Abdoulaye Doucouré : “I take it with serenity”

Interview. At 18, Abdoulaye Doucouré is the first player of the 1993 generation to have been offered a professional contract, without going through the trainee contract stage. After a last season plagued by a nasty injury, the promising centre midfielder could become one of the club’s leading figures in the years to come.

Stade Rennais Online : You signed your first three-year professional contract at Stade Rennais a few days ago. Who do you feel about it?

Abdoulaye Doucouré : «I’m very happy and honoured to have signed for Stade Rennais. I take it with serenity and I don’t want to get too carried away about it».

SRO : Honestly, did you expect this promotion ? Especially since your season was troubled by a knee injury last year? (ed.: torn cruciate ligaments)

A.D. : «I never doubted my ability and I’ve always trusted God, so I’m not excessively chocked, since God had planned something for me for after my injury».

SRO : How did you live the fact to be kept away from the pitches for so long ? Was it not frustrating, since you started to enter Laurent Huard’s CFA group little by a little at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season?

A.D. : «It was difficult, in the sense that it was my first big injury since I joined the Rennes Academy. I went through my re-education at Capbreton. Eventually, it was beneficial to me since I had the chance to change my mind, being far from Rennes and follow a very good recovery program. That type of experience put things in perspective, as I’ve met people suffering with truly serious injuries, which wasn’t my case.SRO : Did this period inactivity allow you to focus your work on a specific area?

A.D. : «Yes, I could work on my upper-body strength with abdominal and core strengthening exercises. This gave me more muscular power, and made me a physically stronger person on the pitch, especially in terms of athletic impact”.

SRO : What type of player are you, and how do you feel about your playing position in general ?

A.D. : «I’m a box-to-box midfielder. As soon as I win the ball, I like to carry it forward to help the attacking line and possibly force the decision for my team. Generally, I also like to defend and follow, as often as possible, the attacking phases by my team. In the future, I need to improve in terms of ball recovery, be more focused and keep my lucidity in my strong moments”.

SRO : Have you always played at midfield, or did you experience other positions in the past?

A.D. : «I started as a forwards at Les Mureaux OFC (ed.: the club where he played until turning thirteen, before joining Stade Rennes). Then, I was repositioned at midfield, and this is the best suited position for me since then, where I can play to the best of my ability”.

SRO : Before joining Rennes in June 2007, you were denied entry to the INF Clairefontaine. Did you use this failure as a motivation?

A.D. : « Failing to enter Clairefontaine was beneficial to me, since I found the strength to correct my defaults and bounce back. Thanks God, Stade Rennes had an eye on me, and they gave me a chance”.

«Naturally, I would like to get closer and closer to the professional squad »

SRO : Where there many clubs following you at the time ? What are the reasons behind your choice of Rennes at that time?

A.D. : «Rennes was the club which attracted me most at the time, because of the reputation of its Academy but also because of the words of Mickaël Pellen, the former Stade Rennais recruiter (ed.:who since then became assistant-coach in Quimper and then youth coach at Brest). He was essential in my decision-making”.

SRO : Can you talk to us about your evolution in the Stade Rennes rank since the Federal U14 division?

A.D. : «I started under the management of Franck Haise (ED.:currently the manager of the Rennes U15 squad), I had managed a good season. The coach had made improve a lot in terms of technical ability, as we didn’t work much on that aspect in my first club. The U16 year was the season in which I really evolved, in which I managed to reach the French national team with my good performances. On that season, I took a lot of pleasure in coming to training and listen to the advice of Franck Haise. In the U19 National division, I learnt a lot in terms of technical and mental ability with Régis Le Bris. He is a coach who left us deal on our own to solve difficult match situations since, as he often repeated, a football player should also use his brain. I had a good season, in a really homogeneous squad, and the high level of competition really help the whole squad to improve. ».

SRO : Beside Rennes, you are often being selected with France’s national teams. In February 2009, you even won the Aegean Cup alongside Eliott Sorin (ed.: currently on a trainee contract in Rennes). Is this one of your best memories as a young footballer?

A.D. : «Yes, this was one of my best memories as a footballer, since we had managed a superb tournament. Also, our target was to win it, which ended up being the case”.

SRO : Recently, you have been elected the best player at the Ploufragan tournament. Are you honoured to receive this award, knowing that players such as Yacine Brahimi or Étienne Didot won it before you?

A.D. : «I was surprised by this distinction, especially since I’m just coming back after an injury. But I was very touched by it, this is a reward for all the effort I put in during my re-education. By the way, I want to thank my relatives for all their support during that difficult period and to God for allowing my recovery”.

SRO : With your new status, what are your personal objectives now ?

A.D. : «First of all, I want to integrate in Laurent Huard’s Reserve squad in CFA2. If everything goes well there, I would like to get closer and closer to the professional squad. ».

SRO : You grew up in Les Mureaux, like Caen’s M’Baye Niang. What did you think when you saw him debuting successfully so early in Ligue 1?

A.D. : «M’Baye is a close friend, since we grew up in the same town, while playing together in the high school’s team. I watched his ascension in Ligue 1 closely, we were texting each other and I was genuinely happy of his success. For sure, I would like to experience the same trajectory. One day, we might meet on a Ligue 1 pitch. This would be very nice”.

SRO : You have regularly been selected with France’s youth national teams (ed. : from the U16 to the U18 last year). Have you ever thought about wearing the colours of the Malian Eagles?

A.D. : « In this generation, we have a very good team with excellent individuals. There are even my best friends Axel (N’Gando) and Dimitri (Foulquier) with whom I play in Rennes, who are included in that national selection. I hope we could be selected together for the next European Championship [1]. As for Mali, it is a country that holds an important place in my heart, but I prefer to continue playing for France at the moment. If I don’t manage to reach the senior national team with France, then I will choose Mali. And this, without an hesitation”.

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