Kalilou Traoré (1987 – 2026)

Their Story

Kalilou Mohamed Traoré was born on 9 September 1987 in Bamako, Mali, and played as a midfielder during his professional football career. He began his career with AS Real Bamako in 2005, then signed with Wydad Casablanca in 2006 and was loaned to Hassania Agadir in 2007 before returning to Wydad Casablanca in 2008. Traoré signed with NK Istra 1961 in August 2008 and had a successful first season with 9 goals in 27 games, attracting interest from major Croatian clubs. He later played for Odense (OB) starting in 2010 and joined Sochaux in 2012. He made 16 appearances for Mali between 2010 and 2013, scoring his only goal in a qualifying match against Botswana. Mali won the Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal in 2013 with Traoré as part of the squad. Traoré died in a road traffic accident on Friday 24 July at age 38.</bio> <parameter name="timelineEvents">[ { "date": "1987-09-09", "title": "Born in Bamako", "description": "Born in Bamako, Mali" }, { "date": "2005", "title": "Career Debut", "description": "Began professional career with AS Real Bamako" }, { "date": "2008", "title": "Breakthrough Season", "description": "Joined NK Istra 1961; scored 9 goals in 27 games" }, { "date": "2010", "title": "International Debut", "description": "Made his debut for Mali national team against Liberia" }, { "date": "2013", "title": "Africa Cup of Nations", "description": "Represented Mali at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations; Mali won bronze medal" }, { "date": "2026-07-24", "title": "Death", "description": "Died in a traffic collision at age 38" } ]

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalilou_Traor%C3%A9