The Sudtirol midfielder spoke about himself, starting from his childhood in Senegal: “I played at all hours, on sandy fields. I wanted to change my family’s life.” Thus, the decision to leave: “I only told my best friend. Thinking about the trip makes me feel bad”
Mamadou Coulibaly dribbled destiny in search of a better future: “In Senegal I played football everywhere. Among the sandy streets of Thiès, my city. I challenged my friends, before and after school. Everyone thought I had talent, so at 16 I chose to leave. I wanted to change my family’s life.” The current Sudtirol midfielder succeeded by remembering his father’s words: “It’s the mind that manages the effort.” Two exhausting months of travel between the desert and the sea, over 11 thousand kilometers further north, Italy has become his second home: “I made my debut in Serie A with Zeman’s Pescara. When I was at Salernitana I challenged Milan, which has always been my favorite team. But I still have many dreams to realize”. In the summer he moved from Catanzaro to Bolzano, in Alto Adige he met Mr. Castori with whom he had shared his experience in the Granata: “He asks us to go fast, without slowing down the pace. And to never set limits for ourselves.”
Its history teaches this.
“I had fun with football, my father didn’t want me to become a footballer. He was afraid that I might get hurt. I grew up in Thiès, 70 kilometers east of Dakar: the roads and fields are all sandy. When you fall you risk getting injured. I wasn’t interested, the passion was stronger.”
What is your fondest memory of your childhood in Senegal?
“The games at all hours, we didn’t care if it was morning or night. Once Mazur, my best friend, showed up at football school in a shirt and jeans because he had nothing else. Not even shoes. He was wearing a pair of canvas shoes. I lent him my Pumas, I took his and started shooting on goal. He was the only one who knew I was leaving the house.”
Was he able to keep the secret?
“He continued to call me for the next two months, as did my parents. But I had turned off the phone. I didn’t want them to worry.”
The Sahara crossed by bus to Morocco, the nights at the pier of Ksar es Seghir: the far north of the country. Then the sea crossing towards Europe, destination Tarifa, in Spain. Was there a moment when you were afraid you wouldn’t make it?
“Thinking back to that trip makes me feel bad, I prefer not to talk about it. Pescara is the first good memory after Senegal. The city welcomed me immediately, I’m from Abruzzo by adoption, I go back often.”
Zeman was the first to believe in her.
“I made my Serie A debut with him, he sent me onto the pitch in the last twenty minutes against Gasperini’s Atalanta. I was 17 years old. I remember that during training he walked and spoke to us in a hoarse voice, we had to keep up with him to understand what he was saying. And then those steps…”.
The fatigue was making itself felt.
“In retreat, every day, he made us run 1000 meters ten times with weighted vests. I was going fast, after a training session he asked me in surprise: ‘Aren’t you struggling?’. I was tired, but I remained focused. The mind always makes the difference, I learned it from my father”.
This attitude helped her change her life.
“In Pescara I bought my first car. It was a dream, I didn’t believe it. Until a year before it was unthinkable that I could do it.”
In Serie A he also wore the shirts of Udinese and Salernitana.
“In the Granata I scored my first goal against Bologna at the Dall’Ara. Then another at home against Verona. Hearing Arechi shout my name was incredible. Unfortunately an injury had a negative impact on that whole season.”
After Ternana, Palermo and Catanzaro he arrived in Sudtirol.
“I immediately settled in. I’ve already scored a goal and provided an assist, I have to do well to help the team. We want to reach safety as soon as possible.”
What do you miss most about your Thiès?
“Playing in the street with friends, drinking tea until late at night. Like when we were children.”
Do you have a wish yet to come true?
“Return to Serie A. Maybe one day even have a chance in the Premier League. In Senegal I always watched Manchester United on TV. Dreams have no boundaries.”
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