Vous or Tu? It reveals much about the young Senegalese star that his delight at being promoted from the youth ranks at Strasbourg to the senior squad was tempered by worry over the two distinct words for “you.”
Was it appropriate to address new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as too familiar? Ultimately, the promising talent played safe and chose the more formal “vous”. This prompted wholesale laughter from the older players who told him not to be so ridiculous; he was one of them now.
“After I had the first call with the coach, I reflected and said to my parents: ‘Sunderland’s where I want to be; that’s where I want to play.’ England's top flight was always a dream of mine and the coach presented me with a well-defined and appealing project.”
Roughly half a decade later, Diarra is settled in an office at the club's training ground detailing why he ignored overtures from, among others, several top European clubs. His innate courtesy endures but it is clear that the 22-year-old Senegal international and doubt are virtual strangers. Diarra conducts himself with the self-assurance befitting a player who led Strasbourg at the tender age of twenty and, only last month, returned from Morocco holding an Africa Cup of Nations winners’ medal.
A Clear Project
With the groin injury that kept him out for much of the opening months of the domestic season healed, Diarra is on a quest to show exactly why he agreed to become Sunderland’s record £30m signing last summer. Analysts in France and Senegal queried Diarra’s unfashionable choice but he knew all about Régis Le Bris’s standing as a gifted youth coach.
“I haven’t been surprised by the coach’s ability because I already knew what he’s able to achieve,” says Diarra. “Playing against his teams I understood he was very good, very strong in terms of strategy. He’s someone I know is helping my game progress. And although our first objective is reaching 40 points, European qualification is certainly a achievable goal this season.”
A Unified Environment
Externally, the chilly February wind and heavy downpour makes Wearside look as grim as it is often depicted. Internally, things are much more welcoming. The atmosphere is devoid of the type of strain notable at certain clubs where office workers are deliberately segregated from first-team players. Diarra describes the environment as “really natural” and commends Le Bris’s role in its creation.
“Our manager repeatedly states to us that we have a familial bond here and we all fight for each other,” he says. “We’re all proud of each other.”
Freedom Within a Framework
If the structure, rigor and immense effort supporting Sunderland’s defensive organization are a testament to the head coach’s attention to minutiae, Le Bris also likes his players to use their initiative. He offers his midfielders complete licence to be creative and swap roles.
“Our manager establishes his tactics out within a structure but we have freedom to play within it,” says Diarra, who prefers to be deployed as a all-action No 8. “Out on the pitch that is empowering. That freedom is so important. Granit, our skipper, helps us a lot. He’s a really big player and a fantastic example.”
Path and Settlement
Diarra is speaking through a French interpreter but his English has progressed to the point where he can grasp most questions. He is now concentrating on acquiring the vocabulary to also answer them, which would be his third language. He is proficient in Wolof, the language he spoke in his youth in Guédiawaye near the Senegalese capital.
His precocious maturity helped him deal with the disappointment of needing an operation followed by four months on the sidelines last autumn. “Getting hurt so soon after arriving here was disheartening, for sure,” he says. “But it was up to me to handle the situation.”
Diarra is now looking forward to playing in this summer’s World Cup. Given Senegal have been drawn in the same group as France, a poignant reunion awaits the former Les Bleus under-21 midfielder. “I loved playing for France but my inner feeling prevailed,” says Diarra. “There’s no regrets. I was born in Senegal; it fills me with pride to play for them.”
Comparable feelings apply to Sunderland. “I’ve adapted very well,” he says. “I feel really comfortable here.”