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AAP
AAP
Sport
Anna Harrington

'Lethal as possible': Toure's plan to go to the top

Mohamed Toure is a prospect the Socceroos haven't seen in a long time and he wants to get to the top.

Australia has long craved a striker like Toure - smart, driven, dynamic and a hungry goalscorer.

The 22-year-old started and impressed in Australia's 2-0 win over Turkey with his dynamic feet and hard running to stretch the Turkish defence.

Toure will hope to again show off those attributes, plus his clinical finishing, against the United States in Seattle on Friday (5am Saturday AEST).

Mohamed Toure.
Mohamed Toure, here in his Adelaide United days, says his ultimate goal is get to the very top. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

If he has a stand-out tournament, big things await.

"My goal is now just to play at as high a level as possible," Toure told AAP ahead of the World Cup.

"I could say I'm halfway there. I'm very far from being where I want to be, but I know I'm very far from where I started as well.

"It's just a journey, and my ultimate goal is to go to the top level.

"Everybody's goal is to play in the Premier League, but to be honest, I want to be in the best leagues in the world - playing in any of the best leagues, in the best teams."

The South Australian models his game on France star Kylian Mbappe.

"Because of his pace and finishing," Toure explains.

"Just to be as lethal as possible is my goal."

Toure is certainly lethal - notching 10 goals, including two hat-tricks, and three assists in just 12 appearances for Norwich City after signing in January.

Teammate Awer Mabil, 30, marvels at how calm and level-headed Toure's professionalism and perspective has grown since moving to Europe at 18.

"He's already a leader in my eyes," Mabil said.

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Toure attributes his drive to his family, who fled war-torn Liberia for a refugee camp in Guinea, where he was born, before settling in Adelaide.

He doesn't remember much, but knows his parents Amara and Mawa initially struggled in a new country where they didn't know anyone.

Then, they worked to help brothers Al Hassan, Mohamed and Musa become professional footballers.

"My parents weren't able to do the things their friends could have done, just so they could save money so we could go to football or have the things we need for football in Australia," Toure said.

"It's very expensive, especially when you have three kids around the same age playing.

"It's $2000 each to pay for fees, and then soccer boots, and then shinpads and then the distances you have to travel every day after work, petrol.

"They sacrificed a lot of their lives when it comes to enjoyment, going on holidays and doing fun things just to save up for our football - so I feel like it worked out good for them."

It's partly why the striker has relished being in the US, having long looked up to Black athletes in the NBA and NFL.

"A lot of them I look up to in terms of how they live and their brand and how they grind," Toure said.

"We have similar stories, in terms of where you're not fortunate to have everything else that your peers and your competition have, they still make something out of what they have.

"That's the great thing about a lot of these African-American athletes, and I feel like they have pride in that.

"And they try to show that to us - other Africans, African-Australians, African-Americans, African-Europeans around the world - that you could start at a disadvantage, but with the right mindset and work ethic you can go on and do something good."

Nestory Irankunda.
Nestory Irankunda is close friends with Socceroos' teammate and fellow striking ace Mohamed Toure. (Jason Henry/AAP PHOTOS)

Toure takes pride in how he and close friend Nestory Irankunda, two of six players of African descent in this squad, are becoming the face of the Socceroos.

"I just want to be a positive influence for the boys to come after us," Toure said.

"Like with everything, you need a start and this can be the start of something great."

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