From scoring Gambia’s first goal at the African Cup of Nations–to his last-minute goal which led his team’s win against Tuinsa, Jallow has become a significant part of the Gambia Senior team–scorpions. Jallow’s impressive AFCON performance is celebrated beyond The Gambia. His first goal left “young people at Génération Foot–jumped to the ceiling,” the academy he emerged from. As the number 3 is making headlines following Gambia’s qualification to the–TotalEnergies AFCON Round of 16–, we look back at his career before the tournament.
Despite having a halt in football in the early 2000s, Jallow never stopped working towards being a professional football player. One could say his strong desire towards the game led him to become the first-ever Gambian scorer at the TotalEngeries African Cup of Nations.
Discovered by Senegalese coach Balla Djiba, Jallow joined Senegal’s Génération Foot on loan in 2015 moving from Real de Banjul—a deal which was made permanent in 2016. The Senegalese academy has an impressive ranking in Africa, training the likes of Cameroonian Landry Nguémo, Mali’s Mohamed Niaré and Ismaila Simpara, and Liverpool’s Sadio Mané. During his stay at the academy, the striker played a vital role in the team leading the team’s first league title in 2016-2017. With incredible football skills, the then 18- year old signed a five-year deal with French first division side Metz.
Recalling his experience at Génération Foot during an interview with CAFOnline.com, the Gambia Striker–said “It is true that in Gambia where I was trained, we have opportunities. But in Senegal, there are more opportunities, and when you go through Génération Foot, you have the possibility of becoming a professional player. This adventure allowed me to fly to France in Metz, the partner club of GF Senegal. I want to keep fighting to win at the top level.”
Believed to have a “Messi profile” by Djiba, Jallow has been playing at FC Seraing since 2020, on loan from METZ. This came after being loaned to AC Ajaccio (2019-2020). Before joining The Gambia senior football team, he played in the Under 20 team where he was the team’s captain.
The Sisters Show is proud of Ablie and the entire Gambian team in Cameroon.
