A small boat packed with people from all over Africa was shivering on the mighty and mercurial waves of the Mediterranean Sea that night. Dozens of exhausted women and children were praying and desperately hoping to reach their dreamland safely – the shores of southern Italy.Chaka Traore, 11, was on that boat, too. Without his parents or relatives, travelling with a false ID with the surname Cisse, he left the slums of Attecoube, the suburbs of the Ivorian Coast capital Abidjan, to pursue his dream one day in 2015. To become a professional football player in Europe.Hours later, the lifeboat that took Traore and others – one of hundreds and thousands that travel almost every day on the same route from North Africa to South Europe smuggling illegal immigrants – reached its destination. Accompanied by an older man, supposedly his agent, Chaka continued his journey by taxi to Parma, the city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.##NAJAVA_MECA_7775495####EDITORS_CHOICE##Soon, however, a boy under the name of Cisse was left totally alone in a foreign country since his patron was arrested and subsequently found guilty of assisting illegal immigration. Therefore, then 11-year-old Traore had to take various part-time jobs to survive.The pursuit of his football dreams had to be put aside until one day destiny finally smiled at this Ivorian boy, as he was discovered by the scouts of the prominent, local U.S. Audace football academy. From there, Chaka’s life story took a stellar rise that saw him move to Serie A side Parma, where he made a senior debut just a few months after he turned 16, in a 2–1 Coppa Italia loss to Lazio on 21 January 2021.Promising winger 🇨🇮 Chaka Traorè was handed his @1913parmacalcio debut vs. Lazio.It was brief but Traorè has been a star for their U17s and earned his look.Crazily enough, he only turned 16 a month ago. 😳 pic.twitter.com/xnztWqtbP3— Football Wonderkids (@fbwonderkids) January 21, 2021 On 10 April 2021, he debuted his Serie A in a 3-1 loss against his future club, AC Milan. Traore also became the first 2004-born player to appear in Italy’s top tier.”For me, Parma is more than a club, a team. It’s home, family, the city that welcomed me six years ago. From the Under 12s to today, among experiences, desires, goals, fears, indelible moments. My Serie A debut was a moment I will never forget.”I have experienced human and sporting growth, for which I have to thank Parma and all the people I met in these fantastic years.”I am and will always be grateful to this city, these clubs and these colours that I will respect everywhere and carry with me.”Thank you, Parma,” wrote Traore on Instagram in his humble farewell message to the Yellow-and-Whites.The move to the Rossoneri that followed seemed like a dream come true, but the Ivorian youth international was about to discover that he was halfway to his goal.Despite being one of Milan’s brightest prospects, with 16 goals in 49 games for the club’s youth side, the talented left-winger was still far from the first team. Still, a five-year contract attached him firmly to the seven-time Champions League winners, and the time was definitely on his side.Asked about his qualities, Milan’s youth coach Ignazio Abate said in mid-October:”Can Chaka Traore arrive in Serie A? He has above-average quality and great physical skills. He can score 20 goals a year but must find continuity.”The Rossoneri boss, Stefano Pioli, added that he’s closely followed by the senior squad’s coaching staff.”We follow Traore with interest, like the other Primavera players.”Finally, Milan’s probably biggest star, Rafael Leao, concluded firmly:”He will be the future of Milan: I really like him.”He made his senior debut for AC Milan on 28 November 2023 in a 3-1 Champions League loss to Borussia Dortmund, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute. Traore made his first league appearance for Milan four days later in a 3-1 win against Frosinone.Remember the name! Leny Yoro turns 18 today, but he’s been turning heads of big clubs for quite a whileLast but not least, today, ten days after his 19th birthday, Chaka is about to make his maiden starting XI appearance for the San Siro outfit. According to various reports, Pioli is considering giving a chance to a trio of his teenagers straight from the kick-off: Chaka Traore (19), Alex Jimenez (18) and Jan-Carlo Simic (18). Milan are facing Cagliari at home in the Coppa Italia 1/8 finals, a one-leg fixture that should see the favourites progressing to the next round, where they’ll meet the defeater of the Atalanta-Sassuolo tie.”We are proud to have followed this path,” the once-illegal alien stated recently. His path from Attecoube to Milan has been much more prolonged and challenging than just 4,638 kilometres. And it’s still far from over.By: BOJAN BABICCOPPA ITALIA1/8 FINALSTuesday23:00: (1.58) Milan (4.00) Cagliari (5.90)Wednesday20:00: (1.55) Atalanta (4.10) Sassuolo (6.00)23:00: (1.37) Roma (4.80) Cremonese (9.00)Thursday23:00: (1.33) Juventus (5.10) Salernitana (9.50)***odds are subject to change***
