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Inside Ousmane Diomande's Journey to Nottingham Forest
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- Inside Ousmane Diomande's Journey to Nottingham Forest
"I remember when he signed on his 18th birthday, he was in a big leather jacket and slippers, and I think it was in December. He came directly from nothing, but he was so happy and smiling, so friendly and proud."
That is how Kristian Kjær, FC Midtjylland's Technical Director, recalls the moment he met Ousmane Diomande for the first time, when speaking exclusively to Roundtable .
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Ousmane had travelled to Denmark as part of an international training camp as a teenager, but the opportunity was not initially meant for him.
Amza Gamal, founder and president of Côte d'Ivoire side Football Club Olympique Sport Abobo (FC OSA) – Ousmane's first club – recalled a frank question that the defender had asked him some time before Midtjylland's interest: "Do you also believe that I am not good enough?"
It came following a series of rejections, most notably after a month-long trial with the youth side of Austrian outfit LASK was cut short after just three days.
Officials from Swedish side Hammarby and Belgian outfit Kortrijk had also deemed him to be an "average player", an assessment which Gamal fiercely disagreed with.
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"Ousmane, even if the clubs that have watched you believe today that you are not good enough, I still believe in you," he assured the young defender.
"I know you, I know your qualities, and I am convinced that you will become a top-level footballer. As long as I believe in you, stay calm and do not lose heart. I will continue fighting for you until you get your opportunity."
So when Midtjylland were in talks to take FC OSA striker Ismaël Diomande on trial, Gamal remained true to his word and insisted that they had to give Ousmane a chance too.
It was the opportunity that changed everything for Ousmane, as the Danish side signed him, giving him a chance where others had not.
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Arriving in Denmark, the pressure on Ousmane would likely have been enormous after so many rejections.
But any pressure he may have felt was not evident in his performance, with Kjær recalling his "amazing" display.
"The first game he played, he almost arrived directly from the airport, and I think we were playing against the Greenland A National Team," he said.
"He was amazing. People who didn't know him were a bit in doubt about whether he was left-footed or right-footed after that game, because he was simply having fun."
In the end, the decision to sign Diomande was an easy one.
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"He trained with the rest of the boys from the international camp, and we decided that we wanted to sign him, if possible, and then we negotiated with the Ivorian side and, of course, the representatives of Ousmane."
Superb attitude, not just ability
Throughout his time with OSA, and later the senior club FC OSA, so much of his development was centred around education.
The club put so much emphasis on education, and supporting their young stars off the pitch just as much as on it.
A young Ousmane Diomande training with Olympic Sport Abobo (Image Credit: Olympic Sport Abobo)
"He was very polite, respectful, disciplined and always willing to listen to his coaches," Gamal recalled.
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"Throughout all the years he spent with us, we did not work only on the footballer. Education and behaviour always played an important role in his development.
"I believe that this education, together with his character, his work ethic and his personal growth, also helped shape the man and professional he has become today."
Those years of personal development, coupled with his existing character, have continued to shine through, years after he left FC OSA.
His time in Denmark was relatively brief. Six months after being loaned to then-Portuguese second-tier side CD Mafra, interest emerged from top-flight Sporting, as well as one of the world's biggest clubs.
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He joined the 21-time Primeira Liga champions in January 2023, but the impression he left those at Midtjylland was large and long-lasting.
"Diomande is first and foremost a good human being," Kjær revealed. "He's friendly, he's smiling, he's talkative, and he is also humble in a good way, not too much but humble.
"Day-to-day, he's still in contact with us. Sometimes I speak to him, sometimes one of my colleagues, Ove Pedersen, one of the vice sports directors, speaks to him. He sometimes comes to watch Mafra play in Portugal , and if we are in Portugal, he would like to meet.
"He's a warm guy, and then a top professional. He knows what he wants, and he wants to achieve; he's an achiever. I only have the best to say about him.
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"After many years in football, at least since leaving Midtjylland, he is still reachable and still reaches out too, and I think that says a lot about his personality."
Most recently, it is Sporting fans who have had the privilege of seeing the leader that Ousmane has become.
"His character is amazing, and he seems very popular in the group," TalkingSporting told Roundtable. "He also seems very family-oriented; he always goes to see his friends, and he seems like a great leader, too; he's always talkative on the pitch."
An inspiration for others
As Ousmane embarks on a new journey, in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest , his eyes are set firmly on winning major honours at the top of the game.
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It has been a long journey since he joined OSA as a young 10-year-old child, and his journey to the man he is today, competing in the Premier League, will serve as an inspiration for many in his hometown.
"I am extremely proud of him, but behind Ousmane, there are many more children," Gamal insisted.
"This is probably one of the most important messages I would like to convey: There are many more Ousmane Diomande s in Abobo and throughout Côte d'Ivoire.
"Children with enormous talent, some live in difficult circumstances, some will never be watched by a major scout.
"Some will experience one rejection, perhaps a second, and unfortunately some will give up before ever receiving their true opportunity."
FC OSA's training pitch (Image credit: Football Club Olympique Sport Abobo)
Gamal is determined to change that, though, and for a club who have produced three AFCON champions – Lacina Traoré and Diarrassouba Ousmane Viera in 2015, before Ousmane won it too in 2024, the 2023 edition of the tournament – the track record is there.
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"This is exactly where the role of a development structure such as OSA and FC OSA becomes so important," he continued.
"Our work is to identify them, welcome them, educate them, develop them, support them and try to create the opportunities they need to express their potential.
"Ousmane is today probably one of the most internationally visible ambassadors of this philosophy, but the work continues behind him.
"In Abobo, another generation is training today with the same dreams. And our mission remains the same: Identify. Recruit. Educate. Develop. Support. And create opportunities."
