Ligue 1: Malian Cheick Doucouré in the big leagues

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

4 min

Cheick Doucouré arrived on tiptoe in Pas-de-Calais in the middle of winter 2018. Two years later, the Malian international, 20, will discover Ligue 1 with Lens, promoted for this news season.

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Born in Bamako, Cheick Doucouré left Mali at the age of three for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, where his parents found work. While the father is a fervent supporter of ASEC Mimosa, he often skips school to go and play football. Life is getting complicated financially for his family, he won't go to college. At 10, he announced that he would devote himself to football.

Cheick Doucouré spent seven years at the Académie du Mali, Jean-Marc Guillou's academy. There, like Yaya Touré, Gervinho, Aruna Dindane, Emmanuel Eboué or, more recently, Ramy Bensebaini, he made his ranges and then joined Real Bamako of the great Salif Keïta, at the age of 16.

Humble and courageous

While participating in the U17 World Cup, Frédéric Martin, the director of the Academy spoke about him to Eric Roy, sporting director of RC Lens at the time. This is how it is spotted and signed in the north of France.

Cheick Doucouré, who calls himself "  humble  " and "  courageous  ", played his first match with the first team on July 27, 2018, during the first day of the 2018-2019 Ligue 2 season against US Orléans, holder of the defensive midfielder position. In December 2019, he extended his contract with the Sang et Or until June 2024. Philippe Montanier, the coach at the time, did not hide his admiration at a press conference: “  Cheick is a player who arrived very early from the Jean-Marc Guillou academy and from the preparation for last year, we asked ourselves : "What is this player?" . He has an innate gaming intelligence that makes him adapt easily.  "

Cheick Doucouré returned to his signature in the magazine Onze Mondial: “  Before signing for RC Lens, I went through a test, he says. I landed in January, during the winter, it was the first time I saw snow [laughs]. I gave everything and the club made me sign a pro trainee. Quickly, I experienced two injuries. Despite that, I continued to work and I was able to do games with the reserve. From the following season, I made the recovery with the pros. The friendly matches went well and I was able to make a small place for myself in the professional workforce. I was also able to sign my first contract. An unforgettable moment that made my whole family happy. I didn't think things were going to go so quickly for me. That's the beauty of football . "

"  When you work well, you are always rewarded  "

Last season, Cheick Doucouré took part in 21 Ligue 2 matches (1 goal, 1 assist), and especially participated in the return of the northern club in the elite of French football.

Does Cheick Doucouré have a little apprehension for this new adventure? “  No, above all, you shouldn't put pressure on yourself. It doesn't scare me ! On the contrary, it's a learning process and it's good for my progress. I have nothing to lose,  ”replied the young man to Actu Pas-de-Calais . Adding: “  It's true that everything went very quickly but I knew where I wanted to go. I gave myself the means to get there. When you work well, you are always rewarded.  Cheick Doucouré often thinks of his father who also dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and setting foot on European soil.

Fan of the Ivorian Yaya Touré, his "  model  ", Cheick Doucouré honors his first selection with the Mali A team, during a qualifying match for the 2019 African Cup of Nations against Gabon, November 17 2018. Now, the one who won the CAN U17, dreams of participating in a final phase of the CAN with the Eagles, and of progressing enough to one day play the Champions League.

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