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Morike Sako is a former French soccer player who always gave his all on the pitch. He was known for his size and incredible technique. The 2.02 meter tall striker has ancestors from Mali, but was born in the city of love, Paris. Nicknamed "Mo", he played in the second division of the Bundesliga for many years.

At an early age, Morike discovered his talent and interest in the sport of soccer. As a child, he always considered it a hobby until he then did his soccer training at Union Sportive d`lvry, a club from Ivry-sur-Seine, a club on the southeastern city limits of Paris. In 2004, he moved to Swiss second division club SR Delémont for one season. It was there that his career really took off. A year later he moved to England, as many French footballers do, where he played for the club Torquay United in the Football League.

Morike Sako was used as a central defender in the pre-season, but switched to the position of a center forward in the early stages of the season. During the season he played mainly in central midfield. Due to stamina and discipline problems, he was on the pitch from the start in only ten of his 25 league games. Nevertheless, with three goals in the season, he helped the club, which had previously been severely threatened with relegation, to eventually secure its place in the league. Although Morike Sako made a positive contribution, newly signed coach Ian Atkins decided against re-signing Sako for the 2006/07 season.

After AFC Rochdale responded, the Parisians secured Morike Sako. In the following months, he was mostly used as part of a three-man forward alongside Keith Barker and Chris Dagnall and played 17 league games, scoring three goals.[2] In December 2006, Sako was told that Rochdale would not extend his short-term contract beyond the end of the year. He then had a trial with League One club AFC Bournemouth,[3] but surprisingly opted for a move to German regional league side FC St. Pauli in January 2007.

FC St. Pauli is a German soccer club based in Hamburg. The club was founded in 1910 and is best known for its dedicated fan base and its stance against discrimination, racism and homophobia. FC St. Pauli plays in the 2nd Bundesliga after being relegated from the Bundesliga in the 2018/2019 season.

Morike Sako made a surprise move to FC St. Pauli in January 2007, which was then playing in the Regionalliga Nord. The Regionalliga was the fourth division in the German soccer system at the time.

Morike Sako made regular appearances at Millerntor Stadium during the successful second half of the season and quickly won the favor of the fans. At the end of April 2007, he scored his first two competitive goals for FC St. Pauli and in the summer of the same year he was promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga with the club. He signed a two-year contract. After a lengthy injury layoff, he played his first game in German professional soccer at the end of September 2007 against Borussia Mönchengladbach and also scored his first goal at this level three days later. Morike Sako was thus able to make a name for himself in German soccer and establish himself in the team.

After a long dry spell, Morike Sako finally managed to score again in early December 2008. He scored in a 2-2 draw against TuS Koblenz (final score 3-2). In the summer of 2010, FC St. Pauli, which had just been promoted to the Bundesliga, decided not to extend its contract with him. Sako thus left the club after scoring a total of eight goals in 71 appearances. The time at St.Pauli was an unforgettable time for Morike and he still appreciates the fans who supported him back then.

Starting in August, he trained with financially struggling second-division club Arminia Bielefeld and eventually signed a one-year contract in early September. After Arminia's relegation from the 2nd Bundesliga at the end of the 2010-11 season, Sako was not offered a new contract and left the club.

Despite a number of trial training sessions, including one in October 2012 with third-division club FC Hansa Rostock under coach Marc Fascher, Morike Sako remained unsuccessful. After two years without a club, the striker finally received a one-year contract at KSV Hessen Kassel on September 19, 2013, but it was not extended in the summer of 2014. After another six months without a club, Sako signed a contract until the end of the season with ambitious Nord-Regionalligisten Eintracht Norderstedt on January 27, 2015.

Even at the age of 40, "Mo" still plays regular competitive matches. In the 2021/2022 season, he competed for the district league club FC Hamburger Berg on St. Pauli, for whom he had also played in the aborted preseason.

Morike Sako can look back on a total of 67 appearances (six goals) in the 2nd Bundesliga for FC St. Pauli and Arminia Bielefeld. He actually ended his active career in the summer of 2015 with Eintracht Norderstedt. But suddenly the tall striker was in the starting lineup of FC Hamburger Berg in the cup match against the guests from Heidgraben, who play two classes higher! "This is already his second season with us," revealed coach Gerd Kruspe. In the previous season, Sako had played in the first four games for the underdog from the Kreisklasse. For the club it is a great honor to have Morike Sako. The ex-professional is still in his 40s on the pitch for 90 minutes and gives his all.

Former professional footballer Morike Sako landed at the club in Hamburg's second-lowest division rather by chance. At the time, he was employed by a South Korean software company, where some of his work colleagues joined the "Berg" club and took him along to training. The 40-year-old Sako quickly took a liking to the multicultural team. "There is not much German spoken here, which is good and different. It gives the mood and the club a special atmosphere," explains the former St. Pauli striker. Before he started playing club soccer again, Sako even played in a recreational league for a company team.

Quitting for good and hanging up his soccer boots was never an option for the attacker. "I have two young children who love soccer. I can't just sit on the couch and not play. I love soccer and live soccer. As long as I can still stand, I'll be on the pitch having fun," explains the French player.

This is exactly what fans admire him for. He is one of the most prominent ex-professionals in Hamburg amateur soccer and is still very popular today. We hope to welcome him on Bloggercube soon.

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