.jpg)
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2024/02/04/3880159-78836108-2560-1440.jpg)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67131045/1261725039.jpg.0.jpg)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66321622/1206682849.jpg.0.jpg)
I starred with Harry Kane at Tottenham after winning World Cup Golden Boot but now play in 11th tier
Harry Kane has gone almost his whole career as a lone striker, having never recaptured the magic of playing with Souleymane Coulibaly. The pair formed a good understanding at Tottenham youth and reserve-team level, where it wasn’t always clear who would make it. Coulibaly was dubbed the ‘next Drogba’ when he joinedGetty Kane spent much of his early years on loan at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester, before breaking into the Spurs first-team. Former boss Tim Sherwood, who handed him his senior debut, revealed that he even resisted instructions to get rid of Kane. In contrast, club officials had high hopes for Ivory Coast youth international Coulibaly, dubbed ‘the new Didier Drogba‘. “They started calling me the new Drogba after the Under-17 World Cup,” he said, as reported by the BBC in 2016. “But he is a legend, and it would just be nice just to meet him.” Coulibaly proved the individual breakout success of the 2011 U-17 World Cup, which featured Memphis Depay and Sebastien Haller, while Jordan Pickford and Raheem Sterling represented England. At age 16, he scored nine goals in four games and finished with the Golden Boot, despite Ivory Coast crashing out at the last-16 stage. Coulibaly found the net four times against Denmark and notched a hat-trick against Brazil, which then equalled a tournament record set by ex-Liverpool star Florent Sinama-Pongolle ten years prior. A month later, Spurs beat out Europe’s leading clubs, including Real Madrid, to pluck him from Italian club Siena’s youth team. “Tottenham went to Italy and made me the offer. It was a good opportunity for me. The ambition was good there, so I signed,” Coulibaly told The Set Piece Podcast in 2020. He equalled Sinama-Pongolle’s record in three fewer gamesGetty Coulibaly took home the matchball against BrazilGetty “The programme at Tottenham was really good for young players. They were planning what they were going to do with the training ground, and I could develop with a young team. “It was a fantastic opportunity for me. I started training with the first team when I was 16 years old, with Jermain Defoe, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. “Harry Redknapp was the one who brought me there. It was a fantastic experience. “The only thing that was difficult for me at Tottenham was the language because I wasn’t speaking English. I was only speaking Italian. “But the secretary at Tottenham – his name was Roberto – helped me a lot. He could speak Italian, Spanish and English. “In football, I was doing good. I scored a lot of goals for the Under-18s, and I scored a lot of goals in the reserve team as well.” Coulibaly is 18 months younger than KaneGetty He left after three years at TottenhamGetty One of those goals stands up above the rest, a dipper into the top corner from 20 yards for the U21’s in a 4-0 win over Southampton. However, Coulibaly never had the chance to show his worth in a competitive game and joined Italian Serie B side Bari in 2014. “The only regret I have is not playing for the club because they did everything for me,” Coulibaly added. “They helped me a lot, even when I was sick. I went on holiday to the Ivory Coast and I was sick. Tottenham brought me back and helped me. I was trying to give back the help they gave me by trying to play for the first team one day. “But I trained with a lot of good players and learned from them. That was the most important thing for me personally. You take that experience and try to move on. I don’t regret my career. I just regret not giving back what the Tottenham fans were expecting of me.” Following his Spurs exit, a journeyman career followed – first at Pistoiese and then back in England with Peterborough United. He scored five goals in 32 appearances for the League One Posh in the 2015-16 season, but finished that campaign in the division below on loan at Newport. Coulibaly then bounced about from Kilmarnock to Al Ahly in Egypt, before enduring stints in Glasgow, Tunisia, Cyprus, and Algeria. He has played for over 10 different clubs since leaving SpursGetty Since late 2024, he found himself at Pickering Town, who currently ply their trade in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division. In contrast, Kane has gone on to become England and Tottenham’s record goalscorer, before a transfer worth over £100million to Bayern Munich where he has won the Bundesliga title. Coulibaly said: “Harry Kane was a hard worker. He wasn’t the Harry Kane who people see today, but he was a guy who gave 100 per cent in training. “He was the one who worked very hard in training and in matches. You know how football is, when one manager gives you the chance you become who you are. That’s what happened to Harry Kane. “When he started playing with Tim Sherwood, he wasn’t great. But game by game he became the Harry Kane that everyone knows now. I’m not surprised he became like this. He had a grea
Harry Kane has gone almost his whole career as a lone striker, having never recaptured the magic of playing with Souleymane Coulibaly.
The pair formed a good understanding at Tottenham youth and reserve-team level, where it wasn’t always clear who would make it.
Kane spent much of his early years on loan at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester, before breaking into the Spurs first-team.
Former boss Tim Sherwood, who handed him his senior debut, revealed that he even resisted instructions to get rid of Kane.
In contrast, club officials had high hopes for Ivory Coast youth international Coulibaly, dubbed ‘the new Didier Drogba‘.
“They started calling me the new Drogba after the Under-17 World Cup,” he said, as reported by the BBC in 2016.
“But he is a legend, and it would just be nice just to meet him.”
Coulibaly proved the individual breakout success of the 2011 U-17 World Cup, which featured Memphis Depay and Sebastien Haller, while Jordan Pickford and Raheem Sterling represented England.
At age 16, he scored nine goals in four games and finished with the Golden Boot, despite Ivory Coast crashing out at the last-16 stage.
Coulibaly found the net four times against Denmark and notched a hat-trick against Brazil, which then equalled a tournament record set by ex-Liverpool star Florent Sinama-Pongolle ten years prior.
A month later, Spurs beat out Europe’s leading clubs, including Real Madrid, to pluck him from Italian club Siena’s youth team.
“Tottenham went to Italy and made me the offer. It was a good opportunity for me. The ambition was good there, so I signed,” Coulibaly told The Set Piece Podcast in 2020.
“The programme at Tottenham was really good for young players. They were planning what they were going to do with the training ground, and I could develop with a young team.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for me. I started training with the first team when I was 16 years old, with Jermain Defoe, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale.
“Harry Redknapp was the one who brought me there. It was a fantastic experience.
“The only thing that was difficult for me at Tottenham was the language because I wasn’t speaking English. I was only speaking Italian.
“But the secretary at Tottenham – his name was Roberto – helped me a lot. He could speak Italian, Spanish and English.
“In football, I was doing good. I scored a lot of goals for the Under-18s, and I scored a lot of goals in the reserve team as well.”
One of those goals stands up above the rest, a dipper into the top corner from 20 yards for the U21’s in a 4-0 win over Southampton.
However, Coulibaly never had the chance to show his worth in a competitive game and joined Italian Serie B side Bari in 2014.
“The only regret I have is not playing for the club because they did everything for me,” Coulibaly added.
“They helped me a lot, even when I was sick. I went on holiday to the Ivory Coast and I was sick. Tottenham brought me back and helped me. I was trying to give back the help they gave me by trying to play for the first team one day.
“But I trained with a lot of good players and learned from them. That was the most important thing for me personally. You take that experience and try to move on. I don’t regret my career. I just regret not giving back what the Tottenham fans were expecting of me.”
Following his Spurs exit, a journeyman career followed – first at Pistoiese and then back in England with Peterborough United.
He scored five goals in 32 appearances for the League One Posh in the 2015-16 season, but finished that campaign in the division below on loan at Newport.
Coulibaly then bounced about from Kilmarnock to Al Ahly in Egypt, before enduring stints in Glasgow, Tunisia, Cyprus, and Algeria.
Since late 2024, he found himself at Pickering Town, who currently ply their trade in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.
In contrast, Kane has gone on to become England and Tottenham’s record goalscorer, before a transfer worth over £100million to Bayern Munich where he has won the Bundesliga title.
Coulibaly said: “Harry Kane was a hard worker. He wasn’t the Harry Kane who people see today, but he was a guy who gave 100 per cent in training.
“He was the one who worked very hard in training and in matches. You know how football is, when one manager gives you the chance you become who you are. That’s what happened to Harry Kane.
“When he started playing with Tim Sherwood, he wasn’t great. But game by game he became the Harry Kane that everyone knows now. I’m not surprised he became like this. He had a great work ethic and was a good professional.
“If I had the chance, like a lot of people had at Tottenham, I don’t think I’d be here,” Coulibaly concluded.
“I’d be playing first team in Tottenham because I know my ability. I know what I’ve got in my locker. If I was there when Mauricio Pochettino came, who knows?
“But it didn’t happen, so that’s why I’m here. I was expected to play in the Premier League for Tottenham, to help them achieve whatever they wanted. But, you know, football is like this.
“Sometimes you go down, sometimes you go up. The best way is to keep going. That’s what I’m doing.”
