Koukpaki: from Beach Soccer to Ligue 1 top scorer chart

The gap between top level Beach Soccer and Top level football is even narrower than could be imagined. Day after day, we have new instances of Beach Soccer stars who find success on the elite divisions on the grass. One of these players is Senegalese Pape Jean Koukpaki, one of the key players of the beach Lions of Teranga, who is today one of the most important figures of the Dakar based US Ouakam, current leader of the national top flight Ligue 1.

With three goals in the first four matches, Koukpaki is chasing close the tournament’s top scorer, Touré Kounda’s forward Mamadou Thiam. Together with a powerful physique (193 cm and 84 kilos), his excellent technique polished on the beach has soon turned the willowy attacker into one of the stars in the Demba Diop Stadium, as well as one of the most feared opponents in the whole championship. His club’s coach, Alphousseyni Badji, can only speak sweet words about Koukpaki when asked: “Besides his attacking conditions and his skill, he plays a great role inside the team, thanks to his experience and his commitment”.