Ismaila Sarr: How He Followed In The Footsteps Of His Father, 10 Other Facts

The Senegalese professional football Ismaila Sarr abandoned school in his fifth year to pursue his dream of becoming a football star ignored the call to join the Spanish club, Barcelona to join Rennes in the early years of his career.

He currently plays as a winger for the Premier League club, Watford, and also the Senegalese national team where he has made over 40 appearances with about nine goals to his name.

The Senegalese Player Got His Football Genes From His Father

According to reports, Ismail Sarr’s father Abdoulaye Sarr Naar Gaad was a former Senegalese international who played for professional in the 1980s. The older Sarr began his career in 1972 with state Mbour in Senegal before he moved to Seib Diourbel.

Abdoulaye Sarr ended his playing career as an attacking midfielder in 1982. He then started coaching at his former club, Stade Mbour, and from 1995 to 2005 he was the assistant coach of the Senegal national team. He later became the head coach of Senegal from July 1, 2005, to May 13, 2006.

Other Interesting Facts About The Watford Winger Ismail Sarr

1. The Watford player was born in the heart of Senegal

Ismail Sarr was born to his parents Marieme Ba and Abdoulaye Sarr Naar Gaad in the northwest coastal city of Saint Louis, Senegal on February 25, 1998.

His parents raised him and his siblings: Papis, Kine, Ndeye Ami, and  Badara in upper-middle-class family backgrounds. All the children were enrolled at OumarSyr Diagne School in Louis Senegal.

2. He detested school while growing up

While his father did not want Sarr and his siblings to compromise their education for football, the young player was ready to give up anything just to play football.

He was not pleased that his parents sent him to school. Even reading books was never his thing and he also believed being in school was just a mere formality. On several occasions, Ismaila would skip school just to go and play football with his friends.

3. The footballer would have become a tailor now if not for his determination to play football

After his parents received several bad reports about the footballer from his school teachers, they decided to take him out of school and make him learn a trade.

The young Ismaila was forced to tailor in his neighborhood and was made to learn to tailor. However, then the young lad was only patient enough to learn the basics of tailoring but his heart was on playing football.

He later decided to follow his heart and so he abandoned tailoring and started playing football fully even without the approval of his parents.

3. Ismaila Sarr signed his first professional contract in 2016

The Watford winger enrolled for trials with AS Generation Foot and after a successful trial, he got enrolled in football classes.

After he helped the club progress from the second to the top of the Senegalese league. His enthusiasm towards football brought him his first contract on 13 July 2016 after he signed his first professional contract with FC Metz for five years.

In August 2016, he made his league debut against Lille OSC at Stade Saint Symphorien. He only played for 20 minutes and was substituted.

Sarr later moved to Ligue 1 side Rennes. He signed a four-year contract on 26 July 2017 for a reported fee of €17 million. Prior to his movie to Rennes, he got an offer to play for FC Barcelona but the Senegalese chose Rennes as he thought the club would be good for his career.

On 13 December 2018, Sarr helped Rennes reach their place in the 2018-19 Europa League knockout phase with a 2-0 home win against FC Astana. His stay at Rennes was brief as he again moved to join premier league club Watford on a five-year contract on August 8, 2019. The transfer fee was reportedly around £30 million.

Ismaila Sarr began his season at the club by scoring his first goal for the club in an EFL Cup tie against Coventry City on 27 August 2019.

The Senegalese winger continued to impress his fans with his football skills and tactics. On 24 April 2021, he scored from the penalty spot in Watford’s 1-0 home win over Millwall in the Championship. At the end of the 2020-21 season, he had thirteen goals altogether.

He continued to score more goals as he scored in Watford’s 3-2 win against Aston Villa in the 2021-22 Premier League season.

3. He joined the Senegal national team at the age of 17

At the age of 17, Ismaila played for his country in the 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations. He helped his team secure fourth place in the competition after playing three games.

He later scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Libya in Stade Municipal de Kintele, Brazzaville.

He was named in Senegal’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018 and in 2019, he was part of the Senegal squad that reached the final of the Africa cup of nations for the second time in his nation’s history. His team played the final against Algeria on 19 July 2019 but they lost.

4. Is he married?

According to reports, Sarr married early in life so he would be able to remain focused. He is said to be married to a woman named Fat Sy. There is not much information about their marriage as the said couple are keeping everything about their family under wraps.

5. What is the athlete’s height and weight?

The 26-year-old right-winger has athletic features and is said to be a little above average. He stands at a height of 6 feet 1 inch (1.85m).

Read Also: Melissa Reddy: 10 Facts About The Girlfriend Of Sadio Mané

6. The Senegalese player attended the same academy as Sadio Mane

The player has oftentimes referred to fellow Senegalese player and Liverpool  Sadio Mane as his big brother because he looks up to him. The two Senegal internationals attended the same academy but at different times.

According to BBC Sport, Ismaila Sarr said his “big brother” Sadio Mane deserved the prestigious 2020 Ballon d’Or award for his outstanding football skills. Unfortunately, his countryman did not win the award but Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or award.

Sarr also added that the Liverpool striker has offered him advice on how to grow in his career. During the early years of his career, he watched videos of Sadio Mane and mastered his accelerations, his dribbling, and also goals.

Also, the two Senegalese players have reportedly worked together on charitable causes in their motherland.

 

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A post shared by Ismaila Sarr (@ismaila_sarr_18)

7. He has a unique playing style

Aside from his high-scoring abilities, the Watford winger is famous for his pace, speed, and tactics which have favored him in his career so far.

There are reports that suggest on Sadio Mane has made more successful dribbles than the 26-year-old right-winger during the 2018 Africa Cup of Nations.

8. He almost missed the AFCON tournament

It was reported that Senegal accused Watford of refusing to release Ismaila for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which he was named a member of the 24-man Senegalese national squad. The tournament is being held on January 9 and quite a number of the premier league and European players would be part of it.

On December 31, 2021, the English club reportedly voiced their decision to block the player who had the desire to join the Senegalese team for the tournament.

In January 2022, it was later revealed that Ismaila was released by Watford and so, he left London for Cameroun to take part in the tournament in January 2022.

9. How much does he earn?

As of January 2022, Ismaila Sarr has an annual salary of £3,276,000 and £63,000 weekly. His current transfer market is said to be €27 million and the highest was €30 million in 2019.

Regarding his net worth, it is not certain yet but it is speculated by many sources to be between $1 million to $5 million.

10. Ismaila Sarr has a couple of career honors and titles to his name

 

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A post shared by Ismaila Sarr (@ismaila_sarr_18)

Since he started his career, Ismaila Sarr has tried his best to make his name known in the world of sports. The winger is still progressing in his career but so far, he has earned these honors:

• UEFA Europa League Goal of the season: 2018-19
• Rennes- Coupes de France: 2018-19

Complete profile of Ismaila Sarr