Thierno Ballo

Thierno Mamadou Lamarana Ballo (born 2 January 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Austrian Bundesliga club Wolfsberger AC. Born in the Ivory Coast, he is a youth international for Austria.

Chelsea
Born in Ivory Coast, Ballo moved to Guinea at the age of three before leaving for Austria four years later. Ballo joined Chelsea in January 2018, following stints with SV Chemie Linz, LASK, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and eventually, Viktoria Köln. During his debut under-18 campaign with the Blues, Ballo finished as top goalscorer for that respective age group and subsequently made his quick progression into the under-23 side over the next two years. He signed his first professional contract with Chelsea in January 2019.

On 31 August 2021, Ballo returned to Austria to join Rapid Wien on loan for the 2021–22 campaign. Just under a month later, he made his debut for the club featuring as second-half substitute during their Austrian Cup 2–1 victory over Admira Wacker. After only featuring thirteen times in all competitions come January 2022, Ballo's loan was terminated and the forward subsequently returned to Chelsea.

Wolfsberg
On 12 July 2022, Wolfsberger AC announced the signing of Ballo on a free transfer, after his release from Chelsea. Ballo signed a two-year contract with an option for a further year. On 23 July, he played his first game for the club in a 1–1 draw against SK Sturm Graz. On 28 August 2023, Ballo scored his first goal in his professional career in a league game against WSG Tirol, helping his team to a 3–1 victory, which is Wolfsberger's first league win of the season.