Iya Traoré (born 1986) is a Guinean freestyler and former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who has been featured in the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

three times. He currently resides in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and is featured on various TV programs, including reality shows, music videos, and commercials.

Early and personal life

Traore started as a local goalkeeper in his village, Kebeya,

Republic of Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

. Following his father's return from Europe, Traore relocated to Conakry to pursue his studies and joined the football club Ibrahim FC, where his team went on to win several local trophies.

Football career

In 2000, Traore arrived in Paris, where he played for football clubs such as ESP,

Paris FC Paris Football Club (French pronunciation: Help:IPA/French, aʁi futbol klœb, commonly referred to as Paris FC or simply PFC, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris, France. They will compete in Ligue ...

Paris Saint Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. With 52 major trophies ...

. However, he was never offered a professional contract. During this time, he also assisted his father, an African art merchant.

Freestyle career

On July 20th, 2011, Traoré achieved a

in Beijing, China, where he ascended 75 steps backward on a fire brigade ladder while managing a football with his feet. The ladder, set at an inclination of 55 degrees and measuring 25 meters in length, concluded at a height of 21.5 meters from the ground. Traore's work has challenged conventional views of freestyle on the global stage, leading to documentary opportunities and awards worldwide. He appeared in

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

's "La La La" video in 2014, for the World Cup in Brazil. He has performed in over 40 countries, spanning China, France,

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, Egypt, Morocco, Italy, the US, Brazil and more.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Traore, Iya Living people 1986 births Guinean men's footballers Men's association football players not categorized by position