- Joined the UK second division Championship just days earlier
Socceroos young gun Mohamed Toure has wasted no time in making a good impression, scoring on debut for English Championship club Norwich.
The 21-year-old striker was introduced as a second-half substitute six days after signing a four-and-a-half year deal and sealed a 2-0 home win over relegation-rivals Blackburn by bagging the second goal in the 78th minute.
Toure positioned himself perfectly to take advantage of a rebound off the goalkeeper with a right-footed tap in.
It was early vindication for Toure’s bold gamble to gamble on a January move to a bigger league ahead of this year’s World Cup, having already done well at Danish club Randers.
With two goals from eight games in his fledgling Socceroos career, the former Adelaide United star is already a leading contender to lead the line for Australia at the World Cup.
The youngster defied others’ concerns about the physicality of football in the Championship to join a team who had been battling for survival in England’s second tier.
Mohamed Toure scores just six days after signing for Norwich in dream Championship debut against Blackburn
Toure’s instinctive rebound finish caps a bold January move to English football’s demanding second tier
The 21-year-old continues meteoric rise from Adelaide United prospect to English Championship goalscorer
But Norwich turned a corner in January, and Toure helped them to their fourth win in five league games as they climbed to 17th among the 24 teams while Blackburn are third last.
Norwich City tried to sign Bodo Glimt striker Kasper Høgh during the recent transfer window, but manager Philippe Clement has now confirmed the deal fell through.
The Canaries instead moved for Toure, agreeing an initial $5million fee with Randers FC after missing out on their ambitious first target.
Norwich held talks with the Norwegian club, but Høgh’s goals against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid helped seal a Champions League play-off with Inter Milan and ended any hope of a move to Carrow Road.
‘At the end of the window we had to go for another profile, and Mo is more a younger profile with qualities for now, but also for sure, for the future,’ Clement said.
Toure was born in a refugee camp in Conakry, Guinea, in 2004 after his parents fled Liberia.
His family spent 14 years in the camp before resettling in Adelaide, Australia, a move that shaped his football journey.
Growing up with older brother Al Hassan and younger brother Musa, Toure developed his love for the game in the backyard and at local club Croydon Kings.
He progressed through Croydon and the South Australian NTC programme before joining Adelaide United in 2020.
At just 15, he made his A-League debut and soon became the competition’s youngest ever goalscorer on 14 February 2020.
Toure scored seven goals in 42 appearances for Adelaide, setting a record for the most goals by a player under 18 in A-League history.
His performances earned a move to French club Reims in 2022, where he impressed with eight goals in 15 games for the B team.
He then made his Ligue 1 debut and later receiving his first Socceroos call-up, debuting against England at Wembley in October 2023.
