Guinea: Morgan Guilavogui, the “new kid” of Syli national
Morgan Guilavogui with the Paris FC jersey.
© paris FC
Text by: Farid Achache Follow
3 min
New Guinean international, Morgan Guilavogui, brother of Joshua Guilavogui, dreams of a first final phase of the African Cup of Nations.
The Ligue 2 striker in France with Paris FC hopes to be selected to defend the colors of the national Syli during the next CAN, which takes place in Cameroon in January.
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In the Guilavogui family, the round ball holds a special place.
The father has always played soccer, and the children are professionals.
While Joshua, French international (seven caps), plays in the Bundesliga on the side of Wolfsburg, Morgan, striker of Paris Football Club, said yes to Guinea.
The Ligue 2 player discovered his father's country on November 12 during a rally in Conakry, on the occasion of the fifth day of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Welcomed by a people passionate about football
“
I was finally able to see Guinea and Conakry. Even if life is hard, I was greeted by a people passionate about football. We received so much encouragement, it was beautiful to see,
”said in a cheerful voice the one who had so far only trod, on the African continent, on the soil of the Maghreb.
For this first, he had no problem adapting, especially since he was with his teammate Ousmane Kanté, Guinean international since 2019. Within the National Syli, Morgan Guilavogui, 23, was very quickly sympathized with Saïdou Sow, central defender at AS Saint-Étienne, or Ibrahima Conté, defender of Niort in Ligue 2. He also knows Florentin Pogba, defender of Sochaux in Ligue 2, or
Mohamed Bayo
, striker of Clermont in League 1.
Now, Morgan Guilavogui has the next CAN running through his head.
"
I think about it, I hope to go!
"He would like to bring to the group his"
generosity
"in the efforts, and his"
good humor
".
"
There is a lot of potential in this team, and we have a card to play,
" he says.
And to add: “
Yes, the favorite of the group remains Senegal, but behind the teams are equal.
Guinea will, in addition to the Sadio Mané gang, face Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Blossoming in Paris and with Syli
In 2020, Morgan Guilavogui had already had contact with the national Syli.
Today, this confirmation is the pride of the father and the brother, who follow his beginning of course with attention.
Morgan Guilavogui started football in Toulon, his hometown, was educated there until the age of 15, before going to the Saint-Étienne training center for a year. He then returned to the south of France, to Fréjus, but an injury prevented him from continuing and he had to stop for a year. It was at Sporting Toulon that he subsequently resumed his training in U19. And after a rise, he finally signed in 2020 at Paris FC, in a “
tough
” and “
very homogeneous
” championship.
He had a difficult first season, marked in particular by a new long injury which took him away from the field from January to May.
But in the current season, he opens his counter from the second day, a good breath of fresh air for those who hope to reach Ligue 1 with their club, currently ranked in 5th place, three points behind the Toulouse leader.
Regularly in contact with his brother, Morgan Guilavogui talks with him about his life as a footballer.
As he does with his father and with his mother, of Moroccan origin.
Morgan Guilavogui did not choose the Atlas Lions: “
I could have chosen Morocco.
In my heart, it's 50/50.
My mom sulked a bit,
”he laughs.
If he finds himself in Cameroon next January, the phone may ring a couple of times.
It will be necessary to relate this adventure, almost family.
“
I followed CAN 2019 in Egypt, I enjoyed the show.
When you come from National like me, you say to yourself that it is a chance to be able to find yourself on the same lawn as Sadio Mané,
”he dreams out loud.
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