Football - RC Lens: Mamadou Sangaré, the Eagle takes flight

An impressive consistency
When he went to pick him up last August at the Vienna Rapid, Mamadou Sangaré was still unknown to the general European public. But it took him only a few days to convince his teammates already.

 "From the first training I understood... Having this player -at midfield makes our job easier,"

 confided his teammate Malang Sarr, on Ligue1+ last November 9.

That’s exactly it, Mamadou Sangaré. The Malian midfielder has this ability to leave a seductive visual impression in the collective memory in no time. His physical slaughter allows him to repeat the efforts, to chain the races relentlessly while keeping his lucidity, thus walking in the footsteps of his predecessors Seydou Keita or even Amadou Haïdara.


Mamadou Sangaré never stops impressing.
A true all-terrain midfielder, Mamadou Sangaré is bluffing in all aspects of the game. Second player with the most tackles in Ligue 1 this season (71), he is 9th in terms of involvement in duels (283), 11th in interceptions, all with only 2 yellow cards in 24 league games (via Player Stats). Which testifies to its technical quality well above average.

Precisely, he uses his disconcerting ease with his ball to project himself and bring a plus in the offensive sector of the Lens. The box-to-box midfielder has scored 3 goals, including a canon at the weekend against Angers (5-1) and 3 assists in 24 Ligue 1 matches. Glowing figures for a player playing in his position who especially discovers a new championship.

Friday evening at the half-time of Lens - Angers on the L'Equipe channel, a big debate took place on the first 45 minutes of Mamadou Sangaré and everyone on the set was unanimous: the Malian is the master to play Blood and Gold. 

First in the L'Equipe rating since the beginning of the season (6.30/10), Sangaré is according to journalist Thomas Bonnavent, the best player in Ligue 1.

 "For me, he is the best player of the season for many reasons. Compared to his position, compared to the fact that at every match he dominates all the midfielders that present themselves to him. He has the technical quality, he is so important and valuable for his team. A monstrous ball strike,"

 said the latter in L'Equipe du Soir.



Before continuing: "I remember being at the Vélodrome during the match against Marseille, when the team was sinking, it was overflown. He dominates midfielders all the time, he has exceptional power. The fact of discovering him because his journey is chaotic, he comes from Rapid Vienne. 

"The discharge he puts on each match for his team and visually for the viewers, it’s exceptional. That this player is the guarantor of the entire game with and without the ball from the championship leader, for me it makes him unquestionably the best player of the season. I hope he will be rewarded with this trophy because he deserves it for all his talent and for the sympathy he exudes. He is a truly perfect player. With Jean-Louis Leca, he does not go below 60-70 million euros. He has a compatible Premier League profile...», he added.

Absent during this break with Mali which gave him time to rest according to La Voix du Nord, Mamadou Sangaré will have time to recharge and come back refreshed for the final stretch of the season with Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France still within reach of RC Lens.