loved being respected. And most importantly, doesn’t like getting noticed.
Boubakary Soumare’s parents provided him with the education he needed. It has helped shape his attitude toward success.
They’ve made him so attached to the neighbourhood where he grew up. At this moment, both his mum and dad have all made conscious efforts to avoid the media.
Also, at the time of writing, Bouba has shielded his brothers. Also, his sisters, uncles and aunts kept using him to get public exposure.
All family members probably enjoy a good life in France and would one day grant a proper interview session with the French or British media. The focus for everyone now is to see that Bouba continues to rise in football.
Lifestyle:
The modern-day footballer lives an extraordinary lifestyle. One that is easily noticeable by a fleet of exotic cars, big houses (mansions) and expensive dresses.
This, however, isn’t the case for Bouba as he is, according to many who know him, regarded as an antidote to an exotic lifestyle.
Bouba lives an organized lifestyle. One that is devoid of irrational spending. This means he holds on to practical needs that cost little.
There is no such thing as him driving exotic cars or showcasing himself as enjoying life in a big house (Mansion).
The photo below sums up Boubakary Soumare’s lifestyle. The truth is, he prefers to take public buses despite having so much money to afford a car. The only thing we have seen him ride is a bicycle.
Boubakary Soumare’s Lifestyle reveals he knows the difference between practicality and pleasure.
Untold Facts:
In the final section of Boubakary Soumare’s Bio, we’ll unveil more truths you might not know about him. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Nickname:
You’ve probably realized we have severally referred to him by the nickname “Bouba” many times in this article. Did you know?… Boubakary Soumare got his second nickname, “Bougba“, in reference to him possessing Paul Pogba’s style of play.
Boubakary Soumare Religion:
The predominant religion in Senegal is Islam, which constitutes 92% of her population. This gives a pointer to the religion Boubakary Soumare’s family practices, which is Islam. We’ll update you as soon as there is photo proof showing his Muslim religious practice.
Boubakary Soumare Tattoo:
Tattoo culture is very popular in today’s sporting world. Footballers often use it to portray one’s religion or the people they love. Bouba, at the time of writing his biography, was tattoo-free. He has no inks in his upper and lower body. His personal life photo says it all.
FIFA Potential:
Soumaré has the potential to become one of the best French midfielders in FIFA 20. With a FIFA potential rating of 87, he’s a must-buy for anyone who loves career mode. His style of play reminds us of players like Cheick Doucouré and Tyler Adams.
Boubakary Soumare FIFA Potentials Explained.
Fact Check:
Thanks for reading the story of Boubakary Soumare, a footballer who didn’t live up to his full Leicester City potential. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver French Football stories as we have done for names like Lesley Ugochukwu and Youssef Fofana. If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.
