Aboubacar Sissoko facts for kids

Aboubacar Sissoko, born on October 9, 1995, is a professional football player from Mali. He currently plays as a midfielder for Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League.

About Aboubacar Sissoko

His Early Life and Soccer Start

Aboubacar Sissoko was born in Bamako, Mali. In 2006, when he was 11 years old, his family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His father was a diplomat, which meant he worked for his country in another place.

Aboubacar started playing youth soccer with a team called CS Mont-Royal Outremont. Later, he also played for CS Longueuil. In 2015, his U21 team from CS Mont-Royal Outremont won the Silver Ball award in their league. He also played at a senior amateur level in 2016.

Playing Soccer in University

In 2015, Aboubacar started studying at the Université de Montréal. He joined the Montreal Carabins men's soccer team, where his brother also played. He was named the Carabins' Rookie of the Year in his first year. By 2017, he became the captain of the team.

He helped the Carabins reach the national championship three times in a row, from 2017 to 2019. In 2018, his team won their first national title. They also earned silver medals in 2017 and 2019. Aboubacar was recognized as a top player in his university league (RSEQ) three times. He was also a U Sports First Team All-Star in 2019.

After the 2019 season, he won the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy. This award is given to the best male university soccer player in Canada. He was also named the RSEQ Player of the Year. The Montreal Carabins also chose him as their best athlete across all sports. In June 2020, he received the U Sports Athlete of the Year award for 2019-20. He was the first player from the Carabins to win this big honor. This award also came with a $10,000 scholarship.

Aboubacar's Professional Soccer Journey

Starting in Quebec Leagues

In 2014, Aboubacar played for CS Longueuil in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ). From 2017 to 2019, he played for CS St-Hubert, also in the PLSQ.

In November 2018, a professional team called Forge FC chose him in a special draft for university players. He trained with Forge FC before the season, but he did not get a contract at that time. So, he went back to play for St-Hubert for another season in 2019. After that, he decided to start his professional career.

Playing in the Canadian Premier League

In November 2019, Aboubacar signed with HFX Wanderers FC, a team in the Canadian Premier League. Before the 2020 season began, he had a tryout with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a team in Major League Soccer. His tryout was supposed to be short, but it kept getting extended for six weeks. After that, he returned to join the Wanderers.

In his third game with the Wanderers, he was named "Man of the Match." He helped his team reach the 2020 Canadian Premier League Final, where they lost to Forge FC. He was known for his excellent dribbling skills that season. He was also named to the CanPL.ca 2020 Best XI, which means he was one of the best players in the league.

Moving to the USL Championship

In February 2021, Aboubacar joined Indy Eleven, a team in the USL Championship in the United States.

Returning to Forge FC

In February 2022, he came back to the Canadian Premier League and signed with Forge FC. He played his first game for Forge FC in a big international match against Cruz Azul on February 16. He helped Forge FC win the league title in 2022. In 2023, he helped Forge FC win the league title again, for the second year in a row!

Joining Atlético Ottawa

In February 2024, Aboubacar signed a two-year contract with Atlético Ottawa. He made his first appearance for the team on April 13, 2024, in the season's first game against York United FC. As of late 2024, he continues to play for Atlético Ottawa.

International Soccer

In 2014, Aboubacar played for the Mali U20 team in a tournament. After he came back to Canada from the tournament, he became very sick with malaria. He was in a coma for three days, but thankfully he recovered.

His Work Off the Field

Aboubacar Sissoko is also known for his kind heart. While he was playing for the Mali U20 team, he, along with his mother and sister, paid to build two water wells in a dry area of Mali. These wells help people get clean water. Later, he and his sister and two brothers started a charity called the Macine Foundation. It is named after his parents. This foundation helps provide water to communities and has built even more wells.