Vous or Tu? It speaks volumes about Habib Diarra that his delight at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was tempered by anxiety over the two French words for “you.”
Would addressing new, older teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? In the end, the promising talent opted for caution and selected the more formal “vous”. Cue widespread amusement from the older players who told him not to be so silly; he was part of the group now.
“Once I received 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.’ The Premier League was always a dream of mine and the coach presented me with 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 ignored overtures from, among others, Milan, Atlético Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds. His innate courtesy remains but it is apparent that the 22-year-old Senegal international and uncertainty are virtual strangers. Diarra carries himself with the self-assurance befitting 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 opening months of the league campaign healed, Diarra is on a quest to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland’s most expensive acquisition last summer. Pundits in France and Senegal questioned Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s reputation as a talented youth coach.
“It came as no shock by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s capable of,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I understood 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, a place in Europe is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, the chilly February wind and heavy downpour makes the region look as grim as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of tension notable at certain clubs where administrative staff are kept apart from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and praises Le Bris’s role in its formation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we have a familial bond here and we all support each other,” he says. “Each of us takes pride of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the structure, rigor and immense effort underpinning Sunderland’s defensive organization are a proof of the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his engine room players complete licence to be creative and interchange positions.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a structure but we have license to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a box-to-box No 8. “During matches that feels good. 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 speaking through a French interpreter but his English has advanced to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now focusing on acquiring the language skills to also answer them, which would be his third tongue. He is fluent in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in his hometown near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him combat the disappointment of needing groin surgery followed by four months out of action last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”
Diarra is now anticipating playing in this summer’s World Cup. 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. “I have no remorse. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”
Similar emotions apply to Sunderland. “I've settled very well,” he says. “I am really comfortable here.”
