by EMBARGO 10.30PM Saturday 9 March
By Mike McGrath
Pape Sarr’s face breaks into a smile when he explains his ambitions in computer science. He is asked if he is talking about playing FIFA or gambling. “No, the electronic stuff behind the screen,” he says with enthusiasm.
Ange Postecoglou, the manager of Tottenham, was right when he said that Sarr never stops smiling. On the pitch, where he has established himself in the Premier League this season, or when he walks into the room at the training ground. The hate is always present and it is a sign of a young player who is now his teammates with the images he watched on TV a few years ago.
Then Sarr breaks in laughing, agreeing with the analogy that the Spurs team is like a computer. The likes of Son Heung-min and James Maddison have featured in attack, with Sarr working hard behind them to help his teammates perform.
“We are a family. Maybe it’s a bit like the way a computer works. I try to bring my football information to the party, my opinion about the game,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research here and there about the route I want to take.
“I haven’t started any formal studies because I don’t really have much time. Within a year or two I am going to start lessons. I’m not interested in games.”
Sarr’s game on the pitch is like an information processor, assessing where to position himself in midfield and when to drive his team forward. In a crowded market, he has staked his claim as one of the young players of the season, having broken through at Spurs under Postecoglou. He has drawn comparisons with Yaya Toure, who coached at Spurs’ academy last season but did not meet the young midfielder.
The 21-year-old rose to prominence after starring at Senegal’s Génération Foot academy, whose alumni include Sadio Mane. It wasn’t exactly the turbulent life of Premier League academies, which Sarr explains is where his infectiously smiling attitude comes from.
“When I was in my academy in Senegal, we were a youth group, basically locked down,” said Sarr. “We had a great life to be honest, we didn’t have too much access to mobile phones. We had to entertain ourselves, joke around, and laugh a lot together.
“I try to keep that going, because I think it’s important to be smiling and full of joy in everyday life. I’m just like that. I’m a smiley, happy person.”
His impact this season has been particularly impressive but it’s a long way from his youth in Senegal when he was trained – “under pressure” as he describes it – by his father Sidath, who is the manager of his country native and a former goalkeeper. trainer for the national team. Sarr’s brother plays in Luxembourg and had a passion for football from an early age.
“I was born into a real football family. Even with my mother, who is not so impressed with it, it was very fortunate for her because so many of us play,” he said. “My father is a coach and he played a big role in my career. My big brother too. Because my father is so strict and pushing me, that has enabled me to progress quickly in my career. It helped me.”
As a child he was also nicknamed Roberto Carlos, which was given to him by his uncle. “I had a very powerful shot. I’ve never missed it, but I don’t think I’m that close to the goal these days. I’m too far out to try it,” he said.
Metz was his first stop after Génération Foot, following Mane’s path. Then it wasn’t long before he was winning the Africa Cup of Nations with his hero. “It has always been my dream to meet Sadio Mane because, frankly, he is a hero for all of Africa, not just for the academy,” said Sarr.
“I am his colleague in the national team now. You try to get as much as you can out of his advice. He is a role model for me and many others. I wish him all the best as he approaches the end of his life.”
After being on loan at Metz following his move to Spurs, he returned to Tottenham and had to wait for his chance last season. It was a difficult time, when he bowed to the support of his “big brother” Yves Bissouma but then he took his chance with impressive performances against AC Milan and Arsenal.
“It was a big help,” Sarr said. “I was settling into a new life, not just a new club. I benefited from the advice of many teammates, not only Yves, although he helped a lot: Hugo Lloris, Pierre Hojbjerg, Ivan Perisic. It was a difficult time because I wasn’t playing regularly.
“Yves is a man I really admire. We have both come over from Africa and he gives me a lot of advice. He behaves a lot like my big brother. He plays such an important role within the team and the club. I always listen to what he has to say.
“Playing in those games last season are moments I’ll remember forever. It’s a dream come true to play in big games like that, which is what you aim for as a young person. Regardless of the results, which didn’t go our way, they are still great experiences.
“I’d like to think it’s partly down to all the hard work I put in that first year. Even though I wasn’t playing, I didn’t let my head drop or my desire and faith diminish. I will never stop believing in my abilities and myself. But I am honest enough with myself to realize that nothing has been achieved yet.
“I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Maybe the easy part is getting to the top. The really hard thing is to maintain that level and stay there.”
Speaking French, Sarr and the rest of the squad understand the language of football. “When it’s instructions in a team talk, you pick it up immediately, you don’t need to speak English well,” he said.
And Sarr is a charismatic part of the squad.
“He never stops smiling, what more do you want from a footballer?” was in Postecoglou’s line. Meanwhile, Maddison has shown off Sarr’s fashion sense on his social media posts.
“Footballers are almost like models off the pitch, I think. I love it when Madders posts stuff and takes videos, not just of me but the other lads too. It’s funny, we can laugh about it. When you have things like that in common, it helps bond you as a family and as a group of players,” said Sarr, who could be a best-dressed IT engineer when his career is over.
