ANDn Almeriamore specifically the fans, saw yesterday television the end of the Europa League with the ‘La Dea’ scarf hanging around the neck. And that only has one reason; a exredwhite, much loved by the fans, was competing last night for the title of the second most important European club competition against Xabi Alonso’s undefeated Leverkusen. Despite El Bilal is not a holder for Gasperinihis team crushed the German team and the Malian striker was able participate playing the last minutes of the final. Everything went as planned. First team to beat Bayern Leverkusen this season and also in the match that defined who would be the Europa League championbut El Bilal Touré’s path to getting here has not been easy at all.
The striker landed in Almería in September 2022 from Stade Reims in exchange for 8 million euros. It was difficult for him to enter the Andalusian team when he arrived with the League started and when he was reaching his best level, a serious injury to his right rectus femoris suffered at the Sánchez Pizjuán kept him off the playing fields for three months. It was a complete injury to his rectus femoris that forced him to undergo operating room and begin a long recovery process. In fact, it was assumed that the footballer would miss the rest of the season.
Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen: summary and goals | UEFA Europa League (Final)
A miracle
However, the Malian returned. He also returned when Almería needed him most while the club’s doctors spoke of his case as a “miracle.” He played a few minutes in the penultimate game of the season at home against Valladolid because the people of Almería they were playing for permanence and even Rubi himself spoke at a press conference about being “playing with fire.” In the last match of the season, UD Almería was risking not being relegated against Espanyol Already in Second in Cornellá. That game, with only twelve minutes in El Bilal’s legs after his injury, the very risky decision was made to line him up as a starter. It can be said with total clarity that the forward risked his future in order to help Almería stay in the top category for another year. And the bet turned out well, He scored 0-1 with a header in a match that ended in a 3-3 draw. and that meant the permanence of the Andalusians. That is why in such a short time Indálica fans remember the Atalanta footballer with so much affection.
Although he missed a good stretch of the season, Bilal scored important goals against Atlético de Madrid, Girona or the victory against Barça at the Power Horse Stadium. That sparked the interest of several teams and that’s when the Nerazzurri team appeared on the scene and ended up acquiring his services over the Evertonprecisely because he was playing in European competition this year and this ended up convincing the forward of his destiny. The Italians spent a whopping 28 million fixed plus 3 in variables last summer making El Bilal the most expensive sale in the history of UD Almería.
Another breakage and five months KO
However, a few days after making his debut in Serie A, the striker again suffered the same injury he had suffered in Almeria. Atalanta reported August 24, 2023 that he had undergone surgery “to repair a rupture of the proximal insertion of the tendon of the rectus femoris muscle of the right thigh.” In fact, That surgical intervention was carried out in Barcelona by Doctor Ramón Cugat. So he did have more patience with his serious injury and the recovery process and he lost five months of competition. On January 11 of this year, El Bilal returned to play his first 45 minutes in a friendly against Real Calepina.
He has played a total of 15 games this season (4 Europa League, 9 Serie A and 2 Italian Cup) and he has scored two goals in Calcio and another in Europe. ‘La Dea’ had just lost the Italian Cup against Juventus in a match in which El Bilal Touré played the entire second half, but without much luck. His path has been hard: An operation, a salvation risking his career, a transfer, a relapse and another operationbut it all ended up being worth it for him when yesterday, around 11:15 p.m., raised the glass which accredited him as champion of the Europa League. In Almería it didn’t take long for numerous congratulations to appear towards him through social networks.
