Pape Gueye deserves the African Ballon d’Or, according to Nicolas Pépé

Ivorian international Nicolas Pépé, a Villarreal winger, has backed his Senegalese teammate Pape Gueye in the race for the African Ballon d’Or. In his view, the midfielder has strong credentials to win the award.

In an interview with French broadcaster DAZN, Pépé highlighted the Senegalese international’s individual performances, his collective honours and his role in the continental triumph, marked by a goal scored in the final.

" He has the CV for it! He was the best African player of the season in La Liga, he won the Africa Cup of Nations and scored in the final. He is also putting in good performances. So I think he has every argument to be in contention for this award," said the Ivorian.

For the Villarreal winger, a potential victory for his teammate would be fully deserved.

“ If he wins this trophy, it will not be an undeserved success. On the contrary, he will have completely earned it,” he stated.

Pépé also revealed that the Senegalese midfielder rarely talks about his chances of winning the award.

“ We have not even spoken about it. He does not talk much about all these things,” he confided.

Nicolas Pépé calls for time and patience for Yan Diomandé

Nicolas Pépé also spoke about the pressure surrounding his compatriot Yan Diomandé. To discuss the young player’s situation, the Ivorian drew on his own experience at Arsenal, where he had been signed for a record fee in the club’s history.

" When I arrived at Arsenal with that status, I did not like people coming to talk to me about it. I put myself in Diomandé’s shoes and told myself that it was not the right time to talk about those things," he explained.

The former Arsenal player stressed the need to allow the young Ivorian international to develop without placing additional pressure on him.

" There is a lot of pressure, far too much. We will support him in the national team. We, the older players, will give him advice, in cooperation with Hervé Renard. But the most important thing for now is to let him work and learn," Pépé concluded.

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Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

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