Coli Saco (born 15 May 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Swiss side Yverdon-Sport, on loan from Serie A club Napoli. Born in France, Saco represents Mali at under-23 level.
Born in Créteil, Saco joined Le Havre's youth sector in 2017, aged 15, before moving to Sochaux one year later.[1][2] He then came through the youth ranks of the Lionceaux,[1] taking part in the 2019–20 Coupe Gambardella, where Sochaux reached the round of 16 before the competition was cancelled, due to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4]
In October 2020, Saco entered AC Milan's academy;[5][6] however, he was released after just one season, having not managed to break into the under-19 team consistently.[2][7] In September 2021, he officially joined fellow Italian club Napoli after a successful trial.[8][9]
Having impressed with his performances for Napoli's under-19 squad, during the 2021–22 season Saco started training with the first team, under manager Luciano Spalletti.[2][10] The midfielder originally received his first official call-up to the senior team for a Serie A match against Juventus on 6 January 2022: however, having tested positive for COVID-19, he eventually had to withdraw from the match-day squad.[2][10][11]
On 15 July 2022, Saco joined Serie C side Pro Vercelli on a season-long loan.[12][13] He then made his professional debut for the club on 3 September, starting and playing 90 minutes in a 1–0 league win against Padova.[14] On 5 November, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 league loss against AlbinoLeffe.[2][15]
On 1 September 2023, Saco joined fellow Serie C club Ancona on loan for the remainder of the season.[16][17]
On 30 August 2024, Saco moved on loan to Bari in Serie B.[18]
In June 2023, Saco was included in the final squad of the Malian under-23 national team for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Morocco,[19][20] where the Eagles finished in third place and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[21][22]
In July 2024, he was included by head coach Aliou Badra Diallo in the Malian squad for the men's football tournament at the Summer Olympics in Paris,[10][23] where The Eagles were eventually eliminated in the group stage.[24]
Saco is a left-footed midfielder, who has been mainly regarded for his physical attributes, which allow him to win many headers and keep possession.[8][9] Despite his slow pace, he has proved to have good abilities in reading the game and finding goal opportunities, thanks to his off-the-ball movement and his heading.[2][8] He has also been noticed for his vision and his long-range passing prowess.[8]
Although he has been compared to André-Frank Zambo Anguissa,[8] he cited Paul Pogba and Yaya Touré as his main sources of inspiration.[9]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Napoli | 2022–23 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Pro Vercelli (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie C | 34 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| Ancona (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie C | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 65 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 10 | ||
Mali U23
