“As soon as I saw Kalidiatou, I knew we had a nugget! Nearly twenty years later, the memory is still anchored in the memory of Djamel Maachi. Coach at CM d’Aubervilliers, he witnessed Kalidiatou Niakaté’s first steps on a handball field. Now 25 years old, the left-back will try to help the France team retain their European title this Sunday against Norway (6 p.m., TF1 and BeIN Sports).
His path to the blue house begins at the Guy-Môquet gymnasium in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis), which has seen other big names, such as Allison Pineau, pass by. “I saw her land at 7 or 8 years old,” recalls Djamel Maachi. Very quickly, she was noticed. “She took all the penalties! She always took her responsibilities, with disconcerting tranquility. And then she scored all the goals! Without forcing, whatever his position. “
Often hurt, always standing
The gifted, born in Paris, then goes on training, including with boys, until joining the female pole of Châtenay-Malabry (Hauts-de-Seine), then the training center of Issy-Paris, where she signed his first professional contract in 2011. His first selection for the national team came in October 2014. With the years came successes. In a club, where Kali won the 2013 League Cup. And in selection, above all, with a coronation at the 2017 World Cup. “Today, she is a formidable player, very complete, analyzes Laurent Bezeau, her trainer in Brest, where she has been evolving since 2019. Kalidiatou has colossal potential. She is very demanding with herself and always strives for perfection. “
Those who knew her together salute a “kind woman, with exceptional character and willpower.” Often injured, sometimes seriously, as in February, when she suffered a total rupture of the Achilles tendon in her right leg, she always got up. “After each failure, it bounces even stronger,” says Laurent Bezeau. Little in sight during Euro 2018, won by the Blue, she had been sent home to the heart of the competition, replaced by Gnonsiane Niombla. She returned to the selection two years later, stronger, and signs notable entries for two weeks in Denmark.
“She knows where she comes from”
Her rise, Arnaud Gandais, who took her to Issy-Paris, saw it coming. “She was an easy girl to coach. His immense potential and his physical qualities were obvious. It’s no surprise to see her confirm at the highest level. “
Still attached to her town of Aubervilliers, where her family still lives, and to the club where she started out, Kalidiatou Niakaté returns there as soon as her busy schedule allows. “She has become a model for young people here,” explains Djamel Maachi. His visit afterwards with his gold medal in 2017 delighted everyone. She knows where she came from. Very soon, she could well return to the Guy-Môquet gymnasium, crowned with a new European title.
