Ismaël Bangoura

Football player infobox| playername=Ismaël Bangoura
fullname = Ismaël Bangoura
nickname = Trigger


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1985|1|2
cityofbirth = Conakry
countryofbirth = Guinea
height = height|m=1.74
weight = 75 kg
currentclub = Dynamo Kyiv
position = Striker
youthyears = -2005
youthclubs = Athlético de Coléah
years = 2003-2005
2005-2007
2007-present
clubs = Gazélec Ajaccio
Le Mans
Dynamo Kyiv
caps(goals) = 44 (15)
56 (18)
20 (15)
nationalyears = 2005-
nationalteam = Guinea
nationalcaps(goals) = 21 (10)
pcupdate = May 30, 2007
ntupdate = July 5, 2007

Ismaël Bangoura (born 2 January 1985 in Conakry) is a Guinean football striker who, as of 2007 is playing for Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv.

He was a member of the Guinea squad for the 2006 African Nations Cup where the team were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

His favourite position is second striker although he has played as winger or as an attacking midfielder. He is well known for his pace.

Early career

Bangoura started his career in his native Guinea at local side Athletico Coleah before being spotted by scouts from Gazélec Ajaccio. He joined the Corsican side, scoring 15 times in 44 games for his new club, before moving to French Ligue 1 outfit Le Mans in 2005. He made his debut on November 5 2005 against French giants Marseille, starting his top-flight career in perfect style with a goal in his sides 3-0 victory. He ended his first season having played 23 times, scoring a respectable six goals. In the 2006/07 season he was the top scorer for Le Mans with 12 goals in 33 games as well as being the joint second highest scorer in the French league.

Move to Ukraine

On 5 July 2007 Bangoura signed a five-year-contract with Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv. The transfer fee was estimated to be around €5 million. Ismaël quickly became a fan favourite, and established himself as a talented goal scorer. Bangoura's other notable feature is his goal celebration, which he preforms with fellow teammate and Senegalese international defender Pape Diakhate, it resembles an African dance.

Playing in Kyiv gave Bangoura the chance to showcase his abilities in European competition, with the team playing in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League. The forward made the most of the opportunity, scoring three goals in three games for the Ukrainians, including a 25-yard strike against English Premiership champions Manchester United in his sides 4-2 defeat on 23 October 2007.He also scored a famous 2 goals against Dynamo's main rival, Shakhtar Donetsk on November 11, 2007. Dynamo Kyiv end up winning 2-1 on harsh snow weather.

External links

* [http://www.national-football-teams.com/php/spieler.php?id=14200 Career history] at National Football Teams
* [http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/FootballFicheJoueur19868.html Profile at l'Equipe]
* [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=66645&cc=5739 Profile at ESPN]
* [http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/ismal-bangoura.html Profile at Eurosport]
* [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/players/player=1901394/index.html Profile at UEFA]
* [http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,2483_2820710,00.html Bangoura scores against Manchester United]
* [http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=107775.html?cid=rssfeed&att= Trigger Bangoura quick on the draw]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/6280714.stm Bangoura signs for Kyiv]