Gambian striker Aboubakary Kante has yesterday joined Belgian top flight club Cercle Brugge, signing a three-year contract to 2022 with an option of another two years. The 24-year-old, who signed from French second division side Beziers, was today presented as its new player at the club’s Jan Breydelstadion Stadium.
Kante’s parents are from Gambia and were born in a small village outside of Basse in the Upper River Region but they immigrated to France in the 1970s. He was one of the players selected to represent The Gambia at its training camp in Morocco and made himself available to represent the Scorpions at international level by choosing to play in the two friendly internationals with Guinea Conakry tomorrow and the hosts on Wednesday. However, he couldn’t link up with his teammates as he was preparing to finalise the move that was completed this week.
The Second Vice President and Head of competition matters at The Gambia Football Federation, Mr. Ebou Faye expressed delight in Kante’s move. Speaking in an interview with the Federation’s in house medium, Mr. Faye said he is already looking forward to Kante’s debut when the international window resumes again.
“He is one of the players selected by the coach and could not join the team in Morocco because of his move to a new team. He has now finalised that move and is now going to play for a top flight team like Cercle Brugge in Belgium. We are very much delighted for him and we look forward to his international debut for The Gambia in the next FIFA window,” Mr. Faye said.
“He definitely wanted to join the camp but because he was finalising his move he could not. But we are even more delighted that a top player of his caliber is ready to represent our country. He’s a very powerful striker who can be a nightmare to every opponent and he’s not afraid to take on defenders or shoot from long distance. He is a player with a lot of quality and he fits all the attributes we’re looking for in our quest to qualify for the 2021 African Cup of Nations and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”
Kante began his professional career at French club Paris FC before he joined CA Bastia and later Saint-Ouen. He moved to Beziers in 2017 and played with them in the French second tier last season where he netted 10 goals in 34 matches but the club was still relegated to the third tier. Therefore, with his latest move, he’s made the leap forward to top flight football with Cercle.
Cercle Brugge’s Sporting Director François Vitali told the club’s officials website about Kante: “We are very satisfied with the transfer from Aboubakary. He is a player with the necessary qualities to help Cercle in it’s ambitious project.”
