Formal or informal? It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his delight at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the senior squad was tempered by anxiety over the two distinct words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, older teammates by using “tu” be seen as too familiar? In the end, the young midfielder played safe and chose the more formal “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the veterans who told him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.
“After I had the first call with the coach, I reflected and said to my parents: ‘Sunderland’s where I want to be; that’s where I want to play.’ England's top flight was always a goal of mine and the coach outlined for me a clear and interesting project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is settled in an office at Sunderland’s Academy of Light explaining why he turned down offers from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy remains but it is apparent that the young Senegal international and doubt are practically unacquainted. Diarra conducts himself with the confidence suited to a player who captained Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an AFCON winners’ medal.
A Defined Vision
Now that the groin issue that kept him out for much of the first half of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a mission to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a gifted youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I realised he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Family Atmosphere
Outside, the cold winter gusts and heavy downpour makes the region look as grim as it is often depicted. Inside, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is free of the type of tension found in certain clubs where office workers are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra portrays the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we have a familial bond here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”
Liberty and Structure
If the organisation, discipline and sheer hard yards underpinning Sunderland’s out-of-possession shape are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to think for themselves. He offers his midfielders complete licence to improvise and swap roles.
“The coach sets his tactics out within a framework but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “Out on the pitch that is empowering. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, guides us a lot. He’s a really big player and a superb role model.”
Journey and Adaptation
Diarra is using a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can understand most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke growing up in Guédiawaye near Dakar.
His early maturity helped him deal with the disappointment of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was frustrating, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to manage myself.”
Diarra is now looking forward to playing in this summer’s global tournament. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a emotional matchup awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it makes me proud to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”
