G. Diarra

Gaoussou Diarra's route to professional football ran through a lecture hall. He moved to Istanbul in 2024 to study business administration at Haliç University, turning out for the university side while looking for a way into the game. A spell at Beykoz Anadolu brought no league minutes, but in August 2024 İstanbulspor gave him a contract, and the move changed everything.

In the TFF 1. Lig, Diarra scored 15 league goals in 34 appearances, 16 in all competitions, and was named in the division's Team of the Year as İstanbulspor finished fourth. The season turned a player who had been studying business two years earlier into a promising prospect.

Feyenoord paid a fee reported between €3.5 million and €5 million to sign him in July 2025, agreeing a deal that runs to 2029 and includes a 15% resale clause. He has made eight league appearances for the Dutch club since.

Mali called him into the squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and he made his senior international debut in June that year. His first goal for the national team came in a 4-0 win over Madagascar during 2026 World Cup qualifying in October 2025, part of what has grown into 10 to 11 caps.

He has yet to add a major trophy to the individual recognition he picked up at İstanbulspor.