Ex-playmaker of the Senegal national team Khalilou Fadiga’s son Noah has been called up by the Teranga Lions for the first time with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar looming.
The 22-year-old, who plays for French side Brest, was among seven new players called for two friendlies against Bolivia and Iran this month.
The younger Fadiga was handed his debut call-up by his father’s former team-mate and national coach Aliou Cisse for next week’s warm-up matches.
The right-back, who moved to France this year having played Belgian sides Gent, Anderlecht and Club Brugges, was among 29 players named for the two games against Bolivia on the 24 September and against Iran three days later.
Born in Brugges in Belgium, the young footballer decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and his name came up regularly among the new players who could be called up for Senegal.
Fadiga has profited from the injuries of regular players in his position Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich, Germany) and Youssouf Sabaly (Bétis Sevilla, France) and has the chance to play in his first major competition with the Teranga Lions in Qatar in November.
His call-up comes a little over 20 years after his father who took part in the first World Cup in the history of Senegalese football in 2002 in South Korea and Japan.
AFCON finalist a few months earlier, Khalilou Fadiga and his teammates made a good start in the World Cup by beating (1-0) the then reigning world champions France.
In their maiden participation in the tournament, Senegal had managed to reach quarter-finals, an African achievement equalled only by Cameroon and Ghana in 1990 and 2010 respectively.
Apart from Noah Fadiga, Aliou Cisse called six other newcomers for this month’s international friendly window including France-based players goalkeeper Mory Diaw of Clermont , AS Monaco left-back Ismaël Jacobs and Formose Mendy of Amiens.
Central defenders Moussa Niakhate of Nottingham Forest and Spain-based duo of Nicolas Jackson of Villareal and Pathé Ismaël Cissé of Rayo Vallecano will also discover the joy of playing for the African champions for the first time.
The younger brother of Saliou Ciss, Pathé, will not have the pleasure of finding his eldest sibling in the national team for September’s match.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea FC, England), Alfred Gomis (Rennes, France), Sény Dieng (Queens Park Rangers, England), Mory Diaw (Clermont Football Club, France).
Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea FC, England), Abdou Diallo (RB Leipzig, Germany), Pape Abou Cissé (Olympiakos, Greece), Fodé Ballo Touré (AC Milan, Italy), Moussa Niakhate (Nottingham Forest, England), Ismaël Jacobs (AS Monaco), Noah Fadiga (Stade Brestois, France), Formose Mendy (Amiens SC France).
Midfielders: Moustapha Name (Paphos FC, Cyprus), Pape Guèye (Marseille, France), Idrissa Gana Guèye (Everton, England), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City FC, England), Mamadou Loum Ndiaye (FC Reading, England) , Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur, England), Cheikhou Kouyaté (Nottingham Forest, England), Pathé Ismaël Ciss (Rayo Vallecano, Spain); Krepin Diatta (AS Monaco, France).
Attackers: Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich, Germany), Keita Baldé Diao (Spartak Moscow, Russia), Ismaïla Sarr (Watford, England), Bamba Dieng (Marseille, France), Ilimane Ndiaye (Sheffield United, England), Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal FC, Spain), Demba Seck (Torino FC, Italy).
Courtesy/CAF Communication