French football has become a household name for producing and attracting young talents from across the globe. From Rennes bringing through or boasting the likes of Kalimuendo, Loum Tchaouna, Lesly Ugochukwo, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Martin Terrier, Lovro Majer and Camavinga to other French teams developing young stars like Lois Openda, Adil Aouchiche and Nathanael Mbuku, Ligue 1 has proven to be a great developing ground for youngsters.
Another up-and-coming player that is sending shockwaves around the football world is Dango Ouattara of Bournemouth. The Burkina Faso international recently scored a memorable winner against Bournemouth to secure an unexpected win against Tottenaham.
Clubs have not yet seen the full potential of the explosive forward and Bournemouth might have scooped a gem from the hands of European elites. But how good is the attacker and is the initial hype around him worth it? FootTheBall has all you need to know about the second-youngest goalscorer in Lorient’s history.
Dango Ouattara's last four games for Lorient:
vs Lens 🅰️🅰️
vs Ajaccio ⚽️
vs Lyon ⚽️🅰️
vs Nantes ⚽️🅰️20 years of age. One of the biggest stars of that FANTASTIC Lorient team. 🟠⚫️🇧🇫 pic.twitter.com/yhh2qW2Z7m
— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) September 11, 2022
How good is Dango Ouattara?
Dango Ouattara is a 20-year-old Burkina Faso international who plays for French top-flight club FC Bournemouth. The speedster has been playing for the French club since the start of this season.
The start of the campaign was at Lorient. Ouattara impressed in the first half of the campaign which prompted Bournemouth to sign him in the winter window. His arrival has coincided with Bournemouth’s resurgence. Now with a statement win at Tottenham’s home courtesy of Dango Ouattara’s winner, the football world has been made aware of his talent.
The 20-year-old made his senior football debut for Burkinabe club Majestic FC in 2019. He made 11 appearances for them scoring 5 goals in the process. The next season in 2020, Lorient took notice of his potential and made sure they got their man. Ouattara made his senior debut for Lorient in 2021 making 21 appearances, scoring 1 and assisting 2 goals. Ouattara has so far 11 appearances scored one goal after leaving Lorient having scored 6 in 18.
Dango Ouattara stats
Looking at some surface-level stats, Ouattara has 13 goals in his career in 70 appearances across all clubs. While those might not be elite-level numbers, the winger has more to his game than just scoring and providing for his teammates.
Looking at the 2022/23 data, the Burkinabe has 17 shots with just 6 on target, which concludes a success rate of 35.3%. As mentioned before, the winger is more than just about goal contributions, hence these numbers should not put off any potential suitors. With 12 chances created, it is mainly his teammates that have let him down so far by not getting on the end of the quality he provides.
His attempted duels and duel success ratio stand at 82 and 51.2% which speaks so much about the player. Despite standing at just 177cms, the winger has attempted 21 aerial duels, with a success rate of 47.6%. His defensive duties have made him a perfect option for those playing with a counter-pressing style of football and managers like Jurgen Klopp must have already sent scouts to eventually land an official bid on the player.
3 – Ligue 1 players who have scored at least 3 goals and provided at least 3 assists in 2022/23
🇧🇷 Neymar (8 goals , 6 assists )
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (3 goals, 7assists)
🇧🇫 Dango Ouattara (3goals , 4 assists)#FCLFCN pic.twitter.com/XpBU6dfWYd— Shina Oludare 🇳🇬 (@sportingshina) September 11, 2022
Dango Ouattara scout report
The Burkina Faso international on paper is an explosive winger and can drop his shoulder to get past his opponent in no time. Like most modern-day wingers, Ouattara also uses his raw pace to dribble past his opponent and that makes him pretty much a one-dimensional attacker.
Players with excellent dribbling skills do not always necessarily have the passing range and vision compared to someone like Lionel Messi. Dango Ouattara is one of them. The 20-year-old lacks the vision to set up a cross or pass once he dribbles past his opponent much like when Riyad Mahrez had initially joined Manchester City. The Algerian cut inside from his right-foot on the right-flank under Pep Guardiola, only to release a shot. This kind f one-dimensional play made him quite predictable and as a result, suffered from Pep’s rotation policy.
He eventually improved his game under the tutelage of Guardiola and is now one of the best attackers in the world, let alone the Manchester City squad. Dango Ouattara must take a few notes from the development of the Burkinabe and learn that good coaching will eventually get the best out of any player.
Dango Ouattara at Bournemouth
Clubs threatened by relegation often throw dice at the forward position in January. If that gamble works, and the signing scores a few important goals, survival in Premier League is more than good enough as return on investment.
Dango Ouattara, after a scoreless start, announced himself to the Premier League in similar fashion. His goal against Tottenham secured an unforgettable victory in remarkable circumstances. That goal alone is already worth three points and in a league table that is getting increasingly cluttered as the season nears its end, it could be the difference between another season in the PL or spending some time in Championship.
However, if Dango Ouattara keeps his form up, Bournemouth might still play in the Championship next season, but he definitely won’t.
*This article is sponsored by Xebia, a pioneering Software Engineering and IT consultancy company, started in Netherlands. Xebia in Netherlands proudly supports the Dutch national football team.