José Touré

Lore & Background

Touré scored a memorable goal for Nantes in the 1983 Coupe de France final against Paris Saint-Germain, though Nantes lost 3–2. He started for Bordeaux in the 1987 Coupe de France final, winning 2–0 against Marseille. He was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. On 21 August 1985, he scored in France's 2–0 victory over Uruguay to become the inaugural winners of the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions.

In Their Own Story

The archive room smells of old paper and dust. The name is not there. It was not there in 1998, not in 2000, not in 2016. She closes the file, writes a small note on the index card — 'No record found' — and files it under 'T' with a quiet shrug. The shelves around her hold the real names, the ones with weight and history. This one does not.

Reader's Guide

Touré won Division 1 titles with Nantes in 1979–80 and 1982–83, and the Cup of the Alps in 1982. With Bordeaux, he won Division 1 in 1986–87 and the Coupe de France in 1986–87. He also won the Summer Olympics gold medal with France Olympic in 1984 and the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions with France in 1985.

Did You Know?

• His father, Bako Touré, was a Malian international footballer.
• Touré scored in the 1983 Coupe de France final but Nantes lost 3–2 to Paris Saint-Germain.
• He started for Bordeaux in the 1987 Coupe de France final, winning 2–0 against Marseille.