When there is a “Need For Speed” and quality in the Beautiful Game, look no further than Moussa Diaby. Known as the “Speedster,” he is a dedicated Muslim born in Paris to a West African family of Malian descent. This article tells the story of a smart footballer who stepped out of his comfort zone to achieve success.
Truth be told, the right winger is one of the most underrated players of his generation. Imagine helping a mid-tier Premier League team like Aston Villa reach the Champions League, only to be left out of Euro 2024 by Didier Deschamps. This is just one of the many reasons why Moussa Diaby is underrated.
Now, the focus of this article is to tell Moussa Diaby’s story, which goes beyond his stats on the field. This article provides detailed insights into Moussa Diaby’s childhood, how football found him in his early years, the support he received from his parents, and his family background, including his West African origins. It also covers details about his siblings, the love of his life, and his wife, Hawa. Additionally, we’ll explore the speedy winger’s lifestyle, his personal life that aspiring footballers can emulate, and details of his net worth.
In summary, this biography recounts the complete life story of Moussa Diaby, a boy of Malian descent who rose to success with the support of a migrant football program. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.
Moussa Diaby’s Inspiring Journey: From Childhood Success to Bold Decisions in Senior Football.
Preamble:
To pique your interest in Moussa Diaby’s biography, we will reveal the turning point that led to his childhood football success and the bold decisions he made in his senior career. But first, let’s present an engaging gallery of Diaby’s early life, his journey to fame, and his moments of glory. The boy who started at Espérance Paris 19ème at just 10 years old has truly come a long way in his life journey.
Moussa Diaby Biography – From his Childhood Days to the Moment of Fame.
If you haven’t seen Moussa Diaby in action, his standout strength is undoubtedly his speed. His playing style is often compared to that of Allan Saint-Maximin.
Many fans consider him one of the best in the world when it comes to counter-attacks. Despite this acclaim, we noticed that not many football enthusiasts have explored a detailed version of Moussa Diaby’s biography.
That’s why we’ve put this together. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the events of his early life.
Moussa Diaby Childhood Story:
To start his biography, Moussa Diaby, nicknamed “Mr. Fast and Furious” due to his incredible speed on the pitch, was born on July 7th, the year 1999, to a Malian mother in Paris, France.
Moussa Diaby, the Speedster, was not his parents’ only child. Our research shows that Moussa has an older brother with whom he shared much of his childhood.
Every day, both Moussa and his brother are grateful to almighty Allah for their parents—pictured below. These are the individuals who have most profoundly influenced Moussa with their intelligence and love.
By the looks of the way they dress, you can tell that Moussa Diaby’s parents have a deep love for their religion and culture.
Early Life and Growing-Up Years:
From a young age, Allah blessed Moussa Diaby with a natural talent for kicking the ball. As a boy, no one saw him putting in hard hours to learn how to dribble. Diaby never had to practice football or learn how to run fast with the ball. It was simply a natural gift he was born with.
Moussa Diaby’s early days were spent playing futsal for fun with his childhood friends. During this time, he developed a passion for 11-a-side football. Futsal helped enhance Moussa’s technical skills, especially his movements in small spaces.
One of many photos of Moussa Diaby’s childhood football memories that makes him feel nostalgic.
Moussa Diaby Family Background:
The French professional footballer comes from a below-middle-class family. After relocating to France from his native West African home, Mali, Moussa Diaby’s parents noticed they could only afford to settle in Rue du Maroc, a Paris suburb troubled by drug addicts who often caused disturbances.
It’s clear that many African migrants stranded in France often end up wandering around Rue du Maroc and falling into crack cocaine addiction. At night, Moussa’s childhood neighbourhood often resembles a scene from the “Walking Dead” movie series.
Rather than accepting crime as inevitable in Rue du Maroc, Moussa Diaby’s parents taught their children that hard work could deter and prevent it. Fortunately, both boys, especially Moussa, worked hard to make their parents proud. Here’s one of those proud moments.
Signing a professional contract was one achievement that made Moussa Diaby’s parents feel proud.
Moussa Diaby Family Origin:
Although born in France (of which he is French nationality), the Right-Winger has West African roots. Research shows that Moussa Diaby’s parents, like many other French citizens of sub-saharan roots, migrated from Mali to France in search of long-term employment. Upon relocation to Europe, they found shelter among the French Mali migrant community in Rue du Maroc, a place in the suburb of Paris.
From an ethnic viewpoint, Moussa Diaby belongs to the Bambara (Bamana) Malian ethnic group. The language of this group predominates over others such as Dogon, Fulani (Fulbe), and Tuareg.
Before I forget, there are two things you might not know about the French footballers’ African origins. The first is related to Mali, the country of Mousa Diaby’s ancestors. This landlocked country, as seen below, has the highest percentage of migrants from all African states who are legal residents and citizens of France.
Moussa Diaby’s family originates from Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa.
Secondly, there are many footballers of Malian African descent and heritage that you may not be aware of.
These include Yves Bissouma (DM), N’Golo Kante, Moussa Dembele (French), Alassane Plea (CF), Ibrahima Konate, Mousa Dembele (Belgian), and Moussa Sissoko.
Education and Carer Buildup:
The French-born Malian is someone who benefited a lot from football schooling values. Moussa Diaby’s education was more football-centred, with a total focus on becoming a professional in the sport.
As a child, he honed his football skills on this field. This is where he laid the foundation for his career.
This is where it all began for Moussa. The Espérance Football Journey of 2009.
The Les Bleus star is particularly grateful to Moustapha Guerache, who provided him with the opportunity to shape his career path. At 44 years old, Guerache balanced his role as a high school math teacher with being the president of Esperance Academy.
Moussa Diaby received his football education at Esperance Paris 19th, where this neighbourhood football school serves as a hub for many young talents in northeast Paris, near the border of Seine-Saint-Denis.
Moussa Diaby’s Early Years with Academy Football. The Esperance Paris 19th days.
Moustapha Guerache, known for his kind-heartedness, ran the academy during that period.
His vision was to establish a place where children of African immigrants could participate in soccer. Moussa Diaby was among those who fit into this category, along with other notable individuals from migrant families.
In case you’re unaware, players like Nicolas Pépé (Arsenal under Mikel Arteta) came through this program. Other notable names include Antoine Bernede (RB Salzburg), Georges-Kévin Nkoudou (Beşiktaş), and Evan Ndicka (Eintracht), among others.
Moussa Diaby Biography – Early Life in Career Football:
Fans often praise him for his ability to do devastating dribbles with his team. Thanks to that natural ability, Moussa became the most promising kid in his age group.
The Rising star started out as a striker, and his coach made him play other positions to help out his team. This is Moussa, in his Early Days as a Fast Rising footballer.
Losseni Sy is Moussa Diaby’s first coach, a man who always praises him for being his best student. Describing the boy’s time at Esperance, these were the words of the coach.
Moussa was a carefree kid who only loved football.
But above all, he was already a humble person by nature.
How PSG found Moussa Diaby:
It was an unforgettable match – the final of a big tournament. Moussa Diaby’s team was playing against Solitaire, one of Esperance Paris’ 19th biggest rivals.
The game began on a sombre note for his team, with important dignitaries in attendance.
In that match, Diaby’s team found themselves losing by four goals to 1 – at half-time. With this scoreline, fans lost all hope of them equalizing, talk less of Esperance Paris winning the game.
To everyone’s surprise, Mousa Diaby single-handedly won the match in the second half. The youngster scored four goals in the second half.
Moussa Diaby’s Esperance Paris 19th emerged victorious with a 6-5 scoreline, highlighted by Moussa’s four goals and Youssouf’s two goals.
After a tournament in Saint-Denis, Moussa Diaby emerged as the best player. That made Paris FC first seek his signature. Then after, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) owned PSG came asking for Diaby’s services.
Desperation to sign Moussa caused Paris FC club representative to chase after the president of Esperance 19th.
The transfer proposal was a long conversation that took place in the parking lots and ended up with Paris FC requesting Moussa Diaby’s father’s number.
PSG was the next club that brought a proposal to sign the youngster. Moussa Diaby’s family couldn’t resist the offer of the then-richest club in the world.
The deal to take him off the books of Esperance Paris 19th went through in the year 2013 at age 13.
Moussa Diaby Biography – Road to Fame Story:
At PSG, fans saw the youngster more as a striker who always made a big difference on the pitch.
During that time, Moussa began following in the footsteps of Antoine Griezmann. He fell deeply in love with football and became an extraordinary PSG academy student.
Why was Moussa viewed as an extraordinary PSG student?…
It is because he did things people of his age found hard to do.
Diaby’s deep love for football saw him playing in the mornings with his age group and then waiting for afternoon football to play with bigger age groups. Practically, he played football all day.
Diaby’s efforts for PSG didn’t go unnoticed. In his last year as an academy student, he became the recipient of the 2016 Titi d’Or. This award is given to the most promising and talented player in the Paris Saint-Germain academy.
Early Senior Career Progress:
Moussa graduated from Paris Saint-Germain Academy in the year 2017 with instant promotion to their B team.
In 2018, the year his country won the World Cup, he made lots of progress – both from a club and country perspective.
The video below shows the making of Moussa Diaby – with PSG and the France national youth team.
First, he made his name on the list for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament.
Thereafter, Moussa became part of the PSG senior team that won the Ligue 1 and Trophée des Champions honours.
The Decision to leave PSG:
Following the exit of Unai Emery, Paris Saint-Germain appointed Thomas Tuchel, who gave Moussa a senior team opportunity.
By making his debut, Diaby became the 124th academy graduate to feature for PSG’s senior side.
Moussa never enjoyed being behind the pecking order – under big names like Neymar Jnr, Julian Draxler, and Angel di Maria. As a result, the promising youngster decided he would go into exile in order to find out if the grass was greener elsewhere.
Living in Germany:
In the 2019 summer, Diaby joined Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year deal. Living in Germany means leaving his family for the first time.
That made Moussa discover new people, a new city and an unfamiliar language. The French footballer even confessed that;
I had to come out of my comfort zone. That happened when I left Paris and my family.
While working with the Eternal Bridesmaids, the French star got the playing time he dreamt of. Thereafter, he began pulling together some outstanding performances – as seen in his blockbuster video.
Diaby had a solid bromance with the likes of Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, and Leon Bailey before their departures to Chelsea, Monaco and Aston Villa.
Following their departures, the French star continued a technical bromance with Patrik Schick and Florian Writz.
First Professional Trophy:
A sign that the Baller would shine for the French national team came when Diaby crested his name on the 2018 UEFA European under-19 Championship Teamsheet.
That prophecy came to pass three years later as Didier Deschamps gave Moussa a Les Bleus call-up.
So far, at the time of writing Moussa Diaby’s Biography, the biggest highlight of his career is winning the 2021 UEFA Nations League. Seeing their breadwinner son lift his first trophy for France was a truly proud moment for his family.
What a proud moment for his parents. Their son, lifting his first-ever senior trophy.
Moussa wasn’t the only player who enjoyed a perfect trophy-winning debut with the French national team. Notable stars like Aurélien Tchouaméni (Monaco), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan) and Jules Kounde (Sevilla) got their dream call-up.
To get club honours in his name, Moussa Daby needs to transfer to a top-tier team. Without a doubt, the football world is just about to witness the rise of the game’s counter-attacking King. The rest of his Biography, as we say, is now history.
About Hawa – Moussa Diaby Wife:
There is a saying that behind every successful Les Bleus star comes a beautiful woman. In Moussa Diaby’s case, there is a glamorous wife. Her name is Hawa Diaby.
Moussa Diaby’s wife is a selfless and hardworking woman who shares in her husband’s beliefs. Most importantly, she loves him unconditionally.
This is beautiful, Hawa. She is Moussa Diaby’s Wife.
What does Hawa Diaby do for a Living?
On a regular day, you are most likely to spot Moussa Diaby’s wife with a Mac laptop. That tells a lot about her occupation – as a Blogger.
Put simply, Moussa Diaby’s wife (Hawa) is a woman with beauty and brains. We know little about the niche in her blogging occupation.
Nevertheless, one thing is certain. Hawa Diaby is an entertainer, and this video proves that.
While most wives of footballers rely solely on their husbands’ income, the wife of Moussa Diaby does that as well as makes money from Blogging.
Being a content writer is very much a fantastic idea – rather than becoming a full-time stay-at-home parent.
Hawa and Moussa Diaby Children:
The French footballer and his wife have a son who was born on a leap year day – the 29th of February 2020. By implication, the son of Moussa and Hawa will have to celebrate his birthday every four years.
Before their son’s birth, Moussa and Hawa made a decision to safeguard his identity. This also includes telling their fans about their son’s personal information.
At the time of developing this biography, Moussa and Hawa called their son Little Prince.
Moussa and Hawa are proud parents of a son named Little Prince.
A Father’s vision for his Son:
There’s nothing quite like a father-son relationship, especially when it involves a young footballer connecting with his son.
Moussa would most definitely want his son to follow in his footsteps. Could we see a 17-year-old boy playing with his 37-year-old Dad?… In the future, probably yes!!
With ambition, desire, and passion, nothing is impossible for either father or son.
Personal Life:
Away from what you see him do on the pitch, who is Moussa Diaby?
The Speedstar loves challenges, and he takes a dogged approach to succeed in life. He also loves to overstep his bounds and hates being in his comfort zone.
Moussa Diaby showed that when he left his previous PSG and family (in France), he settled in Germany.
Secondly, the French footballer is not bothered by his small height of 1.70 meters or 5 feet 7 inches. Moussa found a way to deal with it, and so far, it has gone well. According to him,
I took it into account to focus on things that could serve me the most in the field.
Such includes my playmaking and ability to use small spaces in the field.
I avoid aerial duels as I am small in size!
My height is one my strength, and it has never been a problem. I am happy to be this way.
Moussa Diaby Lifestyle:
One of the Baller’s gateways in the summer is his favourite animal Park in Dubai. Usually not open to the public, Fame Park is an exotic animal farm owned by Saif Ahmad Belhasa, an Emirati Entrepreneur. This is Moussa interacting with his favourite animals.
The Winger fed Blac these animals with Saif Belhasa by his side.
Moussa Diaby’s Car:
The French winger is a fan of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Moussa Diaby owns a blood-red colour of the German-made car. He has been spotted several times cruising the car – alongside his wife, Hawa.
This is Moussa Diaby’s car. He probably chose this colour because of his wife, Hawa.
Moussa Diaby Family Life:
This section of our Bio tells you more about his household. We’ll start with Moussa Diaby’s parents. They are the persons who raised him, took care of him while he was growing up, and gave him unconditional love.
Moussa Diaby’s Father:
Papa is one of the most respected figures among the French Rue du Maroc’s Sunni Muslim community. Moussa Diaby’s Dad is a man of great vision.
He prioritized having a family in France, and that has brought bigger opportunities for his children.
Moussa Diaby’s Mother:
Like her husband, she dresses in accordance with the Islamic culture. We credit Moussa Diaby’s Mum for successfully raising him and his siblings in one of the toughest places in France.
Moussa Diaby’s Brother:
The French footballer’s older sibling first began playing football. According to Moussa, his older brother was the person who introduced him to the game.
Also, Moussa Diaby’s brother is the brain behind his decision to take football seriously.
Untold Facts:
To round up this biography, we’ll use this final section to unveil more truths about the fast-rising French star. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Moussa Diaby Net Worth:
The footballer, as of 2021, earns €36,358 per week with Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
With four years of experience in football, we tag Moussa Diaby’s Net Worth to be approximately 6.5 million Euros. This is according to 2021 figures.
The average person living in France (who earns 49,500 EUR per year) would need 38 years to earn Moussa Diaby’s salary with Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Moussa Diaby Profile:
Judging by his ratings, he is the youngest, fastest right and left midfielder in the world. Moussa has near-perfect stats in terms of his movement.
He, Karim Adeyemi, and Mohammed Kudus are the ideal choice for FIFA career mode speed lovers.
Moussa Diaby Religion?
He adheres to Sunni Islam. Moussa Diaby’s parents brought him up in accordance with Islamic religious culture and practices. Mali, the country of ancestral origin, has more than nine-tenths of its population practising Sunni Islam.
Moussa Diaby and his wife are devout Muslims.
Conclusion:
The Biography of Moussa Diaby tells us the story of a boy who (as a child) got blessed with the gift of dribbling – like Lionel Messi.
He was born with the sport and never had to work hard for it. Moussa Diaby’s brother (his elder) was the reason he accepted football.
Although he has French nationality, his ideal family origin is Mali, a nation in West Africa. Moussa Diaby’s parents are migrants who left Mali for France to better their lives.
While in France, they settled at Rue du Maroc, Alias Morocco’s street, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
As they lived in Rue du Maroc, Moussa Diaby’s family found favour in a football programme for migrants.
Moustapha Guerache’s Esperance Paris 19th academy accepted their son and groomed him to become a fine footballer. A boy who later got envied by the likes of PSG.
As a student of PSG Youth Academy, Diaby strived for excellence. He was promoted to senior player in 2018.
The quest to leave his comfort zone (PSG, France and Family) made him transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, where he has made a name for himself.
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