Armand Traoré facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Armand Traoré

Traoré with Nottingham Forest in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth	(1989-10-08) 8 October 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Chatenay-Malabry, France
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Left back
Youth career
1996–1999	Suresnes
1999–2004	Racing Paris
2004–2005	Monaco
2005–2006	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2011	Arsenal	13	(0)
2008–2009	→ Portsmouth (loan)	19	(1)
2010–2011	→ Juventus (loan)	10	(0)
2011–2016	Queens Park Rangers	87	(2)
2016–2018	Nottingham Forest	30	(0)
2018	→ Cardiff City (loan)	4	(1)
2018–2019	Çaykur Rizespor	0	(0)
2019–2020	Cardiff City	0	(0)
Total		163	(4)
National team
2007–2008	France U19	4	(0)
2008–2010	France U21	5	(0)
2011–2018	Senegal	7	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Armand Mouhamed Traoré (born 8 October 1989) is a former professional footballer who played as a left back. He was born in France and started his football journey at the Arsenal Academy. Armand played for France's national youth teams (under-19 and under-21). Later, he chose to represent Senegal, his parents' home country, in senior international matches.

Armand Traoré's Club Career

Armand Traoré began his football journey in France. He played for youth teams like Suresnes, Racing Paris, and Monaco. In 2005, he joined Arsenal, a famous English club.

Playing for Arsenal

Traoré playing for Arsenal in 2008.

Armand joined Arsenal on August 1, 2005. He mostly played for the reserve team at first. However, he got to play in a special game for Dennis Bergkamp, a famous player, at Arsenal's new stadium, Emirates Stadium, in July 2006.

He signed a professional contract with Arsenal in August 2006. His first team debut was in the League Cup on October 24, 2006. He helped Arsenal reach the League Cup final in 2007, where they lost to Chelsea. By the end of the 2006–07 season, he had played seven games.

In the 2007–08 season, Armand wanted to show his skills to Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger. He played well for the reserve team. During this time, he made a mistake by bringing something he shouldn't have into a stadium. He later said he didn't know it was against the rules in England and apologized. He continued to play in cup games and made his Premier League debut in April 2008 against Liverpool. He played eleven games that season and signed a new long-term contract in August 2008.

Traoré playing for Arsenal in 2010.

Armand returned to Arsenal in 2009, ready to earn his spot. Due to injuries to other players, he got to play as a starting left-back. He played in important Premier League matches, including against Sunderland and Chelsea. Even though he had some injuries, he proved to be a good player for Arsenal. He played fourteen games in the 2009–10 season.

Traoré warming up for Arsenal in 2010.

In the 2011–12 season, Armand played in a UEFA Champions League match that helped Arsenal qualify for the group stage. He also played in a tough 8–2 league loss against Manchester United. Soon after, he moved to Queens Park Rangers. In total, he played 32 games for Arsenal.

Loan to Portsmouth

On August 21, 2008, Armand went on a loan to Portsmouth for a season. This was to get more experience playing in first-team games. He made his debut against Manchester United. He played as a left midfielder and even scored his first Premier League goal against Sunderland in May 2009. He played 28 games for Portsmouth and scored one goal. He later said this loan helped him become a better player.

Loan to Juventus

On August 31, 2010, Armand joined the famous Italian club Juventus on a season-long loan. He missed some time due to injury but made his debut in November 2010. He also played in the UEFA Europa League. He mostly spent his time on the bench at Juventus, playing only ten games in the Italian league, Serie A. After his loan ended, he returned to Arsenal in the summer of 2011.

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) Years

On August 30, 2011, Armand officially joined Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on a three-year contract.

He made his QPR debut on September 12, 2011. In his next game, he helped set up two goals in a 3–0 win. However, in a later match, he was sent off, which his manager called an "absolute disgrace." Despite this and some injuries, he continued to play regularly. He was called up to play for Senegal in the 2012 African Cup of Nations. After returning, he helped QPR stay in the Premier League in a dramatic final game of the season against Manchester City. He played 23 games that season.

In the 2012–13 season, Armand faced more injuries, including an ankle and a leg injury. He returned to the team and played as a left-back. QPR was eventually moved down to the Championship league. Despite his injuries, he played 28 games that season.

For the 2013–14 season, QPR tried to sell Armand, but he stayed. He scored his first goal for QPR in January 2014 against Ipswich Town. He also played as a left midfielder and won an award for Player of the Month. He helped QPR win the Championship playoff final at Wembley, which meant they were promoted back to the Premier League. He played 24 games and scored two goals that season.

In the 2014–15 season, Armand signed a new two-year contract with QPR. He started as a regular player but faced competition and more injuries, especially a calf injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. QPR was moved down to the Championship again. He played 17 games that season.

The 2015–16 season was tough for Armand as he continued to recover from his injury and didn't play any games for QPR. He was released by the club at the end of the season.

Nottingham Forest

On July 29, 2016, Armand signed a three-year deal with Nottingham Forest, another Championship team. He had missed the previous season due to injury, so he wasn't immediately ready to play.

He made his Nottingham Forest debut in the League Cup. He competed for the left-back position but faced more injuries between November and March. He returned to play in March 2017 and made more appearances. However, injuries continued to bother him, and he missed the rest of the 2016–17 season. He played 13 games that season.

In the 2017–18 season, Armand worked hard to stay fit. He started the season well, helping Nottingham Forest keep a clean sheet. He became a regular player, mostly at left-back, and sometimes in left midfield. He got injured again in October 2017 but returned to play. In January 2018, he helped Forest win an FA Cup match against his old club, Arsenal. He played 19 games for Forest before going on loan.

Loan to Cardiff City

On February 2, 2018, Armand was loaned to Cardiff City until the end of the season. He made his debut on February 3, helping set up a goal in a 4–1 win. He scored his first goal for Cardiff City on February 13. However, injuries affected most of his time there. He played four games and scored once for Cardiff City.

Later Career: Çaykur Rizespor and Cardiff City

On July 20, 2018, Armand joined Çaykur Rizespor, a Turkish club, on a two-year contract. He made his debut in the Turkish Cup in September 2018. The club later tried to sell him because of rules about foreign players, and he was moved to the U21 team. He eventually left the club. After leaving, Armand spoke negatively about his time there, saying it made him look like a 'fool'. The club disagreed with his statement.

After leaving Turkey, Armand returned to Cardiff City on a short contract but didn't play any games before being released in January 2020. By September 2020, Armand was still without a club and thinking about retiring from football.

Armand Traoré's International Career

Armand Traoré played for France's youth national teams before choosing to represent Senegal.

Playing for France Youth Teams

Armand played for France's under-17 and under-18 teams. He also played for the under-19s, helping them try to qualify for the 2008 UEFA Under-19 Championship. He played four games for the U19 team.

He was first called up to the under-21 team in November 2008 for a friendly match against Denmark. He played five games for France U21.

Playing for Senegal

In June 2011, Armand decided to play for Senegal, the country his parents are from. His father also played for Senegal.

He got his first call-up for Senegal in August 2011 and made his debut in a friendly match against Morocco. He was part of Senegal's team for the 2012 African Cup of Nations but didn't play in any matches as Senegal was eliminated early. He played his first match for Senegal in almost two years in February 2013. He later played in two more matches for the national team in 2018.

Armand Traoré's Personal Life

Armand Traoré grew up supporting Paris Saint-Germain and looked up to the famous footballer Zinedine Zidane. He speaks both French and English. His father is friends with his former manager, Arsène Wenger. Armand is married and has a son.

Armand is a Muslim. He has been seen praying before football matches. In 2010, he said he planned to have his tattoos removed because of his Muslim faith. He explained that if he had been more serious about his religion earlier, he wouldn't have gotten them. He felt it was a mistake he wanted to correct, and that his religion helped him in his personal life and career.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours

Arsenal

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2006–07 (This means they reached the final but didn't win the cup.)

Queens Park Rangers

• Football League Championship play-offs: 2014 (They won the playoff final to get promoted to a higher league.)

See also

In Spanish: Armand Traoré para niños