Mahdi Camara: "For me, it's only football"
One To Watch
Mahdi Camara has become a lynchpin of Brest's midfield since joining the club from AS Saint-Étienne. In a recent interview with l'Équipe, he discussed his motivations and more:
"Why were you so eager for the season to start again?"
Because, while I was away recharging my batteries with my family in Martigues, I missed football. My tolerance threshold is one or two weeks, no more. You experience so many emotions on a pitch that you want to get back to it as quickly and as often as possible. So I got back to work on my own. Having done a good preseason has had a domino effect. It allowed me to have a successful start to the season. I was also eager to start it to discover the most beautiful of competitions: the Champions League.
"And thus fulfill a childhood dream?"
Yes. I always wanted to be a footballer and play in the biggest competitions. After trying basketball, I started playing football as a preschooler at the age of 4, as a goalkeeper. As I hated conceding goals, I moved to the outfield. Afterwards, I had a lightbulb moment when my father took me for the first time to the Stade Vélodrome to see OM-Lyon. It was 1-1, with goals by (Taye) Taiwo and (John) Carew (on August 14, 2005). But I said to myself: that's where -- on the pitch -- I want to be when I grow up.
"What if you hadn't been a footballer? Would I have become a firefighter, a nurse? "
No. Even though I knew that there are very few chosen ones, I always believed in myself. This also comes from my father, a football fanatic and former player in Gambia. My half-brother and my brother were also footballers. They are examples for me. For my mother, the most important thing was to participate. Not for my father: "If football is your passion, you have to give it your all." He didn't like to see me step on a pitch. So I gave everything every day to achieve my dream and help my family. Having achieved it makes me proud. That's why I take football very seriously.
"Even if it means sacrificing your youth?"
When I was younger, I went out. With experience, I realized that to make my passion my job, I had to be as efficient as possible. Today, I am a homebody, but not locked up or in prison either. I sometimes go see friends (he smiles). In fact, there are two Mahdis in one: the first, introverted in life, and the second, a competitor on the field. If I had to choose, I prefer the second.
"Does your family accept your exclusive love? "
I don't have a wife, no children. For me, it's football. Starting a family is a goal in life. But I don't think about it every day. I have my career to manage and I am fulfilled like that. I fill my solitude by playing matches and with my friends who are not far away - especially my best friend who plays for Châteaubriant (N2) - or on the phone.
Why do you love your sport so much?
"Because it's on a field that I feel best. That's where you feel the sense of sharing, competition and emotions. Few jobs offer as much. Including to those who watch you. This rule of "you win or you lose", this hatred of defeat and this joy of winning drives me. I like this adrenaline, winning and progressing, overcoming difficult moments. There is nothing more beautiful than football."
"There must be one thing you don't like..."
Losing. That's all. (He thinks) Oh yes, there is something else: media obligations! (He laughs).
"And what about training camps?"
They don't bother me. I don't need to cook, I have a bed and friends. And then, we don't do many of them in Brest, where there is a locker room of enthusiasts. Maybe that's also why it works.
"On that subject, can you become a good footballer without loving football?"
To accept all the sacrifices it demands, you have to love it deep down. After that, there are degrees. If you want to go far and to the biggest clubs, you have to love it. That's for sure.
Are you like Thierry Henry, who also devours football on television? I don't fall into that excess. Even if I prefer to play, I still watch a lot of matches. You always learn by seeing the best. Ligue 1 to keep me informed, sometimes Ligue 2, and the Premier League for its intensity. Especially Arsenal, because there is William Saliba, and Chelsea, with Wesley Fofana, with whom I also played at Saint-Étienne. England has always been a dream. It goes fast, there are a lot of duels, it corresponds to what I like in football.
"Who are some of your role models?"
I don't have any. But I liked Georginio Wijnaldum at Liverpool (2016-2021), Clarence Seedorf, as well as Yaya Touré at Manchester City (2010-2018). However, it's not my style. He's taller than me, but there was no one better. I also like N'Golo Kanté. Just like Inter with Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito (2009-2011). But where I enjoyed football the most was with OM with Mamadou Niang and Djibril Cissé, then Lucho Gonzalez (2006-2012).
"Do you fear the stronger level of competition introduced this season?"
No. It's an integral part of football. I am a competitor and this pushes everyone on, it motivates me. And then, it's just football. But it's the best job in the world. Because football is about emotion and competition.
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