The Mbaye Niang quarry is not a long, quiet river, far from it. Between questionable career choices, sometimes borderline behavior, and bad luck, the Senegalese international has never succeeded in drawing the quintessence of his potential. He will have spent his time traveling more than igniting the crowds, something that was promised to him at the start.
“The history of the club, the project, but above all the fervor of the supporters, have, from the start, motivated me to join you, and I thank the managers for their trust. You, the fans, are the heart and soul of Wydad, and your encouragement has been a true source of strength and motivation for me in every match. I gave everything to contribute as much as possible to the success of the club, and I leave with the pride of having been one of your players. This club left its mark on me, and I will always remain one of your first supporters. To my teammates, keep fighting and giving everything on the pitch to make Wydad shine! Thanks for everything Wydad. It’s not goodbye, it’s goodbye.” It is with these terms that Mbaye Niang officially announced his departure from Wydad Casablanca this Friday, December 20, 2024. The 30-year-old striker joined the Moroccan club this summer, and will only have played 8 short matches for 2 goals scored. .
Promised for a bright future when he started at the Stade Malherbe in Caen (France), Mbaye Niang rather shone through his instability. Since his first steps as a professional, in Normandy, he has known Milan, Montpellier, Genoa, Watford, Torino, Stade Rennais, Al Ahli, Bordeaux, Auxerre, Demirspor, Empoli, Wydad Casablanca. An old-timer's journey for someone who has just celebrated his 30th birthday on December 19, 2024. It therefore makes one wonder how the striker was able to experience an average of one club per year over the last 13 years.
Missed opportunities
When we talk about Mbaye Niang, the term waste is never far away. A precocious talent, he made his professional debut at 16 years and 4 months with Caen, after shining in the youth teams. His first match with the Caenais took place on April 24, 2011, against Toulouse. On May 7, 2011, he scored his first goal for the big leagues, against Lens, during only his third outing, and at 16 years, 4 months and 13 days, he became the 2nd youngest scorer in the history of the French championship. behind Laurent Roussey, but above all the youngest scorer in the history of Caen. After two professional seasons in Normandy, the young prodigy flew to Lombardy in August 2012 and joined AC Milan.
However, not everything goes smoothly in La Botte, far from it. Mbaye Niang did not find the net during his first two seasons, and will then be loaned to Montpellier for the last six months of the 2013-2014 financial year. A beneficial loan since he scored 4 goals in 19 games. Back at Milan the following season, he finally managed to score: 5 times in 19 matches. Despite this, he will be loaned again, this time to Genoa (5 goals in 14 games). 2015-2016 will be his best season in Milan colors, because he will manage to score 8 goals in addition to 4 assists in 21 outings. The following year was more mixed with 3 goals and 2 assists in 18 games. Then came experiences at Watford in 2016-2017 (2 goals and 2 assists in 16 matches) and at Torino in 2017-2018 (4 goals, 3 assists in 29 matches) before a return to France.
The Rennes thinning
After several years of ups and downs, Mbaye Niang put down her bags in Rennes in 2018. We then say to ourselves that it will be yet another parenthesis that will come to an end, nay. It is in fact in Brittany that he will experience the best seasons of his career. His first year ended with 14 goals and 6 assists in 44 matches in all competitions. He also won the Coupe de France. The following year was punctuated by 15 goals, his career record. Unfortunately for Niang, the machine stalled the following season. His aborted departure for Marseille in 2020 will undoubtedly have played a role. He will finally leave Rennes in January 2021 for Al Ahli. The Saudi club is only a parenthesis. He returned to France to join Bordeaux six months later (7 goals in 23 matches), and signed for Auxerre a year later (7 goals in 32 matches). Experience in Turkey is added to the adventure with a signing for Dermirspor in 2023 (8 goals, 2 assists in 20 matches), then return to Italy in 2023 to join Empoli (6 goals, 1 assist in 14 matches), before attempting the African adventure at Wydad with the early end that we know.
An interlude with Senegal
In the department of experiences with a taste of unfinished business, Mbaye Niang's passage to the Senegal national team will undoubtedly occupy a large place. After playing for France in U16, U17 and Espoirs, the player trained in Caen decided to join the Lions' Den in 2017. At 22 years, 09 months and 18 days old, he wore the Senegal jersey for the first time on October 7, 2017, during a match in Cape Verde won 2-0, during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. During this competition in Russia, he scored his first goal during the Lions' first match against Poland. A year later, he scored 3 goals during CAN 2019, a competition in Egypt during which Senegal reached the final. Mbaye Niang will play what is to date his last match for the national team on November 13, 2019 against Congo. In 23 caps, he scored 4 goals.
While waiting to see where this clearly identified flying object, all football fans hope to see Lion Mbaye Niang roaring again on the lawns. And why not a return to the Senegal national team. After all, he is only 30 years old and Senegal is desperately looking for an attacking leader.
Oumar Boubacar NDONGO
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