He has returned to Pantin, situated just beyond the peripherique, which is the ring road dividing central Paris from its suburbs.
Traore buzzes in and rides the elevator to the fifth floor amid the sound of sirens and the smell of fast food. His brother is there to greet him upon his return to his childhood home when the doors open.
Inside are pictures of the couple’s mother, who is from Lebanon, and father, who is from Guinea. There are also pictures of the grandparents and other family members. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a large sports complex including two 4G networks dominates the view across a dual highway and tramline.
“That’s our Anfield, our Camp Nou,” remarks Traore. “In order to practice our free kicks, we used to leap over the fence at seven in the morning. Football was played before school and after school. just football.”
Constant practice can lead to the ultimate prize for many of the kids growing up here: a career in the professional game.
Traore, who is currently 35 years old, captained Guinea in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and played more than 250 games in the Bundesliga for four different clubs in Germany.
“I remember just across the street, we had the player who used to play for Manchester United: Gabriel Obertan,” Traore recalls. “Everyone dreams of it, and the fantasy is enhanced when someone from the same suburb succeeds.
“When you hear that it’s possible that, being from this area, you can play for a team like Manchester United, that is something that you want to follow, you want to pursue.”
Children and coaches pour onto the pitches below as 4 o’clock rolls around. The facility, shared by local clubs Esperance Paris 19eme and Solitaire Paris Est, is where Moussa Diaby of Aston Villa, Nicolas Pepe, a former winger for Arsenal, and Youssouf Fofana, a defender for France and Monaco, all began their careers.
