Ismaël Kenneth Jordan Koné (born June 16, 2002) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Watford. Born in Ivory Coast, he represents the Canada national team.
Koné was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In 2010, he moved to Canada at age 7, growing up in Montreal. Two years later, he began playing youth soccer with the AS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Panthers. When he was 16, he joined CS Saint-Laurent. With CS Saint-Laurent he earned the bronze medal at the 2019 Canadian Under-17 Championship. He went on trial in Belgium with Genk and Mouscron, but was unable to sign with Mouscron as they didn’t have the funds available to sign a non-European player. Soon afterwards, he was forced to return to Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where he began training with CF Montreal U23 and earned an invite to the first team’s training camp in 2021.
Parents and family
Ismaël Koné was born to his mother, Susan and father, Salifou.
Born in Ivory Coast, Koné joined his mother, Susan, in Montreal just before his eighth birthday. Although his father, Salifou, has remained in Africa, the two FaceTime regularly and Koné visited him in December.
Koné said fame won’t change him as a player or person, vowing to remain grounded and humble, and generally avoids social and mainstream media.
“This is the life that I wanted,” Koné said. “I chose it and knew every single part of this job … everything that would come when you start playing and everybody starts to know you. I’m not overwhelmed. It’s surprising that it’s happening so fast but, in a way, you expect this from soccer.
“If I don’t play good, they won’t be talking about me. It’s nice that they’re talking good, but it’s not what fuels me to keep going. It’s my will to become bigger and better.”
Talking about his mother, he further said;
“She was able to fulfill the job of being both parents,” Koné said. “She did a very good job. She’s a great woman, calm. She doesn’t speak a lot, but she’s very smart. … That’s my mom.”
On the pitch, Koné considers himself fearless. He wants the ball in tight, dangerous places. Good with his feet and a strong runner, Koné’s technically sound — a strong passer and dribbler who reads the game well and covers lots of ground. He has a dramatic flair, lives for meaningful moments and wants to develop into a dominant player who dictates matches.
Like most at this level, Koné hopes to eventually make the transition to European soccer.
“I’m happy to be here and grateful to have this chance to fulfill my dream,” he said. “I’ll never change my personality. Never. Never. I’ll always be me.”
Wife and Children
Ismaël Koné is at the moment currently single and not dating or in an open relationship for now. Ismaël Koné is also not yet married and has no child at the moment.
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