"It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his joy at being promoted from Strasbourg's Under-17s to the first team was tempered by anxiety over the two French words for you. Would addressing new, senior teammates by using tu be regarded as disrespectful? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and opted for the more formal vous. Cue wholesale laughter from the older players who told him not to be so silly; he was one of them now."
"Diarra carries himself with the confidence befitting a player who captained Strasbourg at the age of 20 and, only last month, returned from Morocco clutching an Africa Cup of Nations winners' medal. With the groin injury that sidelined him for much of the first half of the domestic season healed, Diarra is on a mission to demonstrate precisely why he agreed to become Sunderland's record 30m signing last summer, after promotion to the Premier League."
Habib Diarra progressed from Strasbourg's Under-17s to the first team, initially hesitating over whether to use tu or vous with senior teammates, choosing vous and being welcomed. He captained Strasbourg at 20 and won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. Diarra ignored offers from Milan, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Leeds to join Sunderland, citing Regis Le Bris' reputation and a clear project. Sunderland paid a club-record £30m after promotion to the Premier League. A groin injury sidelined him for much of the domestic season, but he has recovered and is determined to justify the signing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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