Soccer. From Conakry to Caen, Momo Keita is a beautiful symbol of Maladrerie
By Aline Chatel
Published on
His smile warms the small room adjoining the changing rooms of the Joseph Déterville stadium. Not a club educator passes by without enthusiastically greeting “Momo”, U18 captain. “He is a true symbol of sick youth”, slice Joffrey Deslandes. The coach, who has been following him since his arrival at La Maladrerie three years ago, knows what he is talking about. “I have a special relationship with him. He is a talented player and a boy who brings a lot of joie de vivre. »
On the field, the leader Mohamed Keita is a blaster. In his MOS club, at Caen, it is a unifier. An ambianceur who leaves no one on the sidelines. “He takes everyone with him,” says Joffrey Deslandes again. Far from his family, Momo has reconstituted a second family. His mother, “the queen of the world” in his eyes, lives 6,000 kilometers away. He has not seen her since leaving Conakry five years ago.
MOS takes on the challenge of Stade Rennes
La Maladrerie (R1) could hardly hope for a better – or worse – draw in the first round of the Coupe Gambardella, this Coupe de France reserved for U18s. It is Stade Rennes, a huge reference in French training, which will present itself on the synthetic pitch of Déterville, Sunday December 11, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. The challenge is immense, but the party will be beautiful in any case.
Barefoot football in the street
Momo Keita was 12 when he accompanied his aunt to Paris, then to Caen. “My parents thought I would have a better life here,” he explains. The teenager from Guinea, West Africa, adapted rather easily to French life, but he has forgotten nothing of his childhood in the Gbessia district. There, he “played in the street, like all Africans, barefoot”. The passion was shared by all the kids in the area.
We only ask the foot. We organized tournaments every Sunday. In the morning, my mother was looking for me, I was already on the ground! Many people came to see us. I was known in my neighborhood.
Little Momo – “I’m not the tallest, but I’ve grown up a bit all the same! – imitated the crazy gestures of his idol, Neymar. “He is extraordinary. I take inspiration from him. The tall, who made up the majority of his opponents, would not scare him. Defeat was prohibited. “You have to win! Each team puts money into play. If you win, you pocket the bet. “And if you lose? “I sulk, I cry, I blame myself. I am a bad loser. »
A CAP cooks as a plan B
In Conakry, some setbacks were particularly bitter. “Dirty stuff can happen, nasty stuff can happen. They can hit us because the clan lost. Sometimes my mother locked me in so that I wouldn’t go out. “But what marked the kid, it is not these few episodes. “It’s the atmosphere! »
One day, Momo will return home. “It’s sure, it’s the base, it’s my benchmark. “That day, “it’s going to make me weird,” he says. In the meantime, he is integrated into his life in France, whose nationality he hopes to have when he comes of age. Alongside football, he took a CAP in cooking at Camille Claudel high school. It’s plan B, because it takes one. Plan A, the only one that matters, revolves around the round ball.
My mother tells me that I slept with my balloon. As long as I have a ball, I feel good. He’s my best friend. He will never betray me.
Malherbe has a watchful eye on him
Mohamed Keita dreams of a professional career. He would have signed at Malherbe, where he often trained, if his administrative situation had allowed him. “As I didn’t have my papers, I had to start in an amateur club. »
At the age of 18, the young man will no longer have this constraint. Only his abilities decide the club where he will evaluate. “The goal is to join a pro club,” he said. The upcoming confrontation against Stade Rennes, in the first federal round of the Gambardella Cup, will be an opportunity to show off.
We work hard to show what we can do. Playing this game at home, in front of our friends and families, is a chance. We will give 200%.
It is from a distance that Momo’s mother will follow the son’s match. ” I miss her. She is everything for me. I will do everything to make you happy. It’s probably already on the right track.
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