• Alain Traore, member of Burkina Faso's golden generation, scored 21 goals

• Bertrand Traore made his debut for the national team aged 15

• Lassina Traore, cousin of Alain and Bertrand, has already scored seven goals

Akshat Mehrish Alain Traore’s senior international career kicked off in 2006. He, along with Europe-based teammates Charles Kabore, Jonathan Pitroipa, and Bakary Kone, was part of the first golden generation of Burkinabe footballers, one which led the nation to its best finishes in the Africa Cup of Nations. Traore scored three goals in the 2013 AFCON - the second-highest tally in the tournament - as Les Etalons made it all the way through to the final before losing narrowly to continental heavyweights, Nigeria. Four years later, he only netted once when his national team reached the semi-finals again, but his goal, scored a minute before full-time, helped them beat Ghana and finish third behind Cameroon and Egypt. When Alain Traore had traveled with his compatriots to Equatorial Guinea to participate in the 2012 edition of the continental cup, accompanying him was his 16-year-old younger brother, a forward himself, Bertrand Traore. Young Bertrand Traore had made his full international debut aged 15, more than a year earlier. He would become one of his nation's iconic figures in time. In 2012, however, the decision to give him his debut against Sudan in a 2-1 loss that knocked the Stallions out of the competition was based purely on introducing him to the demands of international football that he would soon have to answer. The Bertrand has hopped around clubs for much of his domestic career, playing for European heavyweights Chelsea, Ajax, Lyon, and Aston Villa, among others. For Burkina Faso, though, Bertrand Traore has remained a constant. He was a part of the national team squads for their AFCON campaigns between 2012 and 2017, and captained the side to a fourth-place finish in 2021.

Together, Alain and Bertrand have scored 34 goals for Burkina Faso - both ranked individually among the top 10 international scorers for their country. The elder Alain is third on the list of the top scorers with 21, while the youngster Bertrand is fifth with 13. The Traore's familial contribution doesn’t end there. Twenty-one-year-old, cultured in the Ajax way of football, and leading the line before the breakout of war in Ukraine is forward Lassina, related to the two brothers by association if not blood. Striker Lassina hasn't yet established himself in the starting line-up as firmly as his cousin Bertrand, but he has impressed in his limited window of opportunity. Lassina has scored seven times in 17 appearances, climbing up to 10th on the list of the all-time highest goal-scorers for Les Etalons with a staggering goal-per-game ratio of 0.41. Lassina missed out on Burkina Faso's roster for the 2021 African championships, but, provided he can sustain his form, a starting position alongside his brother in the Stallions' front line cannot be far away.