Emmanuel Latte Lath says the journey that took him from Ivory Coast to Union Berlin began with fear on a plane and a fresh start in Italy. Speaking to the BBC, the striker recalled being eight years old when he first realised how much had changed, then traced the next steps through Atalanta, St. Gallen, Middlesbrough and Atlanta United.
He joined Atalanta's academy in 2015 and scored against Juventus in his third appearance for the club in the Coppa Italia. After a prolific spell on loan with St. Gallen, he moved to Middlesbrough in 2023 and later left for Atlanta United as the most expensive signing in Major League Soccer history at the time.
Family, street football and a new start
Latte Lath's own words give the story its shape. "I started to realise when I was on the plane and I saw people different than me, I was a bit scared," he said. He also described meeting his father in Italy as "a new life, new motivation to stay close to my father", adding, "It looks like I had two lives."
Street football mattered too. He said the games were competitive and often ended in fights, and that he was "one of the most competitive". The edge shows up in Germany as well, where he has made five Bundesliga appearances, played 289 minutes and scored one league goal for Union.
Carrick's influence at Middlesbrough
The most striking line in the interview came when he spoke about Michael Carrick. "I found a good coach and a good person. It gave me straight away confidence," Latte Lath said of his Middlesbrough spell.
That faith came during a productive run in England. He scored 29 goals in 67 games for Middlesbrough, which is still the strongest club return of his career so far. Union Berlin have only a small early return from him, but his start in Germany looks less like a final verdict and more like another reset after a career that has already taken several turns.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
