[5] Born in Kindia the son of a chauffeur/mechanic, Souleymane moved to East Germany when he was 17 to study to become a plumber, but switched to architecture because, he later stated, it made it easier for him to play football.
[6] He returned to his home country and spent the rest of his playing career with top-tier Hafia FC, initially known as Conakry II when he joined the club.
In international competition, it won the African Cup of Champions Clubs three times, in 1972, 1975 and 1977,[2] and was the runner-up in 1976, during Souleymane's tenure.
In the 1976 African Cup of Nations, Guinea came in second, despite never losing a game, Souleymane's sole regret of his playing career.
[9] He made his debut at the 1985 inaugural FIFA U-16 World Championship in China; his team defeated the United States 1–0,[9] advanced out of its group and placed fourth.