Yalany Baio

Yalany Baio
Personal information
Full name Yalany Cuino Baio
Date of birth (1994-10-10) 10 October 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Llandudno
Number 2
Youth career
Benfica
2011–2014 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015 Sparta Rotterdam 9 (1)
2017 Bangor City 7 (0)
2017–2018 Gibraltar United 20 (1)
2018–2019 Bangor City 8 (0)
2019 Llandudno 10 (2)
2019 Bangor City 12 (2)
2021–2022 Cefn Druids 12 (0)
2023– Llandudno 5 (1)
International career‡
2011 Portugal U18 2 (0)
2015 Guinea (unofficial) 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 September 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 June 2015 (UTC)

Yalany Cuino Baio (born 10 October 1994) is a Bissau-Guinean footballer who plays as a midfielder for Welsh club Llandudno.

Football career

After playing for the youth team of S.L. Benfica,[1] he joined Liverpool in 2011 and played for the team's youth and reserve teams.[2] In February 2014, with his contract due to expire in the summer, he was tracked by clubs in France and the Netherlands.[1]

On 15 January 2015, after having been without a club since his release by Liverpool, he signed for Dutch Eerste Divisie club Sparta Rotterdam for the rest of the season with the option of two further campaigns.[3] He made his professional debut the next day in a 1–1 home draw against Den Bosch.[4] He played nine games – all starts – for Sparta and scored in a 6–0 win over Jong Ajax on 25 January.[5]

In January 2017, Baio went back to Great Britain when he signed a short-term deal at Bangor City in the Welsh Premier League.[6] He was sent off on 25 February in a 2–1 loss at The New Saints in the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup.[7] He then moved to Gibraltar that September to sign for Gibraltar United, as part of an ambitious project headed by new owner Michel Salgado.[8]

Baio returned to Bangor, now relegated to the Cymru Alliance, in June 2018.[9] The following 31 January, he was one of four players released to cut costs, and signed for Llandudno of the top flight hours later.[10] He played ten matches in his first half-season with the club, and scored twice in a 4–0 win at Llanelli Town on 20 April, with both teams already relegated.[11]

On 18 July 2019, Baio signed for the third time to Bangor.[12] He and Aldair Neto were released in December.[13]

Baio returned to action in August 2021, signing for Cymru Premier side Cefn Druids.[14]

On 14 July 2023, Baio signed for his former club Llandudno.[15]

International career

Baio was born in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau to a Guinean father and a Bissau-Guinean mother.[16] He holds citizenship of Portugal, and played twice for their under-18 team in 2011.[17]

On 6 June 2015, he played in an international friendly for Guinea, replacing Lass Bangoura after 54 minutes of a 2–2 draw with Chad in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, France.[18] This was not a FIFA sanctioned game, as FIFA records still classify him as declared for Guinea-Bissau.

References

  1. ^ a b "Transfer news: Liverpool midfielder Yalany Baio tracked by a number of clubs". Sky Sports. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  2. ^ Hunter, Steve (26 July 2011). "Our 'new' stars of the future". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Sparta legt jeugdexponent van Liverpool vast" [Sparta sign Liverpool youth player] (in Dutch). Voetbal. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Den Bosch vs. Sparta Rotterdam 1 - 1". Soccerway. 16 January 2015.
  5. ^ "SPARTA ROTTERDAM VS. AJAX II 6 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  6. ^ Jones, Dave (27 January 2017). "Former Premier League striker Gary Taylor-Fletcher joins Bangor City". Daily Post. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  7. ^ Owen, Kevin (25 February 2017). "Ten-man Citizens battle all the way in JD Welsh Cup Quarter Final". Bangor City F.C. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Yalany Baio signs a contract with Gibraltar United FC!". Goldenball Llousa. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Baio is back". Bangor City F.C. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  10. ^ Jones, Jordan (31 January 2019). "Llandudno swoop for Bangor City duo Baio and Dool". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Welsh Premier & non-league round-up". BBC Sport. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  12. ^ Jones, Dean (18 July 2019). "Yalany Baio returns to Bangor City for third spell". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  13. ^ Jones, Jordan (2 January 2020). "Bangor City: Ex-Barnsley midfielder Hugo Colace joins with Alex Boss". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  14. ^ Jones, Jordan (9 August 2021). "Cefn Druids shuffle pack with nine new additions ahead of new season". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Welcome back Baio". llandudnofc.co. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Yalany: "Je veux jouer pour la Guinée"" [Yalany: "I want to play for Guinea"] (in French). Guineefoot. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015.
  17. ^ "Yalany Baio". Portuguese Football Federation. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  18. ^ "Guinea vs. Chad". National Football Teams. Retrieved 31 January 2019.