ONE TO WATCH: Dango Ouattara | OneFootball

Learn more about Dango Ouattara, the winger from Burkina Faso taking Ligue 1 Uber Eats by storm at the start of this season with FC Lorient…

The season may still be in its infancy, but Lorient are currently flying high in fourth place after an outstanding start which has seen them win five of their opening seven matches. Ouattara has been one of the stars for Les Merlus, scoring in each of his side’s last three outings and also providing five assists in the last five games. It has been a remarkable run of form for a player who was mainly used off the bench last season at the Stade du Moustoir.

Back story:

Dango Ouattara was born on February 11, 2002, in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso situated in the centre of the West African country. He started playing football at the Académie Foot Plus before moving up to Majestic FC, one of the country’s leading clubs.

Ouattara was then offered a contract by Lorient at the start of the 2020-21 season, when aged 18, after impressing in two trial spells. Having been called up to then-coach Christophe Pelissier’s first-team squad for a Coupe de France match during that campaign, he signed his first professional contract in May 2021.

His Ligue 1 debut came on the opening day of the 2021-22 season, as a late substitute in a 1-1 draw with AS Saint-Etienne. His first start in a struggling side came in a 1-0 home loss to FC Nantes on December 5, and he went on to start seven games over the course of the campaign. However, it was after coming on as a late substitute that he scored his first senior goal, in a key 1-0 win over FC Metz last April as Lorient battled to avoid the drop.

Playing style:

Ouattara may be left-footed but he has often been placed on the right wing this season by new Lorient coach Régis Le Bris, from where he can cut inside. He has pace to burn and, although not the tallest at just 1.77m, his former coach Pélissier has said that Ouattara will go on to be a threat in the air too.

Current season:

Ouattara has been given his big breakthrough this season under new coach Le Bris after having a bit-part role in the last campaign under Pélissier. He has started all seven games so far for Lorient, who have enjoyed five wins and a draw in that time, remarkable form for a team that won just three of their first 22 outings last season.

The 20-year-old won his side a penalty that Terem Moffi converted to set Lorient on their way to a 2-1 victory against Clermont Foot 63 in Round 4. A few days later he set up two goals for Moffi in a 5-2 loss at RC Lens, and he was then the matchwinner with the only goal of the game away to AC Ajaccio in Round 6, courtesy of a burst down the right flank and a low finish past the goalkeeper.

With Lorient’s momentum building, Ouattara then starred in a 3-1 win over Olympique Lyonnais, stealing the ball from Thiago Mendes before providing a backheeled assist for Moffi to score his team’s second goal, and then securing the victory with a fine first-time finish.

He was at it again in a 3-2 win over FC Nantes last weekend, opening the scoring direct from a free-kick to showcase another aspect of his game, and later winning back possession just outside the opposition box before setting up Ibrahima Koné to find the net.

Lorient’s connection with Burkina Faso:

Ouattara is the latest player from Burkina Faso to make a name for himself at Lorient, following in the footsteps of Alain Traoré. Now aged 33, Traoré joined the Brittany club in 2012 from AJ Auxerre and scored eight goals in 47 appearances. After a loan spell at AS Monaco, he left Lorient permanently in 2016 when he signed for Kayserispor. However, he remains a big star back in his home country.

“I knew about Lorient because Alain Traoré enjoyed himself here,” Ouattara told Ouest-France at the end of last season. “I came here on trial, was given a warm welcome, and that helped me settle.”

International career:

Ouattara was still just 19 when he was called up to the Burkina Faso squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon at the start of this year. The tournament did not start well for him as he tested positive for Covid-19 and missed his team’s first two group games, a 2-1 loss to the hosts and a 1-0 win over Cape Verde.

However, he appeared off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Ethiopia that followed, and then started in the last 16 against Gabon, setting up his side’s goal for Bertrand Traoré as the Stallions eventually won on penalties. That set up a quarter-final against Tunisia, in which Kamou Malo’s side triumphed 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ouattara. Nevertheless, he was sent off late in that game, meaning he could not play in their 3-1 loss to Senegal in the semi-finals. That run provided a huge morale boost to the people of Burkina Faso as it happened at the same time as a military coup in the country.

He was again called up by new coach Hubert Velud for AFCON qualifiers against Cape Verde and Eswatini in June, and Ouattara scored three goals across the two games to help get his side’s bid to make the next finals in the Ivory Coast off to a perfect start, with back-to-back victories. The signs are that Ouattara will be a key player for his country for years to come.

What he said:

“I was very young when I started playing football, at the age of five with my friends in the neighbourhood where I was born in Ouagadougou. I very quickly became passionate about football. I spent five years in the academy at Majestic and then came to Lorient after one year in the first team.”

Speaking to Ouest-France about the start of his career

What they said:

“You could already see, with the first team and with the reserves, that he had a lot of potential. But experience of Ligue 1 is not something you can buy. The fact that he has already played at this level, that he sees we have confidence in him, has helped him build up this momentum.”

Lorient coach Régis Le Bris speaking about Ouattara’s start to the season

“He has the physical abilities you need for the very highest level. His jump, his acceleration, his engine. He will score goals with his head too, you’ll see. He has got what it takes to get to the very highest level. It is the mental aspect that will be key, but I have no doubts. He is a stable boy who has overcome the introverted side of his character that was holding him back a bit. He is beginning to show the potential that we detected, and this is just the start.”

Former Lorient coach Christophe Pélissier, who gave him his debut, speaking to L’Equipe.

>> PLAYER PROFILE