Feb. 11, 2011 – Revolution acquire SS Lazio midfielder Ousmane Dabo

Not many players in Revolution history displayed greater composure in midfield than Ousmane Dabo, though not enough people had a chance to see him demonstrate his ability in New England. When Dabo was 21, he was transferred from Rennes to Inter for 9 million euros. A 31-year-old Roberto Baggio (2.5m euros) and a 19-year-old Andrea Pirlo (2m euros) were among Inter’s midfield newcomers that year. Dabo became a valuable journeyman holding midfielder, learning the trade with several Serie A clubs, winning Coppa Italia twice, plus the 2003 Confederations Cup with France. Dabo also made a stop at Manchester City, where he played under Stuart Pearce and also absorbed a major cheap shot from teammate Joey Barton during a training session.

The Revolution took a chance with Dabo, who had turned 34 days before joining the team. Sure enough, injuries did him in. Dabo’s first training session took place on a below freezing day in the Gillette Fieldhouse; he looked great for most of the workout, and some observers thought maybe they should cut things short, just to be safe. Getting through a couple days on the turf can be hard on veterans, especially in darkest winter. Sure enough, the session extended to about 60 minutes of scrimmaging and Dabo went down, then conducted his first New England interview while receiving treatment.

Dabo never completely recovered from that day, announcing his retirement after playing four times for the Revolution.

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