The former Crystal Palace winger, was a spectacle during his prime, embarrassing defenders with his box of tricks. He was like a show pony on the pitch who stole all the limelight, because he kept you hooked, you never knew what he was going to do next. The now 33 year old's potential was dampened by injuries when he moved to Merseyside in 2016, meaning his trickery was consigned to his magical four year stint at Selhurst Park.
From the National League to the big time:
The French born attacker was first discovered in the EFL pyramid by Plymouth in 2008, where the prospect earnt a two week trial at the Pilgrims. His potential must have shone through as the DR Congo international signed a two year contract and was immediately shipped out on loan to Barnet in the National league.
He made an impression in his 20 appearances for Barnet and secured a second loan spell for the 2009-10 season. In January a managerial change at his parent club, saw him recalled by new boss Paul Mariner, who was excited by the fiery young livewire.
"I've always just wanted to play football"
Yannick Bolasie in interview for Crystal Palace documentary 'When Eagles dare'
The Number seven has always been fuelled by his infinity for playing football, and this passion and spirit has enabled him to thrive and it has helped him in his pursuit in reaching the top tier. His meticulous training and attention to detail in mastering skill moves is what made him stand out to teams when he was playing in the lower divisions, because he had something special.
After being relegated with Plymouth in 2010, he sealed a move to Championship side Bristol City for an undisclosed fee at the age of 22. That year he was named the club's young player of the year, but it was his display at Ashton Gate against Crystal Palace in the 4-1 victory that proved to be a turning point in his career.
The left winger was always spurred on by improving himself and reaching a stage where he could prosper and in August 2012 when Crystal Palace's £500,000 bid was accepted for him, that move happened.
Speaking in the 'When Eagles dare' documentary in 2021 Bolasie reminisced about his excitement towards signing for the Eagles.
"I thought it was somewhere I could settle really quickly... it fitted like a glove"
At home in South London:
At the end of the 2011-12 season the playmaker handed in a transfer request at Bristol City, because he was intent on returning to London. The move to Palace proved to be a marriage made in heaven, his game was elevated to next level because he was given the freedom and belief to be able to impact games.
The attacker felt at home in his first season with Palace, and the quality of players around him such as Clyne, Zaha and Jedinak inspired him to improve his game and steer his team towards promotion to the Premier League.
He was left reeling after being overlooked by Ian Holloway for the Play-off final in 2013 against Watford, Bolasie said:
"I was fuming... I'm going to take my anger out on the Premier League"
He prospered in the top flight and became know as an inventive and enthralling entertainer on the pitch, who made football look simple.
He was instrumental on Crystal Palace's journey to their first ever FA Cup final in 2016, scoring a pivotal goal in the semi-final against Watford which inspired the win. He then played the full 120 minutes in the final for Alan Pardew, at the back end of a personal best season, where he scored five goals in the league.
If you were an opponent of Bolasie, then you instantly knew that you were in for a tiresome afternoon, because he would just spend 90 minutes sprinting down the wing and getting into a one on one with his opponent. Christian Eriksen will remember when Bolasie invented his own skill move and somehow dropped the shoulder, flicked the ball up over the vacant Dane, while mid ball roll and then ran past him.
The woes of Bolasie's move to Everton:
In 2016, the king of showboating sealed a £25m move to Everton under Ronald Koeman with the vision to progress to a team who would challenge for Europe. However, in December the Congolese winger suffered a debilitating anterior cruciate ligament injury which side-lined him for a year.
Unfortunately, Bolasie struggled to re-integrate himself into the team and became a serial loan player, with stints at Aston Villa, Anderlecht, Sporting Lisbon and Middlesbrough.
It was saddening to see such a talented player shrivel up, in the toxicity of a negative environment where he was a shadow of himself at Everton because he lost his confidence and belief. It always seemed after his fatal injury that was never appreciated by the Merseyside supporters, and they never got to witness the deadly ability he possessed.
The 33 year old now plays in Turkey for Cayuk Rizespor, where is looking to restore his fitness and game time, but it looks like the former Plymouth player will never recover to be the same player we all loved at Palace.
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