Discovering Mujaid Sadick, the Spanish wall of Genk who wants to get out of Bruges: “My first name means fighter in Arabic, my father chose well”

His astonishing start to his career: “La Liga at eighteen, D3 at twenty then the transfer which relieved La Coruna”

“I played in small clubs in my region before being spotted by La Coruna at sixteen. I still had a lot to learn but two years later I made my professional debut against Villarreal in La Liga. I moved up in the game a few minutes later your compatriot Zakaria Bakkali. It was in 2018, a complicated period for La Coruna which was going down to D2 and was experiencing financial problems. Many young people had been lined up. I returned to the reserve team in D3 the following season then joined the A team for good the season after but still in D3. La Coruna had been relegated again. My luck was that I knew this division well and I was able to help the team. I was spotted and I had two options: Schalke 04 and Genk. I chose Belgium because young people were getting their chance and I had a better chance of playing for the title. La Coruña reached 1.7 million thanks to me. I don’t know if I saved the club’s finances at the time but it did a lot of good. The club is doing a little better now and has moved up to D2.”

A former star teammate at Real Madrid: “We asked him how he hit so hard and we didn’t understand”

“The best player I played with was Federico Valverde. He was loaned to La Coruna for a season by Real Madrid, when I was seventeen. I was able to train with him. Pff, what a player. He had a crazy shot. We kept asking him how he managed to shoot so hard. (laughs). His subsequent success did not surprise me at all. I also rubbed shoulders with the Swiss Fabian Schär in La Coruña. He’s in Newcastle today. In another style, he made a strong impression on me too.”

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His relationship with the Spanish coach: “Fink is a lot like De la Fuente”

“When I was seventeen, eighteen, I played for the Spanish national team. In U18, I had Luis de la Fuente as coach. When I saw that he became the coach of La Roja and then he won the Euro, I wasn’t really surprised. He was already very strong at the time. A coach who was always positive and very intelligent. I think our coach at Genk is quite similar to him. Quiet guys who encourage a lot. Mister Fink brought a breath of fresh air to the club. You can even see it from the outside, right? The youth selection remains a superb memory. I played with former Anderlecht player Sergio Gomez. The star of my generation was Ferran Torres who is at FC Barcelona.”

The translator stops: “Ferran who? Which club? No, I don’t know (Sadick bursts out laughing).”

“He supports Real Madrid. I must admit that I have always had a weakness for Barcelona. My absolute role model as a defender is still a Real player: Antonio Rüdiger. I have some comparable qualities but he is much more obviously. He goes faster than me and he’s more aggressive. I can’t be mean on the pitch. Finally, there are times when it’s not necessary. still bother me during a match (laughs).”

One nationality, three or four possibilities: “Onuachu and Paintsil were fighting to have me in their national team”

“I haven’t completely given up on the dream of becoming a Spanish international. It can sometimes go very quickly in football. When I was in D3 at La Coruna, I didn’t imagine that I was going to play in the European Cup with Genk a few months later So why not anyway, I only have Spanish nationality at the moment I could apply for a Ghanaian and Nigerian passport thanks to my parents’ origins but I haven’t received any approach yet. . When I arrived in Genk, he there was a fight between Paul Onuachu and Joseph Paintsil They both wanted me to choose their country. (laughs). Apply for Belgian nationality? I never thought about it! It’s true that it’s my fourth year here, now that you mention it (laughs).”

The beautiful love story of his parents: “They met on the plane that sent them to their European dream”

“My dad is from Ghana and my mom is from Nigeria. They met in 1999 on the plane that took them to Spain, where they were looking for a better life. My dad had traveled to Nigeria to take the plane and he started talking to my mom during the trip I was born a year later, they didn’t hang around. (laughs). They found work and were able to make a life in the north of Spain. I also have two little brothers, twins. When I was sixteen, Spain was going through a big economic crisis and my family decided to try their luck in London. But I stayed because I had just joined the La Coruña training center. It wasn’t always easy being alone but it taught me a lot of things. Today, my dad is a baker and my mom works in a hospital in London. My little brothers play football in a small club and I hope they can become pros too.”

Religion: “I’m half Muslim, I don’t do Ramadan but I don’t eat pork”

“My first name is of Arabic origin. You have to pronounce ‘Mujaid’. It means fighter. It was my dad who chose it and I think he chose well (smile). My dad is Muslim and my mom is Catholic. I feel a bit of both religions, even if it’s not always easy. My dad is more religious. Out of respect for him, I don’t eat pork. But I don’t do Ramadan, for example.”

His opponents in Belgium: “Dolberg joins my top attackers with Amoura, Janssen and Denkey”

“I want to win titles at Genk, starting this season. That’s also why I extended my contract a few weeks ago (Editor’s note: until 2028). I’ve progressed a lot since I’ve been here, I’m stronger in the air and better with my throws. We work on this a lot with the new coach. The level of training at Genk is very high. You have to progress with so many good players. What I still lack is consistency. This season, I’m succeeding, but I would be pretentious to say that I succeeded. There are still several months until the playoffs, I can’t relax. I want the attacker to have a bad night against me. I have a top-3 of the most complicated center forwards since I arrived in Belgium, with Amoura, Janssen and Denkey. Dolberg is in the process of joining this top. I find it strong. He is the best striker in Belgium at the moment after Tolu. Afterwards, Dolberg didn’t score against us and me well, in the first leg. It was only my third professional goal. (laughs).”

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