da bet7k： There's something brilliant about cult players isn't there? Particularly wingers, there's a clear innate skill accompanied by a pretty nonchalant, often maverick attitude. Just think of Everton flop Yannick Bolasie.
da poker： It's sort of like, they could win the game single-handedly if they wanted to. If. Adel Taarabt's mazy QPR brilliance springs to mind too. But with every winding run, exquisite skill and goal, up dredges inconsistency. An aged Taarabt once mused:
"If you talked to everyone who saw me when I was a young talent, many would have said I'd play for Real Madrid or Barcelona one day. Even Luka Modric said that to me once. But it didn't happen. Not only because of others. But because of me."
Today's story fits in that archetype of 'streets will never forget' – yet our subject's progress was less hindered by attitude, it more came down to injuries. For those that hadn't guessed by now – let's take a look at a current free agent, Bolasie.
Where did Yannick Bolasie come from?
Bolasie was born in Lyon, France to parents from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1989. Yet, at only seven months old – his family moved to the London Borough of Brent. In north London, Bolasie's formative football skills developed, bursting out of the grey concrete of high-rise flats and pavement – came a raw, colourful enjoyment and flair.
There was a tenacity too. Starting out at Rushden & Diamonds at 16, Bolasie claimed that he "had a two-week trial and just kept going back." After this, he delved into non-league for more experience and then even plied his trade in the Maltese Premier League with Floriana.
A young, gifted Bolasie just wanted to play, it was clear. Plymouth picked up on that and offered him a trial in 2008. He impressed and got a two-year-deal, yet after two loan moves to Rushden and then Barnet, the winger moved on to Bristol City.
Just a season was enough to prove himself as he received the Young Player of the Year award in 2011/12. However, considering his London upbringing and his already quite well-traveled career – young Yannick was homesick and handed in a transfer request. In August 2012, Crystal Palace kindly obliged and signed him for an undisclosed fee on a three-year-deal.
Just how good was Yannick Bolasie?
Crystal Palace was where Bolasie was best. Confidence grew on his return home and his ability pushed on to new heights in a determined Palace team. As the Athletic aptly described him, Bolasie was Palace's entertainer. I could go into dense empirical detail, but it doesn't feel necessary.
Stats weren't always integral in this era before the number-crunching armchair statisticians. Take the eye-catching season for Palace 2012/13, for example. He only scored three times in the Championship.
Yet, his raw joy powered on teammates and shone a delightful light on another cult, the adopted son of south London in Wilfried Zaha. In 43 often-high-flying outings, he was the gust of air that helped blow Palace up to promotion.
Of course, at Palace there were the ridiculously brilliant individual moments. The 'Crystanbul' victory against Liverpool, the 'Bolasie flick', and who could forget *literally* wiping the floor with Dejan Lovren. But back in 2012/13 Bolasie was beginning his projection as the embodiment of what football is about. Pure positivity.
Then-boss Ian Holloway looked back on Bolasie's impact under his employ:
“Yannick was a joy to work with because he was so enthusiastic. There was hardly ever any negativity at all in his thinking, which is very unusual for any high-end players. (…) He was totally and utterly determined to get better and work hard, he was obsessed by it and it was so refreshing and so full of zest, he lifted everybody.”
Said to be extremely receptive to roles and new managers, Bolasie thrived at Palace for four exciting years. However, there was always this question of what his ceiling was. As said prior, as his early career began to mature into a should-be prime – output in the final third was perhaps lacking.
Feeling a step-up was needed, Bolasie switched Selhurst Park for Goodison, as he joined Everton for a reported £25m in August 2016. Turning out for £75,000 a week on a five-year-deal, expectations were high. Some even saw him as comparable to Sadio Mane.
Unfortunately, though, life had other ideas for Bolasie.
Where is Yannick Bolasie now?
In that 2016/17 season, Bolasie ruptured his ACL in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. This injury saw him sidelined for a year, missing a total of 63 games for his new club. That culminated in just two goals and four assists across 32 fixtures and five years.
All progress stalled. The club he'd signed for had changed on his return. With a handful of different bosses and numerous new players, Bolasie sought a new home with copious loans.
There were glimpses of the old style shining through, especially with Anderlecht, with six goals in 17 league games in 2019. However, on return to his parent club, Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that the winger wasn't in his plans.
Since Everton, and those loans at Aston Villa, Sporting, Anderlecht, and Middlesbrough; the now-34-year-old had a brief romance with Çaykur Rizespor in Turkey. Ultimately, with him being a free agent, 20 goals in 55 doesn't seem a bad note to go out on.