2. Bundesliga
Who is Moussa Sylla?
After Moussa Sylla signed a four-year contract with Schalke this summer, bundesliga.com profiles the Mali forward who joins on the back of a stunning season in France...
*Data correct as of 17 July 2024
Age: 24 (born 25 November 1999)
Club: Schalke
Position: Forward
Country: Mali (2 caps)
Key stats
Sylla arrives at Schalke with serious pedigree, having previously emerged through Monaco's academy and featured for their first team 34 times. That includes six UEFA Champions League appearances in Group A of the 2018/19 campaign where Sylla not only scored in a 1-1 draw away to Club Brugge but also played twice against Borussia Dortmund in the groups that year. Born in Étampes, Sylla joined Monaco's youth setup in 2014 and he spent six years at the club before departing for Dutch side Utrecht in 2020.
A three-year spell produced nine goals in 61 games before Sylla returned to France with Caen in January 2023. He went goalless in half a season, which preceded his loan move to Pau and the best form of his career thus far. Across the 2023/24 Ligue 2 campaign, Sylla scored 15 league goals - a return bettered by just one player in the division. Seven assists for his teammates meant Sylla contributed a total of 22 goals in 35 league appearances. He immediately carried that form into pre-season with the Royal Blues, scoring seven times in four matches. That included a hat-trick against Meppen.
Sylla first played for France U16s as a 14-year-old in 2014 and featured 22 times for Les Blues' youth teams, right up until the U20 age group. He chose to represent Mali as a senior international, though, and was given a first cap on 22 March 2024 in the 2-0 friendly win over Mauritania. His second cap came in FIFA World Cup qualifying against Madagascar in June the same year.
Plays a bit like: Kylian Mbappé
Predominantly a right-winger, Sylla is capable of operating from either flank or through the middle in attack. He boasts searing pace and prefers a direct route to either the touchline or the goal by isolating, and then beating, defensive opponent in one-on-one situations. All of those traits are well recognisable in France superstar Mbappé, who was in the youth ranks of Monaco when Sylla joined the club in 2014.
The pair never played alongside each other in the first team, but their paths crossed plenty of times at the club. One year senior, Mbappé's talents are far more advanced and he is bound for Real Madrid the same summer Sylla moves to Bundesliga 2, but there are more than fleeting flashes of the France international in the Malian's game.
Did you know?
Moussa isn't the only professional footballer in the family, in fact he's not the only Mali international either. Older brother Yacouba (33) also represented France at youth level before going on to feature for Mali's senior team - at the time of writing - 35 times. Yacouba's former clubs include Clermont, Aston Villa, Rennes and Montpellier. He represented Virton in Belgium last term but is now without a club.
What they're saying
“With Moussa deciding to join us, we’ve gained the services of a striker with explosive pace, one that loves to get in behind and is generally just tricky to defend against. We see him as a potential key player, and his pace and agility will particularly help us when we have possession.” - Schalke sporting director Marc Wilmots
“I’m very happy to have signed a contract here. It’s a huge chance for me to move to a new country and show my qualities at a big club like Schalke. I’m really excited to be part of the team and play in front of the fans.” - Sylla after signing for Schalke
"Sylla brings his game to the team. He's very calm on the ball and plays cleverly. I'm very happy with him." - Schalke coach Karel Geraerts after Sylla's rapid start in pre-season