The Colorado Rapids have acquired striker Yannick Boli from Dàlián Yīfāng of the Chinese Super League.
Here are three things to know about the 30-year-old striker …
1. His two previous clubs were in need of a goal-scorer and he delivered.
Dàlián Yīfāngduring and Anzhi Makhachkala were in need of a striker and brought in Boli to be the difference maker. The French-born Ivorian footballer did not disappoint as the bulk of his goals played a huge part in the success of each club. Last year, Boli helped Dàlián Yīfāng gain promotion from China League One to the Chinese Super League, scoring 16 goals playing a total of 1,749 minutes. Previously, he spent three years with the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, where he netted 25 goals in 62 appearances, helping them earn promotion to the Russian Premier League. While he was at Anzhi, the striker also earned three consecutive wins for the Goal of the Month and was awarded the 1FNL (Russian Football National League) Player of the Month in November 2014. Over the course of his professional career, the striker has scored 74 goals in 11,948 minutes of play.
2. He developed in the Paris Saint-Germain youth system.
Boli learned the game from one of the most successful French clubs in history. He joined the PSG Academy at the age of 11 and made his senior debut with on April 16, 2008 in PSG’s 1-0 win over Carquefou. Just a few weeks later, Boli scored his first professional goal in the 78th minute against Amiens SC, which helped them earn a 1-0 victory. He then split time with Ligue 1 side Le Havre and Ligue 2 Nîmes before moving to Bulgaria in 2012.
The Ivorian striker also earned a cap with the Ivory Coast national team on September 2, 2017 in their 3-0 win over Gabon in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
3. Soccer runs in his family.
The right-foot striker is the nephew of both former Marseille and French international defender Basile Boli and former RC Lens striker Roger Boli. Basile was a defender at Marseille as he scored 27 goals in 162 appearances. He earned 45 caps with the French national team while scoring his only goal in France's 1-0 win over Albania in the European qualifiers in 1990. Basile's brother, Roger scored 67 goals with the Lens playing in 229 matchups.
