Since he arrived in France, the young seventeen-year-old center forward Mahamadou Sangaré has been setting the scorers into panic. Scorer from the first minutes of his very first match with Racing Colombes 92, then top scorer in the U17 national championship with FC Montrouge last season, Mahamadou has scored 23 goals in 24 matches since he signed for the training center of Paris Saint-Germain, in the summer of 2023.
Today, he shares his daily life between training with the U19 group coached by Zoumana Camara and the courses he takes at the PSG Campus in Poissy to validate a professional commerce baccalaureate. Pia Clemens went to the Campus on April 2 to hear her story, which begins on a sandy football field in Bamako and (already) has all the makings of a real success story.
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His profile on the ground
I can also play on the sides but my preferred position is number nine. I could improve my dribbling skills on the right side of the game but it’s true that I still prefer the left foot. I’m a little less mentally gifted. I do not like too much [prendre des ballons de la tête]but when it comes, I go and give it my all.
His childhood in Mali and his arrival in France
I was born in Mali, in Dionkoulané [au nord du pays, le long de la frontière avec la Mauritanie, dans le désert du Sahel] but I spent almost my entire childhood in the city, in Bamako. I started playing football in the neighborhood, like all the kids in Bamako. I always went out to play with friends in the neighborhood and that’s how it all started. On a ground with sand. And people told me all the time that I was good. But I didn’t ask myself any questions, I just wanted to play football. Until the day came, my father brought me back here so I could develop as a football player.
In fact, let me explain. Me, my father, basically, he’s not a football fan. He doesn’t like football at all. He was very demanding of me. He wanted me to study, and especially Koranic studies. And my mother was a little tolerant. That’s how in the end, over time, they saw that it was what I loved doing the most. So, they let me do it. Until that day when my father said to me: “If this is what you like to do the most, come, I’ll take you to France and you will continue there.” So I landed in Cergy, but I was going to train in Colombes [au Racing Colombes 92]. It was my first club, here in France.
“I remember my first training session: I gave it my all. People were shocked.”
I remember it like it was yesterday. When I came the first day, people said: “He’s a Malian, he’s just arrived and we’re going to see what he has in his stomach.” I remember my first training session: I gave it my all. People were shocked, they said: “Wow, he’s really a talent.” The next day, we were supposed to play a friendly match in Lille and the coaches called me up and started me. The day after my test. After a minute, I score a goal, and in the end we win. The coach congratulated me and said: “It’s true that you had a good match. I think you won points. So we have to continue like this and work.”
Fabrizio Habibou
The areas of improvement on which he worked with his coaches from Colombes and Montrouge
I was a little free on the ground. I really liked dropping and touching the ball. So I was stalling all the time. And they asked me to work more on playing with my back to goal, in the pivot, because that was my weak point. And there I think that if I work on that, it gets better. But I played in a club in Mali, in a small club near my house. And I can say that it was there that I learned to play football. It’s there that I did almost all my classes. Before my arrival in France.
His father’s reaction when he finished top scorer in the U17 national championship with FC Montrouge
Honestly, it’s incredible. At first he didn’t believe me. He said: “It’s not going to do it, football is not for you”. And then, over time, he realized that it was really something for me. He let me do it. And when I finished top scorer at Montrouge, he was happy for me. He congratulated me and even gave me a little gift. It’s true, it was important to him.
His acclimatization to PSG, who is still training at Camp des Loges when he arrives in the summer of 2023
At the beginning, it was a little complicated, but since I knew most of the players because I had played against them in Montrouge (and had scored goals for them!)… So, it had a little little facilitated my integration.
The young people who welcomed him best into the group
Almost everyone, but I would say more [Ibrahima] Diaby, really, also with Serif Nhaga and Tony Mendy. They are my best friends here at Paris Saint-Germain. And now everything is fine.
Why it has been used so often by Zoumana Camara this season [24 matchs joués sur les 25 possibles]
[Rires] You’ll have to ask the coach, but I think it’s the job. Every day in training, we give everything to perform well on the weekend. The coach tells me to work, all the time. To work, to be on the lookout, to listen and also to help my partners in the field. To give everything so that in the end you have no regrets.
His statistics, which are excellent in terms of goals scored [23 buts en 24 matchs] but almost blank in terms of assists
It’s true that this season, I only made two assists, I think [au moment de l’enregistrement de l’interview, le 2 avril 2024]. But after the rest, it’s just in front of the goal, eh! I found my place in front of the goal. This is my preferred position. So even if I don’t make assists, the most important thing for a striker is to score goals! As they say, when you’re an attacker, you have to be selfish! [Rires] But if I have a partner next to me who is well marked, I prefer to shift him and he also scores goals. It is important.
His personality, knowing that his former coaches describe him as a young person who is very attentive to what is said to him, calm, smiling and focused on work.
It’s true that I am a calm person. I do not speak alot. The most important thing for me, I think, is the work. I’m just working, and I think the rest will take care of itself. I don’t want to show that I’m the strongest… We’re here to play football. The most important thing is to be a good person and give your best.
His coach Zoumana Camara
“I learned a lot of things from the coach, tactically but also technically. He allows us to improve on the pitch, and even off it. He is a very good coach.”
I didn’t necessarily know his career when I arrived. He played for PSG [2007-2015], I think he was a great defender. And he also played in Marseille, if I’m not mistaken [2000-2002]. Afterwards, it’s normal that he is demanding with us because he has worked with great coaches [Au PSG, il a été l’adjoint de Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc et Unai Emery]. It is enormous. So if today he is with us, it is a good thing for us. He is a demanding coach, and a very good trainer. I learned a lot of things from him, especially tactically, but also technically. It allows us to improve on the field, and even off it. So he’s a very good coach. Frankly, there is nothing to say.
His relationship with European football during his childhood in Mali
I watched football on TV all the time, with my family, even if they weren’t really fans! [Rires]. I infected them and today they all watch football, so that’s good. At the time, I had some clubs in my heart but… I’m going to keep them for myself! [Rires] It wasn’t PSG anyway [Il sourit].
Interest from other clubs when he became top scorer in the U17 championship with Montrouge
It’s true that when the season [2022-2023] started, I received requests from the start. Professional clubs who wanted to sign me. At that moment, I wasn’t worried. I just wanted to play football, train and perform well every weekend. And at the end of the season, we were going to take stock and choose the club where I would sign.
Why he chose PSG
It’s true that PSG is a great club, a historic club. So, at the end of the season, we spoke with my family and we decided to opt for PSG. In the end, it was me who chose PSG because everyone knows that it is a great club and that a lot of great players have been trained here, with an excellent training center.
Its connection with the colors red and blue
I always tell myself that I was lucky to sign for Paris Saint-Germain. Because I haven’t even been in France for five years and I had a lot of clubs who wanted to sign me, notably PSG. And for me it’s a chance to sign with Paris Saint-Germain because it’s the biggest club in France. So with this logo, when you wear this jersey, it makes you want to give everything on the pitch. So it’s good.
His favorite place on Earth
I would say… Mecca [il sourit]. I dream of going there.
His favorite dish
It’s chicken thieb, an African dish. I like too much. I can eat this every day. My mother likes to do this, and I like it. I eat it every weekend. It’s very greasy but since we have a day off… we can afford it! [Rires]
His best memory since arriving at Paris Saint-Germain
My best memory is the Youth League. I played five matches, for one goal. It was a bit complicated this year because we had a young group, with a lot of players who left. So we missed it a lot. But despite the frustration, the Youth League is a good learning experience for us, which will serve us in the future. And this year, there is a way to do something. I think we can go for the championship [Au moment de l’enregistrement de l’entretien, les U19 du PSG ont déjà été éliminés en Youth League, mais aussi en Coupe Gambardella]. It would be huge. There are four matches left. We will try to give everything to win them and, why not, qualify for the playoffs [Depuis l’entretien, les U19 ont engrangé trois victoires en trois matchs. Ils sont premiers du groupe A en championnat, à une journée de la fin. Ils sont d’ores et déjà qualifiés pour les quarts de finale].
The music he listens to before a match
Me, before matches, I listen to the Koran all the time, all the time. It allows me to put myself in my mood to, in the end, feel good on the ground. It calms me down. And when I am calm on the pitch, I give everything. I don’t want to stop anymore. That’s what an attacker is! [Rires]
