Emmanuel Latte Lath returns to Europe with Union Berlin after MLS spell
Emmanuel Latte Lath has returned to Europe on loan with Union Berlin in Germany after a spell in Major League Soccer, the 27-year-old Ivorian told BBC Sport in an interview published on 24 October 2026. He moved back to Europe in the summer and is now playing for Union Berlin.
Born in the Ivory Coast, Latte Lath said he first realised he was leaving for Europe when he was six and finally made the move at eight. "I started to realise when I was on the plane and I saw people different than me, I was a bit scared," the ex-Middlesbrough striker tells BBC Sport. Reuniting with his father in Italy altered their relationship, he added: "It was important because when I was born, it wasn't that close," the 27-year-old says. "He went to Italy to find a better life, so it wasn't that easy talking with him every time by phone. I was missing this part from my father. "When I saw him, it was kind of a new life, new motivation to stay close to my father, and then everything started again. It looks like I had two lives."
Latte Lath described growing up playing informal, competitive street football with friends. "Me and my five friends, we just built our team and we would go to play against another city, there was like no pressure, nothing. "It was just funny moments, enjoying football there, and it was quite competitive because it was almost every time finishing in some fights, so it was street rules. I was one of the most competitive. "I missed it. Always together, being with my friends. It was really, really fun."
He said arriving in Italy required rapid adaptation to organised football and a new language, having never worn boots or been part of an official team before the move. "It was exciting to learn and to show my potential," says the Union Berlin striker. "It was difficult in the beginning because I didn't know the language, but I had a really good person who helped me. "It was important for me because I didn't have too many friends there. But I was just there to play football and after go home, I know timing will come."
Latte Lath joined Atalanta's academy in 2015 and scored against Juventus in his third appearance for La Dea in the Coppa Italia. "It's unbelievable, it's unforgettable. The emotion I had there, it's still the same when I'm thinking about it now," he says. That would remain his only goal for Atalanta and his last competitive appearance for the club, after which he spent five years on loan at eight clubs.
He had loan spells including a prolific period with Swiss side St. Gallen that led to a move to Middlesbrough in 2023, where he worked under head coach Michael Carrick. "I found a good coach and a good person. It gave me straight away confidence," he says. "He was a calm person, a calm coach, maybe sometimes too much, but it was needed for us. He knew always when and what he should say to you in the difficult moment or in the good moment. "So for me, I think in that point of my life, it was really important." That confidence helped him score 29 goals in 67 games and earn a move to Major League Soccer side Atlanta United as the most expensive signing in the league's history at the time. Atlanta United paid over £17m for Latte Lath from Middlesbrough in 2025.
His spell in the United States did not meet expectations and, in the summer, he moved back to Europe on loan to Union Berlin, where he has experienced the club and Die Eisernen's culture. He described the supporters and the city after the move: "I arrived here and I am surprised because the fans' passion is crazy. This is something new for me. It gives me an extra muscle, another power to do well. "Berlin is huge, I love different cultures, and you can find different cultures and people. I think I can fit in because I grew up with different friends and cultures."
