Abdoulaye Soulama (29 November 1979 – 27 October 2017) was a Burkinabé international footballer. Career In the 2001-2002 football season, Soulama played for Turkish side Denizlispor. He played successful matches at the club which made it to the UEFA Cup that season. Unfortunately, some Turkish players, including team captain Tolunay Kafkas, wanted coach Sakip Ozberk to give the starting spot to Turkish substitute Suleyman Kucuk. At a cup match against Fenerbahçe SK, Tolunay punched Soulama in the face and got a red card. However, despite being reduced to 10 men, Denizlispor managed to pull a surprise and defeat their opponent 2–1. At the end of the season Soulama left the club. In August 2007, Soulama joined Ghanaian side Asante Kotoko. In December 2014, Soulama joined Ghanaian side Hearts of Oak SC. International career Soulama was a member of the Burkinabé 2004 African Nations Cup team, who finished bottom of their group in the first round of competition, thus failing to secure qualification for the quarter-finals. After about five years absence from the national side he was recalled in 2012 for a 16 May exhibition match against Benin national football team and next month's 2014 FIFA World Cup double-header qualifiers against Congo and Gabon. Honours On 5 July 2008 Soulama was nominated as Goalkeeper of the Year 2008 in Ghana. Death Soulama died of cancer on 27 October 2017. References 1979 births 2017 deaths Burkinabé footballers Burkinabé expatriate footballers Burkina Faso international footballers 1998 African Cup of Nations players 2000 African Cup of Nations players 2004 African Cup of Nations players 2013 Africa Cup of Nations players Association football goalkeepers Expatriate footballers in Algeria Burkinabé expatriate sportspeople in Algeria Expatriate footballers in Turkey Asante Kotoko S.C. players Denizlispor footballers Expatriate footballers in Ghana Burkinabé expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Burkinabé expatriate sportspeople in Ghana ASFA Yennenga players Accra Hearts of Oak S.C. players CA Batna players Süper Lig players People from Cascades Region 2015 Africa Cup of Nations players Sportspeople from Ouagadougou 21st-century Burkinabé people Deaths from cancer