dcfc.co.uk takes a look back at the career of attacking wideman Abdoul Camara after he became Derby County's first signing of the January transfer window...
FACT FILE
Born in Mamou, Guinea, Abdoul Camara’s venture into football actually began in France after he moved to the country at a young age.A talented attacking player, his qualities were first noticed by Lille-based football club OS Fives in 1994.Five years of progression led to Camara moving on to pastures new after he joined the prestigious youth academy of Stade Rennais.There he had the privilege of learning his trade with a slew of youth talent and played alongside the likes of Yann M'Vila, Yacine Brahimi, Captain Samuel Souprayen, Maxime Le Marchand, and Damien Le Tallec.Camara and co lived up to their reputation as one of the brightest young teams in Europe as they lifted the Under 18s Championship in 2006/07 as well as the Coupe Gambardella, a French football competition battled out between the nation’s Under 19s, in 2008.On 15 August 2007, Camara, alongside M’Vila and Le Tallec, signed his professional contract and signed a three-year contract.Camara continued to catch the eye in Rennes’ Championnat de France Amateur squad during the 2008/09 squad, scoring four goals from 30 games and helping his side finish first ahead of a number of professional clubs in their group.Elevated to the senior squad, Camara made his professional debut at the end of that same season on the final matchday of the campaign in a 4-0 defeat to Marseille.To continue his football education, Camara was sent out on loan to Ligue 2 club Vannes where he was given the number 9 shirt.Over the course of the season, the attacker played 37 times, in which he scored four goals.Camara only spent one further season at Rennes before he sealed his first permanent career move as he linked up with Sochaux in the summer of 2011 for €1.5 million.He made 21 appearances in his first season in Ligue 1 in his first season with his new club and backed that up with another 15 outings in his second season at the Stade Auguste Bonal, before he was on the move again.Venturing out of France for the first time, Camara sealed a loan move to PAOK in Greece for the second half of the 2012/13 season where he made 13 appearances and scored two goals in the Greek Super League.Similar to the previous season, the attacker completed the first half of the 2013/14 campaign with Sochaux before extending his footballing career with a move to Spain, linking up with Mallorca on loan.After making six appearances in Spain, Camara returned to France in the summer of 2014 and after the end of his contract with Sochaux, he signed a three-year contract with Angers SCO.Since the beginning of the current season, the wideman has been one of the stars of Ligue 1 campaign, in which he has played 17 times and scored twice to help Angers to third in the top flight.He impressed in Stephane Moulin’s 4-3-3 with his work-rate and ability to not only attack down the flank, but help protect the defence down the channels.INTERNATONAL CAREER
Though born in Guinea, Camara became a naturalised citizen of France and played their Under 17 and Under 18 sides.On the former, he was part of the France squad that reached the quarter finals of the Under 17 World Cup in 2007.After signing for Sochaux, Camara appeared once for Frances’ Under 21s squad, in which he also scored in a 3-1 friendly win over Slovakia.In January 2012, Camara pledged his allegiance to his home country Guinea after he was named in the preliminary African Cup of Nations squad.He scored two goals in three appearances for his country during the competition later that month, finding the net in a 6-1 win over Botswana and a 1-1 draw with Ghana.To date, Camara has played 10 times for his nation and has got four goals to his name on the international scene.Tweets by @ dcfcofficial