Strasbourg: Diarra, the rage to win

Mister Angry. Liam Rosenior affectionately nicknames Habib Diarra, who says he wants “always win the little games in training”. This rage to win pleases the English coach, who arrived this summer in Strasbourg. He made him captain of his attractive youth team : “I love it! He radiates a lot of energy and understands our way of playing well (offensive and demanding).

He is a real winner, who carries the team forward. Plus, he comes from the region.” Born in Guédiawaye, near Dakar in Senegal, Habib Diarra started football in Mulhouse before joining the Espoirs Grand Est division, then the Racing Academy, at 15. “It is a great pride to wear the armband, he proclaims. As we are all around the same age and a similar state of mind, it’s simple, I have to stay myself.” Or a determined young man under the age of 21 (which he will celebrate on January 3), the most experienced in the category in L1, with 73 matches (8 goals), including 9 this season (two goals, one assist ).“I push him every day to improve his stats, because he has the potential for that” says his compatriot Kader Mangane, sports coordinator who praises

“its maturity and its exemplarity”.

Seven selections with Senegal Passionate about manga and the American series Snowfall, of which he says“learn a lot” Habib Diarra enlisted a personal cook. He is aware of “the great importance of invisible preparation. The best example is Cristiano Ronaldo, still performing well at 39 years old. I want to put everything on my side to last.” In order to continue its linear and smooth ascent. At least from the outside, because he confesses to having

“went through difficult times”. This quickly led him from a training center to the status of Senegalese international (7 caps), like his father Samba, ex-striker (2 caps). And this, even if he attended all the Bleuets, from the U16s to the Espoirs (14 caps in total). “My heart has spoken,” confides Diarra on this choice.

“It accelerates my progress to be accompanied by experienced players like Idrissa Gueye, one of my role models with Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté and Tanguy Ndombélé.” Versatile, it is defined as«un milieu box-to-box» who feels “very comfortable” in the role of hyperactive axial leader offered by the coach, who “leaves great freedom”. On the other hand, far from being contractually free, since committed until 2028 at the RCSA, he was close to leaving for Lens in 2023. A time tracked by Juventus, courted last summer by Everton, he recalls:

“Every player dreams of one day playing in the Premier League…”