the club would have recruited a “new Rivaldo”

A few days ago, FC Barcelona formalized the arrival of Ibrahim Diarra, who will initially occupy the ranks of the reserve before being able to claim a place in the first team. One thing is certain, the club culé seems to have got its hands on a real phenomenon since no one is full of praise about it in Africa. Recruited for 1.7 million euros, the Malian international was praised by his former under-20 coach, Soumaila Coulibaly.

And for him, he comes close to the qualities of a certain Rivaldo: “He reminds me of Rivaldo or Lamine Yamal. Lefties with similar characteristics. But he has to make his way, of course. For me, he's Mali's greatest talent at the moment, without a doubt. Left-handed, powerful, with good face-to-face and moves very well between the lines, between the defense, to break the game when the opponent is compact and crouching at the back. A situation that Barça often encounters. In addition, he is decisive when it comes to scoring” he explained in comments given to Sport.

Ibrahim Diarra, future crack in sight?

He then continued: “The first time I saw him was when he arrived with the national team in the cadet category. I told everyone that he was the one who was going to qualify us for the African Cup of Nations. You can ask the president and others who were present, I was the only one who believed it. We still need to develop him in all facets of the game. I think arriving at Barça now is the best news for him, because of his age and being able to grow and develop his potential” he said before deciding on a possible call-up to the first team before the end of the current season: “It's possible, I think this premiere could happen. If he is physically fit he will be able to show a lot and I'm sure Flick is paying attention. He must work hard and above all believe in himself, have faith and confidence. He has the quality for that.”

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