Real Madrid Signs 11-Year-Old Basketball Prodigy Traoré, Sparking Age Debate
real Madrid has added an exceptionally young talent to its basketball program: 11-year-old Issa Traoré. The signing of the player, who appears notably mature for his age in photographs, has quickly ignited discussion online regarding his age and eligibility.
Traoré, officially listed with a birthdate of October 24, 2013, is expected to turn 12 in a matter of weeks. He is already registered as a U14 player on Real Madrid’s website. While his height and weight remain undisclosed, the move raises the possibility of Traoré becoming the youngest player ever to appear in Spain’s top basketball league.
Currently, the record for the youngest player in Spain’s top basketball league is held by Bassala bagayoko, who debuted for Baloncesto Fuenlabrada at 14 years, 7 months, and 15 days old. Bagayoko, now 2.07 meters tall, currently plays for Surne Bilbao Basket.
For comparison, the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) record is held by Ivan Kharchenkov, who debuted for Bayern Munich in November 2022 at 16 years, one month, and 30 days old. kharchenkov, now 19, has as moved to the united States to play college basketball after 54 BBL appearances. Should Real Madrid bring Traoré onto the professional roster, he would shatter Bagayoko’s existing Spanish league record.
