Chérif Souleymane

Chérif Soulegmane, also known as Chérif Souleymane, (born 20 October 1944 in Kindia) is a former Guinean footballer. He is considered among the finest footballers Guinea has ever produced. He was named the France Football African Footballer of the Year and the African Footballer of the Year (the only Guinean to receive that honour) in 1972 while playing with Hafia FC in Conakry.

The son of a chauffeur/mechanic, Souleymane moved to East Germany when he was 17 years old to study to become a plumber, but switched to architecture because, he later stated, it made it easier for him to play football. He played for SC Neubrandenburg in the second-tier DDR-Liga for two seasons, from 1962 to 1964.

He returned to his home country and spent the rest of his playing career with top-tier Hafia FC, initially known as Conakry II when he joined the club. He played for Hafia from 1964 to 1978. Hafia was a powerhouse in Guinea and in Africa during this period, winning the Guinée Championnat National, the top national league, from 1965 to 1968 and from 1971 to 1979. In international competition, it won the African Cup of Champions Clubs three times, in 1972, 1975 and 1977, and was the runner-up in 1976, during Souleymane's tenure. In the 1976 African Cup of Nations, Guinea came in second, despite never losing a game, the sole regret of his playing career. He was also on the Guinea national football team from 1965 through 1977, and competed for Guinea at the 1968 Summer Olympics with the national team. In 11 FIFA appearances, he scored three goals.

...
Wikipedia