With five goals in four games, Ivorian forward Mohamed Bamba has made an instant impact on FC Lorient since making a move to the Breton club during the January transfer window. We take a look at Bamba’s path to Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
22-year-old striker Mohamed Bamba has been making waves in Brittany’s south-facing Port town of Lorient since joining the club this January. Only four years have passed since Bamba represented his home-town club of Bouaké FC back in Ivory Coast at youth level, but with five goals in four appearances for Les Merlus the striker has well and truly burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
At the age of 19 Bamba moved 5000 km from his home in Bouaké, Ivory Coast to Israel to play for second division side Hapoël Rishon. The forward made 101 appearances and scored 30 goals over three years for the Israeli side, before getting his move to Europe and signing for Austrian first division outfit Wolfsberger AC this season. It only took 17 matches and eight goals for the Ivorian to peak the interest of FC Lorient, where he signed for the club in January for €5 million.
Hitting the ground running at Lorient
"Since the first training season, the other defenders and I watched him and right away understood he’ll bring a lot to us," said teammate Motassar Talbi following last weekend’s win against Reims. "He’s a really likeable boy, and a bit like a hunting dog who does a lot for the good of the team. He could have actually scored more goals and has an enormous amount of potential," added the Tunisian international.
The winter recruit has been instrumental in Lorient’s recent resurgence to get themselves out of danger, scoring five goals in four games with Les Merlus. Bamba has been making history, becoming the first player in Ligue 1 Uber Eats to score five goals in their first four matches since Mario Ballotelli in 2016. He became the first player to score in each of his four first matches since Giora Spiegel achieved the feat in October 1973.
Bamba scored on his debut with Lorient in a dramatic draw against Le Havre (3-3), before hitting the back of the net in a win against FC Metz in clinical fashion (1-2). The Ivorian’s netted in a vital 2-0 win against Reims last weekend, before scoring another brace in a win against Strasbourg this weekend (3-1).
