The darling of a city. Just to reach the stage planned to announce his arrival, Abdoulaye Doucouré is surrounded by the crowd, made up of friends, family members and football aficionados. But the footballer plays the game, takes his time for photos and selfies, perhaps even too much since the football challenge almost started late because of him.
He does not hide his joy at being back in his Yvelin commune. “As it fell during my vacation period, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I want to invest so much in Muriautine youth,” he explains with a broad smile. The child from the Vigne Blanche district has had this investment since he was very young.
In 2005, while the first municipal children’s council was being set up, Abdoulaye Doucouré presented himself. “I was often a leader so I volunteered and ended up being elected,” he recalls. Unsurprisingly, one of his first actions will be around football. The future number 10 of Everton (team based in Liverpool, editor’s note) cannot register with the local club, OFC les Mureaux, because his parents are afraid of the danger represented by crossing the main avenue. So to overcome this, he convinced François Garay to build a city stadium not far from his apartment: “And finally the adults in the neighborhood ended up persuading his parents that I had to take a football license. » On the meadows, it is a true prodigy. Regularly outclassed, the same year he won the Yvelines Cup in U12 and U13, his favorite memory. To then fly to Stade Rennais a year later.
In Brittany, the Muriautin continues on its merry way thanks to unfailing motivation. “I have always been passionate about football, but I also knew that it was a way to help my family get by. » he admits. The Malian international then took the steps one by one without too many problems: first professional contract in 2011 then first match in April 2013 where he scored shortly after coming into play, a waking dream. Since then, he has scored more than forty times, but the one against Sheffield United last May has a special flavor: “Thanks to that, I allowed Everton to stay in the Premier League. »
Even though he has been living in England for almost ten years, Abdoulaye Doucouré still maintains strong ties with the Mureaux. For example, when he was at Watford (between 2016 and 2020), the midfielder allowed children from the neighborhoods to attend one of his matches. “I haven’t been able to do it yet since I’ve been in Liverpool but I’m in regular contact with Damien Vignier (deputy mayor in charge of sport) to set up a project,” he confides. The Toffees (nickname of the Everton team, editor’s note) wishes to return what was given to it, a real leitmotif.
Pleasantly surprised by the transformation of his town – particularly by the Pôle Molière – he does not hide his desire to add his stone to the building once his career is over. If the young Muriautin that he was was committed, the footballer that he became remained so. He therefore did not procrastinate in giving his opinion on current policy: “It shocked me, when you come from Mureaux you don’t want the RN to pass. We must push people to vote and get more involved, otherwise something very serious will happen in France. »
