Djé D’Avilla can be Chicago’s “Yaya”

When a relatively unknown, towering, and commanding Ivorian defensive midfielder arrived in Chicago wearing the number 42, Fire fans were obviously captivated. And when they learned of his nearly $5 million price tag, Djé D’Avilla was hard to ignore.

Four months on, they’re seeing the player that they wanted, and even if he didn’t hit the ground running overnight, Gregg Berhalter’s faith in his talent has not wavered.

“Gregg is very passionate with me, he is trying to help me a lot,” D’Avilla told MIR97 Media after last week’s Meet the Players event. “He’s helping me with a lot of things that are coming. I know I can help the team a lot and keep improving myself, and it will be fine.”

Bought In

Like many of Berhalter’s moves since he was named Director of Football in the fall, D’Avilla was a signing out of left field. He joined the Fire from little-known Portuguese club UD Leiria, who finished mid-table in the second league last season in a historic deal, among the largest in the history of Liga Portugal 2. The Ivorian took on a crucial Under-22 Initiative slot on the Fire’s MLS roster, necessary because of his big transfer fee.

Then, just days after joining the club, D’Avilla was thrust into his league debut against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. Having been introduced in the 80th minute, the 22-year-old helped lock down their potent offense and close out a 0-0 shutout.

The fact that Berhalter was ready to throw D’Avilla into important minutes after three days of full training with the team is representative of the level of faith and trust he’s shown in him. He has appeared in nearly every match since joining the club, and recently made his first two league starts in mid-July against Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls.

“It’s important that Gregg believes in me,” D’Avilla said. “He always says to me, ‘You’re a starter. You just need to believe in yourself. Don’t put your head down when you lose something. Keep being positive.’ And it has helped me every day.”

D’Avilla’s steady integration into the Fire’s starting XI has also helped tremendously as he makes the adjustment from second-tier action in Portugal to MLS. Berhalter has used him cautiously, first introducing him in short, second half cameos, mostly in lower-stake situations. His first 90 minutes came against the USL’s Detroit City, and he then got two more subsequent starts in the U.S. Open Cup.

The strategy has worked. Although there were some rough outings in his early weeks, D’Avilla turned a corner with an excellent performance against Minnesota United at the beginning of July and has now put himself in contention to be a regular starter. Given the investment that was put into him, D’Avilla should be the Fire’s number six of the future, and he’s certainly trending in the right direction at the moment.

The #42

The most exciting part of D’Avilla’s enigmatic arrival in Chicago were the interesting parallels with one of the greatest African footballers of all time, Yaya Touré. The similarities go beyond just their Ivorian nationality and defensive midfield position – D’Avilla selected Touré’s famous number 42 upon joining the Fire, a number he also previously wore in Portugal.

This isn’t a coincidence, as the young midfielder has embraced comparisons to the former Barcelona and Manchester City star, and his teammates in Chicago have now joined in.

“In my country, people see something similar between him and me,” D’Avilla said. “I liked him before, and then people gave me the name… they started to call me Yaya.”

“I like it. For me, he’s one of the best midfielders of all time. I want to follow what he did, so I took the number 42.”

Though D’Avilla is yet to feature for Côte d’Ivoire internationally, les Éléphants are well-positioned to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Qualification and selection to the squad, which doesn’t seem too far-fetched given that the tournament will be held in the U.S., could give the midfielder an opportunity to cross paths with Touré, who’s currently a coach with the Saudi national team under Hervé Renard.

“I hope to see him one day just to get one picture with him,” D’Avilla said of Touré. “It will be my dream. I will be so grateful. I love him.”

Beautiful Things

Off the field, D’Avilla is also living his best life as he adjusts to the United States. Moving teams mid-season is always difficult, and D’Avilla left Portugal in the final weeks of their season to join MLS in the early weeks of its own. It means that not only did he not get a preseason with his new team, but also that he’ll have non-stop action between summer 2024 and the end of the MLS calendar in late 2025.

Despite that busy transition, D’Avilla has still found time to cherish other important things. One of his favorite hobbies is photography, and he brought his Sony camera with him to the U.S..

“I like to take photos of myself and my son,” D’Avilla said. “Outside, when I see something beautiful, I like to take a picture. It’s always good.”

That son was born back home in June shortly after D’Avilla left Chicago, and because of that, the midfielder missed one game against D.C. United. While being across the ocean isn’t necessarily what he would have expected, D’Avilla is embracing the special moment and making the most of the time he has available.

“It’s not too easy. I came here in April, he was born in June, I need to go there again,” D’Avilla said. “Sometimes I miss him, I want him to be here with me too. But it will be fine, we’ll keep doing out job and it will be good.”