Mathias Soule: An explosion is brewing
While football continues to churn out technically gifted left-footers likely inspired by watching the likes of Messi, Bale, and Robben, few have flown under the radar quite like Mathias Soulé. The 22-year-old Argentine, now at Roma, might not be making headlines just yet - but I think an explosion might be coming.
Soulé’s path has already taken a few unexpected turns. After starring in the Juventus academy he was let go for a surprisingly low fee - another one that the Old Lady's must be already kicking themselves at. A standout season at Frosinone followed, where he scored 11 goals and added 3 assists, showing flashes of the creative, fearless attacker he’s becoming. If you looked at his numbers this season at Roma - 5 goals and 5 assists across 39 games - you might be slightly disappointed that his level hasn’t jumped up considering he’s at a better team in Roma - but a bit of context can explain that.
For much of the campaign, especially before Claudio Ranieri took over, Soulé wasn’t getting consistent minutes. Only when the Italian arrived, did Soule become a regular fixture in the starting eleven but it was often in less attacking roles - as a wide midfielder or even a wing-back in a back-three setup.That naturally limited his output, but not his influence. Watch Roma’s build-up and he’s almost always involved: dropping deep to receive the ball, slipping past markers, or threading well-weighted through-balls between defenders. He’s not flashy for the sake of it, but he does play with real personality - a player who clearly sees things others don’t. The fact he’s still thriving even though he’s been played out of position, is a testament to his immense ability.
His quick-feet and improvisation are what impresses me the most. Often he’ll find himself in tricky situations with the ball due to an awkward bounce or badly-weighted pass - but he always finds a way to wriggle out of them. He always seems to be a second ahead of his opponents in these positions and although he isn’t the fastest, his acceleration is good enough to see him burst away from defenders pretty easily.
Soulé is part of a growing group of players who aren’t easily boxed into one position. Like Cole Palmer or Rayan Cherki and Desire Doue, he’s somewhere between a winger and a central creator. Starting wide on the right but drifting inside onto his stronger foot, he creates angles that unsettle defenders and open up space for others. He’s also great from outside the box - 5 goals from an xG of just 3 suggests he doesn’t need much room to make something happen as he loves cutting in and bending one into the far corner.
With Gian Piero Gasperini taking over at Roma, Soulé might finally get the kind of attacking license his game needs. Gasperini’s teams are aggressive, fluid, and built around players who can make decisions on the fly - exactly the kind of setup where Soulé could thrive.
He’s also edging closer to the Argentina national team, and while it’s too early for bold comparisons to a certain Argentinian, there’s a sense that Soulé might be one of the names carrying the creative load in the years to come, once he retires. For now, he's not one of the most talked about talents in Europe - but I think that’s about to change.
