Bafode Diakhaby is a world-class youth coach behind some of PSG’s brightest talents.
Liverpool FC continue to invest in their future, and their latest youth-related movie is appointing former Paris Saint-Germain youth coach Bafode Diakhaby as their new Youth Development Phase (YDP) coach at the academy, which will involve working with some of the club’s young players to help them reach their maximum potential.
︀︀The 36-year-old brings nearly a decade of experience from PSG’s academy, where he led pre-academy development and coached the U14, U15 and U16 sides in the French capital, including some of their best talents in Warren Zaire-Emery, Senny Mayulu, Ibrahim Mbaye, Moussa Diaby and Joane Gadou.
Diakhaby himself was a former PSG youth product (from the same class as Liverpool FC striker David Ngog), but injuries would force him to retire at age 26. He took up a coaching position at PSG’s academy and the rest is history.
In an interview with Culture PSG, he described his coaching style:
“My main role is that of an educator. Every sporting activity is associated with an educational message. The pre-training program is based on three components: sports, academics, and education. Although there are people authorised to intervene within the club, I sometimes participate in extracurricular activities.”
“In my opinion, the role of an educator is quite similar in all clubs. There’s the role of ambassador, which involves absorbing and transmitting the club’s values to the players, and the role of the coach, who seeks to develop the players in all aspects. At Paris Saint-Germain, the difference lies in the level of expectation. We must strive for excellence everywhere, offer the players the best, demand the best from them, and do so constantly. The ambitions are high: to develop top-level players in a club that wants to be at the top. Therefore, we must provide the necessary resources. This requires a spirit of innovation, research, and a focus on the very highest level.”
“Interests in football vary across generations. I find that there’s much less presence in city pitches, in five-a-side games, in those places where unstructured play is crucial for player development. It’s in those moments that players progress tremendously. It’s up to us coaches to find the right ways to engage them as well. For several seasons now, in our youth development program, we’ve been trying to recreate this ‘ street football’ context that characterises our players at times during training sessions. In those moments, some players surprise us, and that passion resurfaces.”
Hey, the man sure seems to know what he’s talking about! With a fresh new crop of young new centre-backs signed, we’ll be waiting for Diakhaby to work his magic with bated breath.
Category: General Sports
