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Mon 31 May 2021 | 9:00

Top facts about Boubacar Kamara, the French youngster

Mixed with his height and imposing defensive prowess, Kamara has all the tools to become one of the top talents in Europe. Read on to find out more facts about Boubacar Kamara.

Boubacar Kamara

, who was born on November 23, 1999 in

Marseille

, is a French footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and central defender for Olympique de Marseille.

Boubacar Kamara’s age

is 21 years. Here we take a look at some facts about the French star.

After performing well in the main squad in his first year, Kamara moved into the starting lineup in the Olympian defense. He was a key member of the team which was titled the vice-champion of France 2019-2020.

Boubacar Kamara has enough experience in terms of playing in Europe, and he has played in both the Coupe de Ligue and Europa League at a younger age than most of his competitors.

Boubacar Kamara's approach involves working his way through the French youth teams, which include the under-17s. After his participation in the European U17 Championship of 2016, he won the International U18 Tournament of Limoges the same year, went on to win the quarter-finals of the Euro U19 Championship of 2018, and reached the quarter-finals of the European U20 Championship of 2019.

Top facts about Boubacar Kamara:

The first

fact about Boubacar Kamara

is that prior to 2016, Kamara had previously been training with the Olympique de Marseille youth squads and made his professional debut during the final month of 2016. In the 2017-2018 season, he was a member of the squad that took part in the entire European season up to the final of the Europa League.

Boubacar Kamara early life

Speaking about

Boubacar Kamara’s childhood

, it should be mentioned that he was born in Marseille to a Senegalese father and a Corsican mother. He is from the 9th arrondissement of Marseille, which is situated in the Soude district.

Regarding

Boubacar Kamaras’s parents

it is worth mentioning that as a child, he and his mother Cathy would frequently roam the stadium stands of the Vélodrome stadium, where she was a long-time subscriber to the New York Yankees.

Boubacar started training with Olympique de Marseille's youth academy at the age of five and was initiated into all of the club's tiers (lower, upper, and reserve teams). Playing in the final of the Gambardella Cup at the Stade de France in 2017, he was the captain of various categories within the institution as well as of the U19 team.

Boubacar Kamara personal life

An important fact about

Boubacar Kamara’s personal life

is that he is married to reality TV actress Coralie Porrovecchio. On May 25, 2020, he announced on his Instagram account the birth of his first child, Leeroy, born on May 23, 2020 from his marriage with Coralie Porrovecchio.

Speaking about his role model, he once said, “I now prefer Kalidou Koulibaly and Virgil van Dijk, who I consider to be two of the best defenders in the world. I refer to them as the two standards in my position, tough players, who are very difficult to pass. Additionally, they are proficient in the field game, have strong character, and possess tremendous soccer smarts.”

Boubacar Kamara professional career

In early 2016, at the age of sixteen, Boubacar Kamara had his first steps in professional football, when he played for the reserve team in CFA, as opposed to his U17 team which he had doubly outclassed. Jacques Abardonado, who was hired to be the Olympian Reserve's new head coach, made him an absolute hold on the roster during the 2016-2017 season.

Boubacar Kamara club career

He made his debut for the

Ligue 1

side on 13 December 2016 against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in a Coupe de la Ligue match. He started the match and was replaced by

Hiroki Sakai

in the 82nd minute of a 1–1 (4–3) away loss on penalties.

Olympique de Marseille

On the December 13, 2016, Kamara made his professional debut in a Coupe de la Ligue match against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. He Held the post of right side, and was replaced by Hiroki Sakai in the 82nd minute. The meeting ended with a defeat at penalty kicks (1-1, 5-4 in penalty). In May 2017, he signed his first professional contract for a period of three seasons.

In September 2017, Kamara had his first match at the Stade Vélodrome against Konyaspor (victory 1-0) in the Europa League 2017-2018. The French U20 international therefore became the youngest player in Olympique de Marseille's history to start in the European Cup (17 years and 10 months).

During this 2017-2018 season, he took part in OM's European campaign by participating in six C3 matches, notably in the quarter-finals home and away against

RB Leipzig

(0-1; 5-2).

At 18 years and 4 months, Boubacar Kamara became the second youngest French player to start a C3 quarter-final after Laurent Roussey in 1980 (18 years and 2 months). He was however on the bench in the semi-finals, then in the final lost three to zero against

Atlético Madrid

. The central defender played fourteen games, mostly in the post of midfield where Rudi Gardia preferred.

A notable fact about Boubacar Kamara’s career is that in the 2018-2019 season, the defender had 26 starts in the main squad, alongside Luis Gustavo, Rami and then Caleta-Car. On the February 5, 2019, he scored his first professional goal against Girondins de Bordeaux, the only goal of the match.

At the end of the 2019 summer transfer window, Boubacar Kamara signed until the end of 2022, to the delight of the supporters and his new coach: André Villas-Boas.

Although he started the 2019-2020 season as a starter, he got injured and missed a few games. His coach affirmed his confidence in him by reaffirming him as the holder as soon as his injury was over. He scored his second goal professional on October 20, 2019 against

Strasbourg

.

Boubacar Kamara international career

Called up to the youth teams in 2015, he participated in the European Under-17 Championship in 2016. In this competition, he played two matches, against

Denmark

and

England

, but France did not make it through the group stage by finishing last.

A

fact about Boubacar Kamara

is that he was often called up with the under-18s, he then took part in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2018 with the under-19s led by Bernard Diomède. Boubacar took part in the competition in summer. In the third and last group match against England, decisive for the competition, the defender of OM was the creater of the opening goal (5-0). Les Bleuets lost in the quarterfinals against

Italy

.

In June 2019, he made the list of 23 for the Under-20 World Cup with the French team which was eliminated in the round of 16 by the United States. In this competition, he played three matches including the round of 16.

One could expect that given the incredible array of world-class players he is blessed with, Deschamps must be only one rung above the senior international level. Both the national youth level and senior level have shown that he has yet to establish himself as a regular starter, as a result of the massive amount of young French players that are developing.

An important fact about Boubacar Kamara’s international career is that for the France Under-21 side, Kamara has had to contend with the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Benoit Badiashile for a place in the team alongside the likes of Guido Carrillo,

Kylian Mbappé

, Amine Harit, and Adrien Rabiot.

This so far has been a brief appearance for the U-21 team for the Marseille man, yet if his role in the squad continues to increase, perhaps he will be able to claim a place in the first team and help get him noticed for his senior team.

Boubacar Kamara strengths and weaknesses

The one thing that's been troublesome for Kamara so far is his inability to function well in large spaces, both in and out of possession. When defending central areas, he tends to position himself too square to the ball, and so gets stuck in no man's land between the center and the outside of the pitch.

But, if you peel back the layers and really look at what's going on, you start to appreciate how good he truly is. Most readily apparent is the fact that if opponent wants to go toward his right foot, he does it by standing up straight, utilizing a low and hunched body position, and barring any advancement toward the right side of the pitch.

What is more impressive, is his ability to not only adjust his playing style at a moment's notice, but to do it while being balanced and aggressive in the process. In addition, he shows his strength through the use of his long legs, maneuvering through and around opponents to stop the other team.

The fact about Boubacar Kamara is that he is so observant and can constantly keep track of his opponents' next moves is essential for his successful lay-ups and layups since it allows him to infer whether or not he should charge or back off.

Having the same position has also helped Kamara defend against one-on-one duel battles of his own. Due to the fact that he's ambidextrous, the Marseille man is effective at defending both the left and right sides. He uses his weaker side to shield off opposing players, making himself more susceptible to getting beaten on the other side.

While battling it out with tougher, faster wide receivers, he has found it more difficult versus those wide receivers since they have the advantage in response speed. Had it not been for his skill of making clean challenges from behind, even in risky locations, he would find himself in more situations in which he would be at risk.

When retreating, Kamara has a difficult time maintaining the defensive line. Though he appears to be trying to preserve his optimal body position, he assumes it too late to stop him from easily turning the opposite direction, and thus is often caught in the muck.

While Kamara is in possession, he is much more mindful of his surroundings, as he looks about many times before and after getting the ball. He has superb spatial awareness, which enables him to avoid the many pressures he's subjected to, allowing him to succeed in extremely high-pressure situations.

This is made worse by his ability to anticipate the ball and catch it as it is about to hit the ground, as well as by his heavy shielding and, notably, his drag-backs that assist him to stand up to pressure. The amazing thing about his ability to make precise, quality passes is that he's able to do it even in the face of relentless pressure.

An important fact about Boubacar Kamara’s weaknesses is that when he is tasked with too much responsibility, he begins to suffer. There are moments where he is forced to take it one step at a time, which stresses him out. It appears as though this individual is committed to making improvement, yet they may be stymied by these limitations.

His first action forwards free him up to play to his defensive partner and urges the opponent to do the same; but, by dribbling, he maintains their compactness around the ball. When his players start to break down, the difficulty is that he can't ease the strain and is left with no other option but to take shortcuts for a player whose angles are restricted.

Centre-back is able to hit extremely precise long balls, but his vision is often distorted, which means he almost always only attempts straight long balls, which is a far more difficult pass to do.

You only see the finest of his decision-making when he is in a time of great stress. Even Kamara understands that this big difference in ability exists, as he'll always choose to play it short if there is a teammate around.

The majority of his skill-sets need to be upgraded, although he will be more of a technical destroyer for the time being. It also appears that he opens himself up by assuming a closed stance, with his back to the goal, when playing in a position such as holding midfield, which is unnecessary when in possession of the ball and demands total awareness from all 360 degrees.

Boubacar Kamara style of play

A central defender originally, Boubacar Kamara can help the squad as a defensive midfielder, too. In 2018-2019, the 1.86m defender amazed fans by the cleanliness of his interventions (an average of 2.1 tackles per game for 0.8 fouls) and the intelligence of his positioning, always thought to facilitate interception.

Another

fact about Boubacar Kamara

is that while largely being utilized as a defensive center back, the player is also able to succeed when tasked with covering other positions. For the first time last season, the Frenchman took to the field for league games as a central midfielder and partner to Luiz Gustavo, and in 2017 he made a strong impression in the role, acting as a center back, especially on the left side.

Jacques Abardonado, his coach in the Olympian reserve, commented on him, “He has an excellent heading ability, great placement intelligence and a very developed sense of anticipation. Boubacar knows how to read and anticipate opposing players and balls in depth. Then, technically, he can do everything with the ball.

The serenity he displays is extraordinary. It is beneficial to him but also gives confidence to his teammates because he spreads it on the field. He has the capacity to change the region of play with his long passes and to break the lines with passing.”

De Mello, a Ligue 1 analyst said about him, "He's a natural distributor who reads the game well and is always in the proper spot. He has the maturity of a much older player when he plays. He isn't very large or strong for a center-back, and he can be overconfident in possession at times.

His form deteriorated as he began to make blunders on the ball at the conclusion of last season. The Marseille supporters, on the other hand, adore him. He's been likened to Thiago Silva, but I believe he's more like Marquinhos, another Brazilian."

Due to his high level of play, he's drawn comparisons to the veteran

PSG

defender Thiago Silva, and is often mentioned alongside him. Silva began his time in France and Europe as one of the most dominant defenders at the Parc des Princes in 2012, when he joined

AC Milan

from Brazilian club Fluminense.

While Kamara will have his work cut out trying to live up to the expectations associated with being the defender who goes on to win multiple awards, the early results have been promising.

There is always a danger in making comparisons when judging the relative abilities of younger players, as that can have a lasting impact on their future development. However, Kamara's maturity in the manner in which he takes possession of the ball and moves it up the field in a composed and deliberate manner despite his age belie his true age.

But when combined with his impressive height and impressive physical defense, Kamara possesses all the necessary attributes to be among Europe's top talents. It is quite likely that Kamara has a promising future ahead of him. Marseille's poor results tend to highlight just how good of an asset they may have on their hands, given his finest performances have occurred at these leaner times.

Ultimately, his consistency will be important in coach plans for the future, as it will affect his likelihood of getting opportunities. Should he be able to regain form and assemble the best season of his career thus far, a transfer to a larger club will seem like a foregone conclusion rather than a far-fetched idea.

Boubacar Kamara injuries

The health of the targeted player is especially important whenever a trade or acquisition is being considered.

Even while never being held out of the side for very long, Kamara sustained two ankle injuries during the 2017/18 season, with the second injury keeping him out for two brief periods.

If the young man's injuries return, any future employers will possibly have doubts about his ability to perform, which could result in his non-movement on the transfer market. With all of his training and talent, he will go on to have a highly successful future, and an illustrious career if he doesn't suffer a career-ending injury.

Boubacar Kamara price tag

In the future, the top young star may not cost an arm and a leg, but he's sure to be expensive. The current market has proven to be boom-and-bust, which means it will most likely boom again, with clubs, especially those that want to attract young talent, being forced to spend huge sums of money on young players.

Even though this sum of money appears negligible for some of Europe's wealthiest clubs, it is yet to be seen whether the impact of the coronavirus will trickle down to the transfer market.

As with Kamara, there is no telling what sort of price tag his continued success and greater potential will set. If it causes teams to accelerate their decision to sign him, it may well be enough to justify an increased transfer fee.

Boubacar Kamara future destinations

Kamara was one of just two homegrown players to play frequently for Marseille past season, along with midfielder

Maxime Lopez

. That status confers significant symbolic significance on him within the club, but at a time when Marseille's inability to qualify for European competition has forced the club to sell players in order to comply with Financial Fair Play requirements, the club's decision-makers will be acutely conscious of his economic value as well.

"Bouba" Kamara, a Marseille native and lifelong OM supporter, joined the club when he was five years old. He was one of the few bright spots to emerge from a gloomy season at Stade Velodrome, now settled at center-back after also playing as a defensive midfielder and full-back.

During the second half of the season, the France Under-20 international developed a promising center-back pairing with Croatian

Duje Caleta-Car

, and was nominated for the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season title, which Mbappe won predictably.

Kamara's mother, Cathy, represents him in contract negotiations. His contract with Marseille is set to end in 2022, but he recently told reporters, "It would kill my heart to leave."

A fact about Boubacar Kamara is that along with

Real Madrid

, Chelsea, Manchester City, and

West Ham

have all been rumoured to be pursuing him, and now

Barcelona

, Inter Milan, and PSG are said to be taking an interest as well.

In Chelsea and

Manchester City

, there is the belief that they both need to sign a defender who can anchor the back line, and they may be scouting for a younger player who might be on the market for a bargain price.

Even if you assume that any potential challenger would be taking on a talented player who has two goals and two assists in all competitions this season, no one can deny that fact.

At this point, he has yet to settle on his best position, but his potential for versatility is appealing to those parties who might be interested.

Boubacar Kamara social media

Regarding

Boubacar Kamara social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

@bouba_darkoss

) with 420K followers. In the page we can see various pictures of him during the matches and trainings, and also some aspects of his personal life such as time being spent with his wife and little child.

He also has a Twitter account (

@boubaKamara_4

) with more than 119K followers. He regularly posts new stuff on his Twitter page. The content is mainly same as that on his Instagram.

Boubacar Kamara body measurements

Speaking about

Boubacar Kamara body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the French star is 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) and weighs 150 lbs (68 kg).

Boubacar Kamara net worth and salary

As of the very last football season in 2021, Boubacar Kamara makes £49,000 per week, which comes out to £2,548,000 per year for playing for Olympique de Marseille. Boubacar Kamara's net worth is £5,610,800.

Speaking about

Boubacar Kamara’s net worth

, it should be mentioned that aside from his football earnings, Kamara has amassed a fortune from private partnerships for major brands.

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