Founded in 2006 by Souleymane Cissé, Racing Club Abidjan focuses on nurturing the next generation of Ivorian players, showcasing brilliant football and technically gifted talents.
In 2014, the club made its entry into Division 3, and within five seasons, it ascended to Ligue 1, a remarkable achievement with 90% of the squad originating from the RC Abidjan academy. The year 2020 marked the club’s triumph, securing its first Ligue 1 title after just a single season in the top flight.
Recognising the immense potential within the ranks of RC Abidjan, French Ligue 1 club OGC Nice established a partnership with the club. Consequently, several players made the move from the Côte d’Ivoire capital to the French Riviera, including Ange Ahoussou and Jean N’Guessan.
The club has continued to thrive and is currently at the top of the league in the 2023/24 season, while the famed academy is consistently developing incredibly talented players. Using EYEBALL technology, this tactical analysis aims to introduce some of the most promising prospects within the RC Abidjan ranks.
This scout report will analyse each player’s individual skill set and showcase how they fit into the team’s tactics.
Abdoulaye Djiré – defensive midfield
The first player we will look at in this analysis piece is 17-year-old midfielder Abdoulaye Djiré. With some impressive performances at senior level, the young midfielder’s stock is on the rise this season.
Primarily playing as a defensive midfielder in a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-3-3 system, he is intelligent with his off-the-ball movements in the attacking phase.
Djiré typically hangs back during the build-up play, often hovering on the edge of the penalty area. This ensures he is on hand to recover and recycle possession should RC Abidjan lose the ball. This also allows Djiré to shoot from a distance, which he loves to do.
In this example, the young midfielder makes a run towards the edge of the area and hits a powerful strike. On this occasion, the shot is on target, but the goalkeeper makes a save.
The 17-year-old midfielder averages 0.95 shots per 90 minutes, with 0.89 per 90 minutes coming from outside the area. Unfortunately, most of his long shots are off-target, but Djiré’s positioning benefits his team. Perhaps he can continue to improve his decision-making regarding when to execute a long shot to avoid future wasteful shooting.
As a defensive midfielder in RC Abidjan’s tactical system, Djiré has the opportunity to utilise his extensive passing range. In this instance, he picks up the ball and launches a perfectly weighted pass, with his preferred right foot, into the path of his teammate, who is making a run down the left flank. With an 86% pass accuracy rating, the 17-year-old is typically reliable in possession.
Djiré’s passing range is a valuable asset for any football team as it adds a multifaceted dimension to the team’s tactics and overall gameplay. He can effectively transition the RC Abidjan team from defence to attack. By passing the ball with precision and vision, the young midfielder often becomes an important link between the defensive and attacking units. His quick and accurate distribution is what helps the team retain possession, control the tempo of the game, and exploit potential counter-attacking opportunities.
Furthermore, Djiré can switch play from one side of the pitch to the other, creating space and exploiting weaknesses in the opponent’s defensive structure. This versatility in passing options adds unpredictability to his team’s strategy, making it more challenging for the opposition to anticipate and defend against.
Of course, as a defensive midfielder, Djiré is expected to contribute to preventing the opposition from building attacks. Averaging 2.7 tackles per 90, the RC Abidjan player is very tenacious and displays a strong work ethic in the defensive phase of play.
Here, he reads the game well and uses a short burst of rapid acceleration to close down the opponent within two seconds. This is pivotal in disrupting the rhythm and flow of the opponent’s build-up play. By engaging in well-timed and precise tackles, Djiré can break down opposition attacks before they pose a threat to the RC Abidjan defensive line. His capacity to read the game and anticipate the movements of opponents means he can create a robust defensive foundation.
Moreover, Djiré averages 7.3 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, which shows just how valuable his contribution in the middle of the park really is. He works tirelessly to cut out passes and press his opponent, and he is a key figure in FC Abidjan’s transitions into attack.
The 17-year-old is a technically gifted midfielder with a robust physical presence on the pitch. He will most likely continue to improve, and as discussed previously, if he can just start to make smarter choices in the attacking third, it will take his game to another level.
Valy Konaté – left back / centre-back
The next player in this scout report is 17-year-old defender Valy Konaté. The left-footed defender is equally adept at playing as a full-back and a centre-back, making him a versatile defensive option for his team.
When defending, RC Abidjan looks to prevent the opposition from playing out of defence. This sees the full-backs remain high up the pitch to pressure the opponents. We can see here that there are three Racing Club players surrounding one opposition player.
Konaté has stepped forward to close down the angle to limit the player’s passing options. This does mean that his teammate has to provide defensive cover, picking up the player Konate is supposed to be marking.
On the one hand, this does show his proactive nature when defending. However, this is also risky and requires his teammates to be on the same wavelength so they can provide adequate coverage.
In this instance, just a few minutes later, we can see Konaté using his speed to close down the opponent. He has rapid acceleration over short distances, which allows him to do this with relative ease.
17-year-old Konaté is a player who rarely goes to ground, preferring to stay on his feet and use his positioning and strength to regain possession. Here, he uses his frame to block the opponent and get a foot on the ball to ensure that RC Abidjan recovers possession.
The young defender averages 1.79 tackles per 90 minutes and 3.7 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, which directly influences his team’s defensive play.
Konaté is highly composed when carrying the ball out of defence. Here, we can see him stepping out of the defensive line, constantly scanning the field for a passing option. When playing as a central defender, the RC Abidjan man tends not to venture beyond the halfway line, but he is very confident about carrying the ball forward.
The 17-year-old averages 18.2 successful forward passes per 90 minutes, alongside an overall pass accuracy of 85%, which shows that he is reliable in possession and looks to play progressively when possible.
Moreover, Konaté contributes significantly to his team’s ability to maintain possession. Instead of resorting to long clearances, which may result in turnovers, he can navigate through pressure, retaining control of the ball and enabling the team to build from the back.
Furthermore, he is a defender with the ability to play long passes and execute effective switches of play, offering several advantages to RC Abidjan’s overall strategy. Konaté can use this to bypass congested midfield areas, initiate swift counter-attacks, and catch opponents off guard.
Additionally, he can utilise it to recycle possession and switch play, ensuring his team retain control of the ball. We can see this in the example above. The lateral passing disrupts the defensive shape, forcing the opponents to quickly shift their structure if they wish to close off passing lanes.
The young defender reads the game well and uses his speed to provide intelligent recovery runs for his team, allowing him to provide defensive cover when required. In this instance, the opposition has played a ball in behind the RC Abidjan defence, looking to catch them on the counter.
He does this consistently well, whether playing as a central defender or a full-back. Having a player on hand to provide cover is always beneficial and provides an extra level of protection for the team. The fact that Konaté remains so calm and composed is an added advantage, especially for a defender so young.
Ivan Alex Wawa Christ – attacking midfield
The next player we are going to look at is 16-year-old Wawa Christ (known as Wawa). The young attacking midfielder has put in some impressive performances, both as a number ten and out on the left wing, cutting in onto his preferred right foot.
During build-up play, Wawa naturally drifts out to the left flank, which is one of the reasons why he often finds himself deployed as an inverted winger. He’s not one for executing long-range passes; instead, he prefers to utilise quick link-ups via intricate passes to bypass the opponent.
Here, he receives a pass into his feet from a teammate and plays a short pass into the path of another. Wawa then cuts inside to receive the ball back immediately, this simultaneously means his opponent is completely taken out of the game and his team are into the attacking third quickly and efficiently.
Furthermore, he adds unpredictability to the team’s offensive strategy. Rather than relying solely on direct runs or isolated plays, Wawa becomes a creative force, capable of combining with teammates, exploiting spaces, and unlocking defences.
Additionally, the dynamic 16-year-old can navigate tight spaces, draw defenders out of position, and create gaps for teammates to exploit.
RC Abidjan often turn to Wawa to carry them upfield in the attacking transition. The young attacking player has pace to burn and is a confident ball-carrier, which makes him an ideal candidate to launch the RC Abidjan counterattacks.
As we can see in this example, when he has space to run into, he is especially dangerous. Moreover, he is comfortable using either foot to execute crosses and passes. On this occasion, he opts to use his weaker left foot and plays a cross into the penalty area. Wawa averages 2.1 crosses per 90, which shows he is a creative player who looks to create opportunities for his teammates.
Another wonderful aspect of Wawa’s game is his eye for goal. He possesses a powerful shot, often opting to hit the ball early in order to catch the opposition goalkeeper off guard. Here, he receives the ball outside and carries it infield, cutting in onto his right foot so he can unleash a strike into the top corner.
He is very dynamic in 1v1 situations and averages 4.2 take-ons per 90 minutes. When receiving the ball in the wide area, he looks to isolate his opponent before using his quick feet and close control to bypass him.
Since he is a reliable source of goals, Wawa not only helps alleviate the goal-scoring burden on the central striker but also makes RC Abidjan less predictable and challenging for opponents to defend against. This adds versatility in attack and allows for more flexibility in tactical approaches.
Plus, defenders must be wary not only of his ability to provide assists via his crossing ability but also of his capacity to carve out goalscoring opportunities for himself. This constant threat compels defenders to close Wawa down quickly, therefore creating opportunities for his teammates to exploit spaces and create imbalances in the defensive structure.
The 16-year-old does not lack confidence at all and is more than willing to execute long shots, as we can see here. He takes a touch to get the ball out of his feet and then hits a curling shot into the top corner.
Wawa averages 2.4 shots per 90, with the majority of them coming from outside the area—1.39 per 90. Consequently, he averages 0.93 shots on target per 90, which is not surprising considering the lesser likelihood of hitting the target from further out.
Despite his young age, he provides a constant threat in the attacking phase of play and is a hugely influential player for RC Abidjan. One to watch out for in the future, without a doubt.
Conclusion
As we have seen recently with their success at AFCON, Côte d’Ivoire continues to thrive as clubs worldwide scout more talented youngsters. It is a very exciting time for Ivorian football, with young players such as Amad Diallo potentially breaking through at Manchester United and Simon Adringa standing out at fellow EPL club Brighton.
This scout report highlights three of the standout players for RC Abidjan this season. The youth development-focused club has produced some incredibly talented players, including Djiré, Konaté, and Wawa Christ.
Of course, the club will continue to nurture these exceptionally skilled players and attract even more youngsters with vast potential. RC Abidjan is proving to be a fantastic development hub for Ivorian players.
