Football : Ignored by Emerse Faé, he turns his back on Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast has just lost one of its talents. Despite expressing his desire to play for the Elephants, Mohammed Diomandé, who had long hoped for a call-up, has ultimately chosen to play for Ghana, much to everyone’s surprise. It’s official, Mohammed Diomandé will wear the Ghana jersey.
The friend of Simon Adingra, who had been waiting for a call-up to the Ivory Coast team, quickly accepted the opportunity to play with the Black Stars. Diomandé had a brief stint at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana alongside Simon Adingra. The two Ivorians then moved to Denmark, notably to FC Nordsjælland. It was precisely there that the paths diverged between Simon Adingra and Mohammed Diomandé.
The 22-year-old midfielder has recently been playing for Rangers and was hoping to earn a senior team call-up like his friend and brother Simon Adingra. However, it never materialized, as he has only been capped once for the U23 team since 2023.
Having passed through Ghana before Europe, Mohammed Diomandé did not hesitate when the opportunity arose. The young Ivorian midfielder from Rangers has been called up for the first time with the Black Stars to face Nigeria in a friendly on March 22nd and Uganda on March 26th.
Otto Addo, returning as head coach of Ghana, unveiled his squad on Friday with news that will likely break the hearts of many Ivorian fans. With his new post-CAN 2023 squad list, Emerse Faé has shown that he does not primarily rely on Mohammed Diomandé.
The Ivorian coach has chosen to stick with Jean Michaël Seri, Franck Kessie, Seko Fofana, and Ibrahim Sangaré, the four midfielders he considers the best in Africa. Mohammed Diomandé must have felt that he would struggle to get his chance with the Elephants, especially since he is constantly in touch with legends Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré.
« Guys like Drogba and Sadio Mane have been role models and have paved the way by showing how to perform at the highest level. They motivated me to reach this level and be competitive at the highest level. My heroes were Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet them yet, but I’ve already spoken to them on the phone. They simply told me how important it is to work hard and pursue my dreams », he said.
