“we can achieve something historic with Port FC”

This is not the first time that Lonsana Doumbouya has taken the time to chat with our microphone. In January 2020, then a player of PT Prachuap FC and already top scorer in the Thai League, the man who grew up in Limoges was already shining in the “Land of Smiles”. Since water has flowed under the bridge, Doumbouya’s career has progressed well with notable stints in China, in the ranks of Chinese clubs Meizhou Hakka then Shanghai Shenhua, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. A new country, a new Asian championship but with the same consistency. Everywhere he goes, Lonsana Doumbouya scores, becomes the star of the team and knows how to make himself appreciated throughout the city. His journey may appear to be strewn with pitfalls, but the Guinean international has offered himself an original, but wonderful journey: “In the end, I regret not having left for Asia sooner because a footballer is looking for this adrenaline, this recognition. In France, I didn’t get it, I didn’t sign pro in France. But in Asia, I got it straight away when I arrived and I felt like a real professional footballer. I felt loved with supporters behind me. I tell myself if I could have gone there earlier, I would have done so. And also the slightly financial side which is still completely different from Europe», confides Lonsana Doumbouya exclusively to us in the columns of Foot Markethe who had also received envy from Japan and South Korea.

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«As we recently learned Oscar, it’s over with Shanghai Port, we entered a cycle which was very difficult in China, and I think that there we are going to start again on a new cycle where everything will be a little cooler and that’s it. This is also a bit like the mentality of the Chinese, when in other countries it’s like that, they do it like that. The difference is that they manage to go back directly and we don’t know perhaps that by next year, they will immediately have another state of mind and perhaps do as ‘Saudi Arabia and it can take off overnight, that’s their mentality», he continues on Chinese Football. After 42 matches played in China for a total of 22 goals scored and 6 assists delivered under the jerseys of Meizhou Hakka and Shanghai Shenhua, Lonsana Doumbouya made the decision to return to Thailand, on April 29, 2022, to wear the colors of Buriram United – biggest club in Thailand. In two seasons, he scored 22 goals and delivered 8 assists, winning a magnificent Championship – Cup – League Cup treble. And during the last summer transfer window last June, Lonsana Doumbouya signed up with Port FC until the end of the season. After 15 days played, Port FC is ranked 3rd in the championship and Doumbouya already has 8 goals in 19 matches, in all competitions.

A new campaign expected

Founded in 1996, the Port FC club experienced some very dark times in the 2010s with two relegations to the second division. The takeover by Nualphan Lamsam gave a boost to the sporting project. And for several seasons, the team has established itself permanently in the top places in the championship. This season, they are competing in 4 competitions including the AFC Champions League Two, the equivalent of the Europa League in Asia: “Me, I would already like, from the height of my career, I am not Cristiano (laughing, editor’s note) to reach 140 goals. 140 goals at the end of this season will already be a great goal. For now, I remain the team’s top scorer, so we have to continue. I have to try to achieve my personal goals, but I have no pressure about that. What we did there, what we achieved, is a first for Port FC which has never made the Asian Champions League. It’s the 2nd, but it’s still new for them. There is a way to do something, it’s more accessible. So if we manage to go as far as possible, I think it would be something historic. And even for me, from a personal point of view, it is part of my list of achievements“, he explained. Founded on May 8, 1954 in Manila in the Philippines, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the organization which brings together, under the banner of FIFA, all the nations of the Asian continent and organizes competitions between clubs and between national teams at the Asian level. It is thus divided into two distinct zones: East and West, bringing together 47 countries in total, including 46 members of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

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The Eastern Zone, less known in the West, is mainly made up of the so-called East Asian countries, namely South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia. On the other hand, the West Zone, more publicized in Europe, is mainly made up of countries in the Middle East and Central Asia such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Iraq, the Emirates United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, Bangladesh, India, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. The AFC therefore covers an area of ​​43,810,582 km² with more than 2,300 languages ​​spoken and more than 4.3 billion inhabitants. Another football but also another culture with a very different vision: “in Thailand directly we feel that beyond the passion, as the Thais say so well it is sabaï sabaï, that is to say that even if they are passionate, it is still football. When I arrived at my first club, whether we won or lost, there was no difference. In general, 90% of the time, we are very, very well received there, we arrive with a status and we are privileged in a lot of things. For an average player in Europe, when we arrive in Thailand, we will directly make a difference. There is this side which is still quite nice where we have a privilege, that is undeniable“, he explains. Indeed, Port FC finished 2nd in Group F of the AFC Champions League Two, behind Lion City Sailors (Singapore) but ahead of Zhejiang Professional (China) and Persib Bandung (Indonesia). Lonsana Doumbouya and his teammates will face Jeonbuk club Hyundai Motor (South Korea) in the round of 16.

A reconversion already found

At 34, Lonsana Doumbouya has not said his last word with football. After his playing career, he is already thinking of becoming a sports advisor for young players. With an original background, the 34-year-old Guinean wants to use his varied experiences to guide players on the right path: “I’ve already started a little bit. I opened a hotel, a small hotel in Limoges, where I took a little bit of everything, from each country that I brought back to Limoges. But to clearly stay in football, I am going to create a sports advisor company. Throughout my career, I have had needs, I have also seen certain players who have had certain needs. So it’s not only the agent side, we have the agent side, but for me, each player needs this sports advisor side, because a player is not necessarily going to give himself up in the same way he book with an agent or other. And in this structure, there will be the agent, the lawyer, the physiotherapist, the podiatrist, an asset manager and so my idea is to articulate all that and offer it to the player from the start. I realized that everything is linked, I also saw certain days who found themselves in situations… A kid who goes out clubbing until I don’t know what time in the morning and in the end it happens wrong for x reason, it’s not the agent who will call directly».

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Being close to the players, guiding them in close collaboration with agents, family, clubs, physiotherapists and others, this is Lonsana Doumbouya’s objective: “It’s really this side where I can intervene, move around, come, be there for the player and find the best solutions. I think in Europe they need more. In Asia we are still in a culture where, for example, Asians understand things, they are disciplined and the people who also come to Asia, sometimes they connect a little to the culture so they wake up a little. The idea for me is to help players who are starting in Europe and who don’t necessarily have a good following. When I started playing football, I knew players, my eyes sparkled and today these players are asking me for money today», concluded the 34-year-old striker who also played in Belgium, Austria and Scotland. In any case, Lonsana Doumbouya continues to shine in Asia and already has a clear future for the rest of her career. As the Thai proverb says, when the water rises, you must quickly draw it. And because Lonsana’s career is a story of opportunity, he is ready to use it to help future generations of footballers.