Habib Diarra: Racing's Homegrown Star

The choice of Habib Diarra as captain despite his young age (20 when the season started) may have surprised some, but the young midfielder has gone from strength to strength this season, standing out in a talented young side.  

A rapid ascent

Born in Senegal, Diarra came to France as a youth with his family, arriving aged five. Growing up in the Alsatian city of Mulhouse, he took a shine to life in the region, even if he missed family in his native country. A self-described "quiet" youth, he preferred to let his play on the football pitch speak for him, being the son of a former professional. 

He joined FC Mulhouse aged seven, and quickly moved through the ranks there, playing mostly as a striker or an attacking midfielder. After a year at the Grand Est academy in Nancy, he joined Racing in 2018, underscoring the club's primacy in the region as the driving factor in his decision, saying to Onze Mondial in 2022, "It was a logical next step to sign for Racing, the biggest club in the region. When you’re young and you come from Alsace, you definitely want to wear the Racing jersey."

After joining the club in 2018, it would take him just three years to make his first team debut, in October 2021, and while he made only a handful of appearances that season, in the next one he became a regular under Julien Stéphan, featuring 30 times across all competitions.

Hear from birthday boy Habib Diarra ahead of #RCSAAJA: 

"My wishes are to continue on this path and win as many matches as possible. We are fresh. I think the whole team has recovered well. We are ready to attack the second half of the season." pic.twitter.com/mUV4I9tfZ7

— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace English (@RCSA_English) January 3, 2025

Taking on a new role

With plenty of churn in the squad since the team's takeover by BlueCo, it wasn't long until Diarra -- having renewed his contract twice in the intervening years, became not only a regular, but one of the squad's longest-tenured players alongside Ismaël Doukouré. Along with Doukouré, what has characterized Diarra and made him a key player is his workrate, and his versatility. 

While trained as a striker, he has more often played on the wing and as a central midfielder, able to get into advanced positions in Liam Rosenior's adventurous 3-4-3. This renewed freedom is reflected in his goalscoring form -- with four strikes already this season, he has already set a new career high in just fifteen appearances, while also earning the plaudits of his manager, who praised his young captain in no uncertain terms ahead of Sunday's win over Auxerre, saying, 

"I'm very proud of Habib. I think he's grown a lot on and off the pitch. He's made a lot of progress in the energy he puts into his efforts. He brings a lot of energy as well by playing deeper. It allows him to recover balls and to get forward. It's a gift for the team to have him at this level." 

With Racing in top form (three wins and a draw from four in all competitions), Sunday's trip to Toulouse FC in Ligue 1 McDonald's looks an exciting one for the young man whose impressive form has also carried over into his play for his country, having scored three times in the last international break for the Lions of Teranga.  A lynchpin for both club and country, Diarra's play is testament to his resilience and attitude, underscoring the wellspring of talent that has come of age in France of late.

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