Tidiam Gomis, remember this name well

It’s his first interview but something tells us it won’t be the last. Since joining Stade Malherbe, Tidiam Gomis has been considered one of the most serious hopefuls to have attended the “Rouge et Bleu” academy. Even though he was only 12 at the time, he remembers that day vividly. “I was in a tournament, I had to leave him to sign for Caen. Even if I signed very young, I was aware of what was going on.“. About a year later, the one who was voted best player in the Paname Cup, a prestigious U12 tournament in Ile-de-France, joined the Norman structure. Despite this radical change of universe, this attacker, who always seemed more mature than his age, quickly integrated.

“When I get on the pitch, I play, I don’t think about age”

“Before signing, I came regularly to do internships. When I arrived, I already knew the center, the people who worked there. It was reassuring”. Since he settled in Normandy, Tidiam Gomis has never denied the promises raised. Quite the contrary. As proof, while he will not be celebrating his 16^e anniversary that on August 8, he is upgraded this season with the national U19s. In Gambardella, he is also an indisputable holder of Nicolas Seube’s eleven. “When I enter the field, I play, I don’t think about age”.

And if he has not yet worn the “Red and Blue” jersey as a senior, it is, among other things, because the regulations forbid him to do so*; which does not prevent him from having already participated in a few sessions with the reserve. “For my first training session, I was a little stressed. It goes faster, it’s tougher, you have to be more focused, more diligent on your first touch”, confides the one who learned to scrap with teammates sometimes making him several tens of kilos (1.79 m for 65 kg). If he has, of course, individual qualities above the average, “I think I have a good vision of the game, that I’m quite technical”, the former resident of the academy of Bouafle is distinguished mainly by his sense of the collective. Moreover, it is certainly no coincidence that his favorite player is called Karim Benzema.

A sprained ankle that caused some scares

“I like to make the effort, to give myself for the team”confirms the main interested party of formidable efficiency, like his goal against Brest in the previous round (3-0). “I see that Momo Follow Favorite take a look, I look around me, I’m the only one on my team, he puts me a caviar, I open my foot and it’s a goal”. Simple, basic but we assure you, it’s much more complicated once you set foot on the ground. During this Gambardella campaign, his association with Norman Bassette also made sparks. “It’s in the axis where I express myself best. I like that there are two of us. With Norman, we have a good bond, there is a good feeling between us, we understand each other”.

“It’s flattering that people talk about me but I try to stay focused on football and studies.”

The two attackers will be one of the main weapons of the SMC in the quarter-finals, against Lyon-La Duchère, this Sunday afternoon. Suffice to say that the slight ankle sprain he suffered this week caused some fears within the Caen staff. Inevitably, in view of its precocity, it arouses a lot of covetousness. While he is linked to Stade Malherbe by an aspiring contract until 2024, talks to become a professional this summer are already underway between his entourage and President Olivier Pickeu. “My goal is to play with the professionals, regardless of my age”.

Compared to all this turmoil, Tidiam Gomis tries to keep a cool head. “I hear people talking about me. It’s flattering but I try to stay focused on football and studies (he is a sophomore). It doesn’t bother me. I don’t really watch what’s going on around me but I thank the club for giving me this confidence.”. While waiting, perhaps, to sign his first professional contract, the young man does not hide his ambitions. “The Champions League, the World Cup, the Ballon d’Or… Even if I know it’s far from me, yes, I’m thinking about it”. What if it was the mark of the greats? The Gambardella Cup could well be a first step in this prestigious career in the making.

> Gambardella Cup. 1/4 final – Lyon-La Duchere / SM Caen, Sunday March 13 2:30 p.m. at Balmont Stadium.

* Tidiam Gomis will be allowed to play in the senior when he is U16, or from 1^is July 2022, and will be eligible for a double upgrade.

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