| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1944-10-20)20 October 1944 (age 81) | ||
| Place of birth | Kindia, Guinea | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1962 | TSG Neustrelitz | ||
| 1962–1965 | SC Neubrandenburg | ||
| 1965–1980 | Hafia FC | 543 | (76) |
| International career | |||
| 1964–1977 | Guinea[1] | 68 | (20) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Chérif Souleymane, also known asChérif Soulegmane, (born 20 October 1944) is a Guinean formerfootballer who played as amidfielder. He is considered among the finest footballers Guinea has ever produced.[2] He was named theFrance Football African Footballer of the Year[3] and theAfrican Footballer of the Year[4] (the only Guinean to receive that honour[2]) in 1972 while playing withHafia FC inConakry.[5]
Born inKindia the son of a chauffeur and mechanic, Souleymane moved toEast Germany when he was 17 to study to become a plumber, but switched to architecture because, he later stated, it made it easier for him to play football.[2] He played forSC Neubrandenburg in the second-tierDDR-Liga for two seasons, from 1962 to 1964.[citation needed]
He returned to his home country and spent the rest of his playing career with top-tierHafia FC, initially known as Conakry II when he joined the club.[citation needed] He played for Hafia from 1964 to 1978.[citation needed] Hafia was a powerhouse in Guinea and in Africa during this period, winning theGuinée Championnat National, the top national league, from 1965 to 1968 and from 1971 to 1979. In international competition, it won theAfrican Cup of Champions Clubs three times, in1972,1975 and1977,[2] and was the runner-up in1976, during Souleymane's tenure. In the1976 African Cup of Nations, Guinea came in second, despite never losing a game, Souleymane's sole regret of his playing career.[2] He was also on theGuinea national team from 1965 through 1977,[6] and competed forGuinea at the 1968 Summer Olympics with the national team.[7] In 11FIFA appearances, he scored three goals.[8]
He also coached nine FIFA games, amassing a record of three wins, two draws and four losses.[8] He made his debut at the1985 inaugural FIFA U-16 World Championship in China; his team defeated the United States 1–0,[8] advanced out of its group and placed fourth.
As of December 2013, Souleymane has been the Technical Director (Director Technique) of theGuinean Football Federation since 2004.[2]
| France Football award | |
|---|---|
| CAF award |
|
|  | |
| | |
