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Argentina, the promised land for Ousmane N'dong | CNN

2021-02-08T21:52:07.843Z


It was the dream day for Ousmane N'dong. November 14, 2020 "was a beautiful date for me," she says with a smile that fills her face. Not only that: he was also the first Senegalese footballer to make his debut in the first division of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in its history. That day in the southern spring, Ousmane made his debut at the age of 21 in the first division of Club Atlético Lanús, facing Newell's All Boys from Rosario. | Sports | CNN


Ousmane N'Dong, from Senegal to Argentine football 5:37

(CNN Spanish) -

It was the dream day for Ousmane N'dong.

November 14, 2020 "was a beautiful date for me," he says with the smile that fills his face.

Not only that: he was also the first Senegalese footballer to make his debut in the first division of the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in its history.

That day in the southern spring, Ousmane made his debut at the age of 21 in the first division of Club Atlético Lanús, facing Newell's All Boys from Rosario.

Radio and television mentioned a name with uneven phonetic results and reported on this young man who arrived from Senegal in 2018 to a country that was so unknown to him.

"He knew about Messi ... and Maradona, of course" he tells us, with a cordial smile that seeks to enunciate the magnitude of the courage that triggered him to carry out this adventure.

That journey began in Rufisque, the city where he was born, in the Dakar region, the capital of Senegal.

There, one day, while he was in practice, he was unexpectedly approached by a person who offered to cross the Atlantic.

A mixture of emotions took possession of this young man, who went from surprise to joy and uncertainty about what to do.

His dream of playing soccer in Italy or France, where some of his friends are, took another direction.

His father had some fear of letting his son go to a country as distant as it was unknown.

But "my dream was to play professional football" and that was what ended up tipping the balance.

After six months of rigorous procedures, he arrived in Buenos Aires.

"Argentina did not surprise me, but it took me a lot to adapt," he says in a more poised tone that shows that serene and respectful personality that contains him.

Ousmane says it in the apartment in the Villa Urquiza neighborhood where he lives.

For the first time, he doesn't look straight in the eye and the timbre of his voice looks different.

The coronavirus pandemic has passed only in his apartment.

He only went out on the 15th of each month to buy his groceries.

In his gaze there was a fleeting glint of distress over that experience.

"I know there are a lot more people out there who had it worse than me," he says.

There is silence for a few moments and he looks to his right, towards the portrait of a beautiful young woman.

"She is my mother ... she died at the age of 44 while I was here and I couldn't say goodbye."

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Each practice from Buenos Aires to the city of Lanús -in the south of Greater Buenos Aires- is taken by his representative Marcelo Simonian.

He especially asks us to mention it given that he "allowed me to live in his house in the early days and to this day he takes me to the club every day," he says with a show of gratitude that transports him to another proper name, Cristian Ferreira.

Friend and player of River Plate who, by sharing a representative, was key in the adaptation of a city as imposing as Buenos Aires.

Ousmane laughs heartily when he says that in practice and in games they call him "black" for this, "black" for that, "black," shrink, "black," give it to me.

"I know that he is affectionate and that there is no racism," he says about such an important issue and in which, he remarks, he has never felt discriminated against during his stay in Argentina.

As the days went by he worked hard to assimilate the football of this part of the world, although at first it was "very difficult" to adapt because "it is very rough" how it is played here.

The football that is played in Argentina is considered among the most demanding in the world and that was what impacted Ousmane.

"It is very intense and with a lot of quality", very different from the "let play and touch" football that they have in their country.

It is a football with more "tricks", he comments, and shows pride in having assimilated the use of the Spanish language with skill.

He says that articulating the Spanish language was key to feeling integrated into football and Argentine society.

It took him eight to nine months and after a year and a half he speaks the language fluently and has a large vocabulary.

As well as the other languages ​​he speaks, French, English and Wolof (the official language of Senegal).

During the year he could not play officially due to bureaucratic delays in the roles.

He learned more about the game and its philosophy watching the practices of the First Division and then the Reserve Division.

He feels proud and is sensitized when he remembers another very special moment in his sporting life: «In reserve we were champions and I was the captain» of Lanús.

That day in the locker room, he felt that the effort was paying off and he cried when his teammates sang "black, black, black" as a tribute to the team's quarterback.

And it is that Ousmane from the position of central defender that he occupies marks presence, personality and imposes respect with his 1.92 height.

"All I wanted was to get to first" that's why he says that he didn't mind having finished as "5" -central midfielder- and that he was passed to defender.

He laughs heartily when he tells us that he now likes this position better.

That central midfielder position is the one that gave him skill with the ball and the one that allowed him to score a goal against Arsenal in a friendly.

These are some 'medals' that he shows on his chest and is what he tells us that he talks every day on the phone with his father and his two younger brothers.

Being "only three hours" apart from Senegal allows him to talk every day, as he says that although he is used to Argentina, he also misses his family, friends and food.

That is why he hopes to visit them soon as much as he dreams that they will come to visit him at some point.

In Lanús "I feel at home" he says with emphasis, and remarks that he sees Buenos Aires as "wonderful" and the people "fantastic."

We tell you that mostly in Argentina footballers dream of succeeding in Europe and we want to know if the same thing happens to them.

"At least to play in Spain, England and France I won't have a problem with the language," he tells us, and smiles bounce off the walls of his apartment.

"In Senegal there is peace, but things are not good economically," he tells us, and that is why he wants to help his family.

Meanwhile, he enjoys a country that he has taken as his own.

One example of this is when he says that the best food in this country is "roast" and opens his arms as if to say "this is not discussed."

As much as the mate that he has loved.

Ousmane enjoys his moment and this wind that carries him through the ship of his life towards a good port.

It is that Argentina ended up being his promised land.

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-02-08

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