Lassina Chamste Soudine Franck Traoré (born 12 January 2001) is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk and the Burkina Faso national team.
Club career Rahimo Traoré began his football career in the youth ranks of Rahimo in his hometown of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. He was scouted by Ajax and brought to South Africa, where was stalled at the clubs' satellite club Ajax Cape Town until he was old enough to legally transfer to Amsterdam.
Ajax Cape Town Shortly after his 18th birthday, Traoré moved to Europe joining Ajax in January 2019, on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He had previously played for Rahimo in Burkina Faso and was on the books of Ajax Cape Town in South Africa where he finished as top scorer of the reserves team before departing for the Netherlands.Hoe Lassina Traoré het schopte van Burkina Faso tot Ajax vice.com
Ajax Traoré was named on the bench for the first time in Ajax's fateful second leg defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League on 8 May 2019, before making his debut in the final seconds of their 4–1 win over Utrecht in the league four days later. He would have to wait over five months for his next first-team appearance as a late substitute in a 4–0 win against Feyenoord on 27 October 2019.
On 24 October 2020, Traoré scored five goals and assisted a further three in a record-breaking 13–0 league victory over VVV-Venlo. Three days later, Traoré earned a penalty-kick and scored his first goal in European competition in a 2–2 draw away to Atalanta in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Shakhtar Donetsk On 18 June 2021, it was announced that Traoré had joined Ukrainian Premier League side Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of €10 million. On 22 September, Traoré scored twice in Shakhtar's 3–0 win against rivals Dynamo Kyiv in the 2021 Ukrainian Super Cup.
On 19 May 2026, Shakhtar announced that Traoré had extended his contract with the club until 30 June 2031.
International career Traoré made his international debut for Burkina Faso on 4 May 2017, during a friendly match against Benin.
Playing style Lassina Traoré is 1.83 m tall, but his physique makes him well suited for a physical playing style. As a team player, he is technically competent beyond being a typical ‘target man’.
Personal life Traoré's mother was a former professional footballer and captained the Burkina Faso women's national football team. His cousin, Bertrand Traoré, is also a professional footballer, who last played as a right winger for Sunderland.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJong Ajax2018–19Eerste Divisie14800——1482019–20171300——17132020–2111200——112Total422300——4223Ajax2018–19Eredivisie100000—102019–20922210001242020–211270061—188Total2292271003112Shakhtar Donetsk2021–22Ukrainian Premier League76—61121492022–23215—101—3162023–241642020—2042024–252243160—3152025–261370060—1972026–27300010—40Total8226513121211931Career total14657733831219265
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBurkina Faso2017432019402020422021522022002023102024104202554202631Total3616
Scores and results list Burkina Faso's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Traoré goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Lassina TraoréNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 4 May 2017 4 August Stadium, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 1–0 1–1 Friendly2 21 May 2017 L'Amitié Stadium, Cotonou, Benin 1–1 2–2 Friendly3 2–14 12 November 2020 4 August Stadium, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 1–0 3–12021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification5 2–06 5 June 2021 Stade National, Abidjan, Ivory Coast 1–0 1–2 Friendly7 2 September 2021 Marrakech Stadium, Marrakesh, Morocco 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification8 6 June 2024 Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt 1–2 1–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification9 10 June 2024 26 March Stadium, Bamako, Mali 2–0 2–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification10 10 September 2024 26 March Stadium, Bamako, Mali 1–0 3–1 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification11 2–012 21 March 2025 Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida, Morocco 4–0 4–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification13 24 March 2025 24 September Stadium, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau 1–0 2–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification14 2–115 31 December 2025 Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca, Morocco 1–0 2–0 2025 Africa Cup of Nations16 25 September 2026 4 August Stadium, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 1–0 1–1 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Honours Ajax Eredivisie: 2018–19, 2020–21 KNVB Cup: 2018–19, 2020–21
Shakhtar Donetsk Ukrainian Premier League: 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26 Ukrainian Cup: 2023–24, 2024–25 Ukrainian Super Cup: 2021
Individual Eredivisie Player of the Month: October 2020
References
External links