As he approaches his 20th birthday, El Hadji Malick Diouf is establishing himself as a rising star in European football. Currently essential at Slavia Prague, the Senegalese left piston has impressed since the start of the season. In 18 league matches, he has already scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists, remarkable statistics for a player of his age. However, his journey could have taken a completely different direction.
Born in the Medina in Senegal and trained at the Mawade-Wade Academy, El Hadji Malick Diouf could have settled in Spain after his departure for Europe. Spotted by Real Betis and Granada, two La Liga clubs, he nevertheless made a surprising choice: refuse these offers. In an interview with Radio Prague International, he returned to this decision: “Even before going there (to Norway), I was at Real Betis. They wanted to keep me, but I didn’t really like it. For what ? It was with the B team. I was small and young, it’s true, but I didn’t want to play in the reserve team. They offered me medical visits, but I said no. Then Granada was the same. »
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Refusing to stagnate in reserve teams, Diouf then turned towards a daring choice: Norway. It is finally in Tromsø IL, a Norwegian elite club, that Malick Diouf sets down his bags. But the start of his Scandinavian adventure is anything but idyllic, particularly because of the freezing climate: “The climate wasn’t good, seriously. The first day there was a lot of snow and I told my brother, ‘Seriously, I’m not going to stay here.’ But they convinced me. »
Despite a complicated first half where there were 12 games left without playing, Diouf ended up adapting, taking advantage of an opportunity in the Cup to silence the skeptics. Patience and determination that will bear fruit. In January 2024, El Hadji Malick Diouf joined Slavia Prague, one of the biggest Czech clubs. A transfer that he judges today to be “the right choice”: “There were a lot of clubs interested, but Slavia was the right one for me. I needed to play. »
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An indisputable starter, he now has a string of high-level performances and arouses the admiration of his teammates and supporters alike. The Senegalese international (4 selections) confirms that he is a talent to follow closely for the coming years. As he prepares to celebrate his 20th anniversary on December 29 (and not December 28 as mistakenly indicated on certain platforms), El Hadji Malick Diouf continues to climb the ranks. At just 19 years old, he embodies the new generation of Senegalese players ready to conquer Europe. With such a promising trajectory, it would not be surprising to see him one day at the biggest clubs on the continent.
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