Dubbed as one of France’s most exciting up-and-coming talents just a couple of years ago, Mohamed-Ali Cho (19) has slowly faded from the football landscape since joining Basque side Real Sociedad back in July 2022.
He joined the club in exchange for €11M, making him SCO d’Angers’s fifth most expensive departure, off the back of two interesting seasons in Ligue 1. In the latter, he caught the attention due to his explosive bursts of quick and powerful strides going forward, as well as his nimble feet. Key performances against Olympique Lyonnais, where he drew five fouls in a 3-0 win, and Girondins de Bordeaux, where he bagged a goal and an assist, created the train of excitement around him.
A loan spell to get Mohamed Ali-Cho’s career back on track?
Regardless of apparent deficiencies in the final third, Momo‘s electric playstyle, particularly effective in breaking down defences, saw the young forward receive a call-up to the France U21 squad, at the time managed by Sylvain Ripoll. Linking up with a crop of thrilling young French forwards, such as Amine Gouiri, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Elye Wahi, Cho was stamped with the reputation of a star in the making.
It was no surprise that Real Sociedad came knocking, the Spanish side having a reputation for bringing the best out of promising European youngsters. However, the ex-PSG academy player’s time in the Basque country hasn’t gone as expected. Though his beginnings were promising, assisting a goal in the fourth game of the season against Atlético de Madrid, subsequent hamstring and ankle injuries kept him away for the better part of the La Liga season.
A winning goal in the final matchday against Sevilla revived hope for the 23/24 season, but after 12 matchdays, Mohamed-Ali only counts one start for nine appearances with the first team. At only 19 years of age, he is still very young and has plenty of time to meet the expectations that were set on him when he signed for the club. Perhaps a successful loan spell next winter could send him back onto the right path.
