Senegalese Pape Matar Sarr, 18-year-old midfielder, has impressed since his early debut in the French Football Championship (Ligue 1) with FC Metz. To the point of attracting growing attention in Ligue 1 and abroad. Focus.
On April 24, FC Metz lost 3-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain from Kylian Mbappé, author of a double. But in the shadow of the Parisian superstar, another young player has also achieved great things during this meeting of the French Football Championship (Ligue 1): Pape Matar Sarr. The Senegalese excelled especially with a good volley.
“He has everything”
The native of Thiaroye (Dakar region) is one of the revelations during the 2020-2021 season. Messins still has a dozen African compatriots in its workforce, such as the Algerian Alexandre Oukidja, the Ivorian Victoria Angban, the Tunisian Dylan Bronn or the Malian Mamadou Fofana. But it’s good with this 18-year-old midfielder that everyone is talking about right now.
Wing Lamine Gueye, who was trained at Generation Foot like him, is not surprised: “He is a really talented youth who is very serious in training or during matches. He’s always been that way. He works hard. “
John Boye, captain of the Garnets, keeps a protective eye on his teammate. “He is a very good young player and we are all behind him,” said the Ghanaian defender. He has great potential. We constantly push him, encourage him, talk to him and give him confidence. He has everything “.
“Let him be! “
The ability to play defensive midfield, playmaker, torchbearer or on the sides, Lion of Téranga is already attracting attention from the media and other clubs. “Leave it alone, let it grow quietly. We talk too much about it, I think, irritates his coach Frédéric Antonetti. He still has a lot of progress to make in all areas: physically, tactically, technically. He has great potential to develop “But there is still a young player. He drops balloons, does not always position himself well”.
The technician, who has seen many excellent players from Africa, is trying to protect his lump. “Me, I’m never talking about him. You (the journalists) are talking about it. I, I play it, lose technicians during a press conference. I did a video session with him for half an hour. I try to give him my experience to help him develop ”.
Frédéric Antonetti delivers an anecdote in passing, about the one who arrived in Metz in October 2020. ”For the first three months, no one talked about him because he cried every day, slips the one who also led Bastia, Saint-Etienne, Nice, Rennes and Lille. Nobody cared about him. There is this hidden side that is sometimes difficult to deal with. He had a lot of trouble adjusting.
“It’s Miralem Pjanic”
Who said to follow in the footsteps of Sadio Mané, Papiss Cissé, Diafra Sakho or Ismaïla Sarr, also passed Generation Foot when FC Metz was easy? Certainly not Olivier Perrin. But the current general manager of FC Metz’s training structures and former general manager of Generation football is full of praise for Pape Matar Sarr. “In Senegal, at the age of 15 and a half, he made his first Ligue 1 match,” he said. He, I immediately said to myself that he was great, with a reading and an analysis of the game at a very, very high level. It’s Miralem Pjanic [milieu de terrain passé par Metz, Lyon, Rome, la Juventus Turin et le FC Barcelone, Ndlr]. He really is one of the different players “.
After playing an Africa Cup of Nations for 17 years and the U17 World Cup 2019, Pape Matar Sarr joined the Senegal A national team directly. In March 2021, coach Aliou Cissé launched the cousin of Sidy Sarr, another Senegalese international. A logical continuation if one believes in a dithyrambic Olivier Perrin. “There are big big clubs that became interested in Pape Matar Sarr when he was very young. But he was already under a professional contract with Generation Foot. So he had to go to FC Metz. “Not sure there will be more seasons there, given its performance.
Interview with Cédric De Oliveira
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