After becoming a professional late, after going through the championships in France and England, Cheikh Ndoye returned to the French 3rd division to bounce back after a serious knee injury suffered in 2019. At 35, the midfield manager at Red Star, the club in the Paris region, makes an initial assessment of his career. Coupe de France, CAN, World Cup, the Senegalese international share their experiences with pride. And do not plan to stay there.
By Xavier Regnier,
When he enters the clubhouse at Bauer Stadium, the atmosphere immediately thickens. From the height of his ninety – three meters, which he does not straighten until after passing the door, Cheikh Ndoye smiles relaxed. Despite his international status and his experience in the French first division (Ligue 1), he knows that there is no place for the stars in Saint-Ouen, a club in the Paris region. “I come and start at work. When I have to speak, I speak, otherwise I behave like a normal person. “Humility and a taste for work, two qualities that have created the Senegalese’s career.
Defensive midfielder and goal scorer
Cheikh Ndoye was trained in Yakaar, Senegal and landed in France on September 25, 2009, at the age of 23, and joined the Épinal, in the fourth division (CFA): far from a dream life as a professional football player. That season, the defensive midfielder scored 11 goals in the CFA and allowed the small Vogesklubben to go up to the third division (National).
Twelve years later, the Senegalese have retained all their sense of purpose. Five units already this season out of the 25 that the red star made in the league. But even here, Cheikh Ndoye evacuates praise: “It’s nothing new to me, but I do not set myself the goal of scoring every weekend because that is not my role.”
His coach at the red star, Vincent Bordot, is no longer surprised: “In every game he has this desire to win, to bring a little more offensively. It also has power, it weighs in the air. “This hunger for victory, together with his high experience, makes the Senegalese one of the leaders of the Audonian dressing room. But not only.
The importance of the dressing room
“In my opinion, I’m a natural leader, launching a little bravache, Cheikh Ndoye.” When I get to the pitch, I have this habit of talking to everyone. “His openness to others and his taste for sharing played a crucial role in his arrival at the Red Star. Asked by his president about the possibility of taking such a free agent, Vincent Bordot was seduced by the staff of the former Angevin. “He is someone I appreciate humanly. He has values of mutual help and sharing that are important to me. ”
The transplant took quickly with his teammates as well. Another Senegalese from the club, Pape Meïssa Ba, laughs. “Everyone sleeps, but the children tease him too. But he is a fantastic man, “he hurries to clarify about the one who takes him to training every day. “A group’s life is the dressing room,” says Cheikh Ndoye. All the clubs I’ve been to, Épinal, Créteil, Angers, it’s the same. “In the red star, the internationalist spreads his joy, his demands and his experience.
“A Coupe de France final only happens once”
Elements that weigh this season. Red Star is fighting for promotion to the second division (Ligue 2), but above all has a good career in the Coupe de France. After eliminating Lens in the last 16, Audoniens drew another Ligue 1 club for the eighth. And not just anyone: Olympique Lyonnais. “Against the lens, I told the young people to take advantage. A Coupe de France final, like an eighth or a quarter, it only happens once. We must give the maximum, not to regret it, says Cheikh Ndoye.
He can attest to that. 27 May 2017, Stade de France. Coupe de France final. 0-0 on the edge of added time. Courage, Angers opposes Paris Saint-Germain for the second final in its history, sixty years after a defeat against Toulouse. In a last corner from Di Maria, the unfortunate Issa Cissokho diverts the ball in his own net. The opportunity is missed but Ndoye retains “a fantastic experience”.
“Senegal is one of the favorites”
Adventures in copper, Cheikh Ndoye has known others. During CAN 2017, Senegal stays in the neighborhood, defeated on penalty by Cameroon. In 2018, at the Russian World Cup, the story is shorter. Senegal is perfectly eliminated with Japan and eliminated in terms of the number of boxes, a first. But “I am proud of myself for representing my country with dignity at a World Cup”, he continues. If he has not played again with his selection since his breach of the cruciate ligament, the Audonian community still wants to believe in his presence in Cameroon for the next CAN, where “Senegal is one of the favorites” according to him. “In all the big clubs there is a Senegalese. I hope that Senegal will win the African Cup that the whole country has been waiting for since independence. ”
Came to the red star to bounce back, Cheikh Ndoye says he is not thinking of retiring. But he can calmly look back on his career. “The child who dreams of playing a World Cup” measures how happy he was to experience such a journey. “I entered the professional world a little late, about 26-27 years old. Someone who started his career like he did an African Cup and a World Cup, who played in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, who was captain … I’m proud of myself. ”
Interview by Sophiane Amazian,
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