In the opening match of the Southeast Asian Championship, Cambodia tied with Malaysia on December 8 (2-2). And this, thanks to Abdel Kader Coulibaly, who scored the Cambodians’ first goal for his very first start with his adopted country at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh.
2 mins
And this is a story that will not go unnoticed in the world of football. The promising result for the Angkor warriors, often beaten by the Malaysians, allowed Abdel Kader Coulibaly to take the spotlight for his first steps in the national team. A team which was created in 1933 and joined Fifa in 1953. Its very first official match in 1956 ended in a heavy defeat against Malaysia (9-2). In 2023, Cambodia was in 179th place in the Fifa rankings.
In U20 with Ivory Coast
Abdel Kader Coulibaly, who comes from eastern Ivory Coast, is a true football globetrotter. Born 31 years ago in M’Bahiakro, he played in the country, in Romania, in Senegal, in Indonesia, not to mention his passage through Cameroon. It was a friend who told him about Cambodia after an inconclusive test in Malaysia.
Abdel Kader Coulibaly plays for ISI Dangkor Senchey FC, a club founded eight years ago, whose emblem is an elephant, you can’t make it up! He also played in the police club. And at Asia Euro United upon his arrival in 2018.
“ In Cambodia, there are Brazilians, Canadians, Spaniards. I know two other Ivorian players. There are also Ghanaians and Cameroonians », Tells the person concerned at the microphone of Oliver Pron in the show Radio Foot Internationale.
The one who chose Cambodian nationality had the opportunity to play with the U20s in Ivory Coast. But at his age, he knew it would be ” complicated » to be called up with the Elephants, reigning African champions, so he accepted this beautiful “ opportunity “.
Having lived in Cambodia for several years, Abdel Kader Coulibaly admits that it is the “ passion » of the football that took him so far from his native land. “ Everything is different here, the food, the language. But that’s also football, taking advantage of opportunities to play », says the man who lives with his wife without earning a fortune in a country where life is much cheaper. “ I went all over Cambodia and had the opportunity to visit the temples of AngkorIt is magic (huge stone complex, built under the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 11th centuries, Editor’s note),” says Abdel Kader Coulibaly, who visibly flourishes on the Mekong Delta side.