Rejected In Austria, Accepted In Germany – How Bernard Collignon changed my life – Abdourahmane Barry

Abdourahmane Barry’s career had taken a somewhat inspiring trajectory when he joined Austrian giants, Red Bull Salzburg. Things soon rapidly turned around and the hopes he clutched so passionately drifted away from his grip.

He kept working hard, trained harder and hoped luck would shine on him, and it did, when he probably least expected.

The defender, who played without a club for months soon met Bernard Collignon, a France-based agent known to take players from low points in their careers to respectable places. With Barry, he did exactly the same things.

“I was without a club before I met Bernard because I had cancelled my contract with RB Salzburg where I still had 3 years of contract left. I was going to train alone. I did my sports program every day to stay in shape and be ready, ” the footballer narrated.

“Of course, a lot of things changed when I met Bernard. After one month working with him, he managed to find me a club in 2 German division. It’s a club against which I had already played in a friendly match with Salzburg so they remembered me, but it wasn’t easy because Bernard offered me to many clubs in France that all said they didn’t need me.”

From a very low point in his career, Barry found Greuther Furth who took a leap of faith with him, and it has worked admirably.

Collignon has been known for years by a close circle of football enthusiasts for his keen eyes for good talent. He identifies them and helps get them on to better places. Barry was no difference, with a sojourn in the Bundesliga now in the bank.

“I am here today, to be promoted with a club where I just did 1 year with him, there’s nothing more beautiful like that in life you must never give up always believing in yourself and your dreams.

“For next season, I hope we’ll have a great season with the team, that on a personal plan to be healthy, keep the games and the rest will come with it, and why not do like Leicester or Lens in France and finish in the top. (everything is possible).

“If I had to advise those beyond and ahead of me, it would be that life is a test, you must never give up because nothing is easy, but whoever will succeed has to be strong when everything hurts, ” Barry said.

From not playing football for one year due to the lack of a club to a potential clash against Bayern Munich, and the arrays of stars in the Bundesliga, things have changed quickly for Barry. It’s mindblowing.

“Of the events I had in Salzburg, it was really complicated. I did a year without playing games. I was only training with the physical preparer while my colleagues train in joy, and I’ve always said to myself I’m doing that for me one day where the other my situation will change with God’s help, and it’ll be much better.

“My family also gave me strength during those times, they have always supported me. I know where I want to go and what I want to accomplish. The chance I have to play football at the high level, many of my friends will love to be in my place, many children around the world will like to practice this sport.

“All of these and the strength I draw from it and everywhere are what made me what I am today and I thank God for it.”

When we asked Collignon about his discovery, he said it’s an amazing leap for the defender. After being rooted to the bench in Liefering, Austria, he has earned promotion with a German Bundesliga team and that’s a great sign of progress.

In his narration, the agent recalled how he met the defender and all they had to do together to get him back on track.

“I met Abdourahmane Barry July 30 2020 through a friend of mine who is called Souleymane Sissoko who is the older brother of Moussa Sissoko who plays for Standard Liege. Him and Barry are both central defenders born in 2000. Souleymane came to me after Barry got out of his contract with Salzburg and he was free and then he was with Stellar Agency. Stellar was proposing a project with an U23 team in Portugal but he did not want to go there, I then started finding him a team in France second and third division and no team answered me regarding Barry.

“So I decided to propose him in a few clubs in Germany and they didn’t answer before Greuther Fürth asked me if he can come on a trial, so he went on a trial but in the meantime he was working with my physical trainer to be fit. He went for the trial and on August 18 he signed 2years contract.

“It’s been amazing for him, because now being promoted to Bundesliga after not playing in Austria, he did not play in FC Liefering for one year, that’s unbelievable.”

In less than a year, everything has changed for Barry and that’s the story of fortune, as told by the most active players in it.