We knew Kei Kamara’s good nature was contagious. His meeting with The Press confirmed it beyond any doubt.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“It’s going well, very well,” he replies in French, sitting down on one of the empty seats in the Center Nutrilait conference room on this hot July afternoon.
“I am taking French lessons, he continues in English. All in all, it’s going well! I understand it well, but I’m embarrassed to speak it. But when you speak, I understand you. »
We then try to push the note. Do you like the city of Montreal, Kei?
” I really like ! he said in the language of Félix Leclerc. I love Montreal. I play soccer in Montreal with CF Montreal. There is no problem ! »
Kei Kamara, with his 17 years of professional soccer, mainly in MLS, finally landed in the Quebec metropolis last February. The 37-year-old striker has signed a one-year contract with the Bleu-et-noir. Five months later, he confirms that he likes it like a fish in water.
Because Kamara always seeks to immerse himself in the culture of the places where he plays soccer. It did so in nine North American cities, in addition to Middlesbrough and Norwich, UK. And, more recently, in Helsinki, Finland.
“Montreal is such a perfect place right now. There is summer, sun, culture, diversity. People from all over the world come to Montreal. I’m so happy that we can be here right now. »
And precisely, his club played its first sold-out game since 2019 at Saputo Stadium last Saturday. Against his big rival in Toronto. We ask the question in French: how was it to finally play in front of a full house, here?
“It was very good, he reacts, before switching to English. This rivalry is great. […] Before the match, we had a discussion. We know what that means for Montreal. The issue of French in Canada. And against Toronto. There is blue and red. It means so much. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Kei Kamara at CF Montreal training on Thursday
A baggage to share
With 132 goals, Kei Kamara is one goal away from becoming the fourth-highest scorer in MLS history, tied with Jaime Moreno.
He makes it his duty to share this experience with his youngest teammates. As he did with Alphonso Davies when the two played for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Before the latter signed up with Bayern Munich and became an international football star.
We had heard about it from both sides before our interview with the native Sierra Leonean. The point came out of our meeting with Jojea Kwizera a few weeks ago.
“He gives me a lot of advice,” said the young striker chosen at the SuperDraft in January, and who is in his first professional year.
“He was drafted like me. He’s been through the same things, so he understands them. I get a lot of inspiration from him, I ask him a lot of questions. I try to watch everything he does. He’s an impressive person. »
Kamara sees no problem with that. On the contrary. When our photographer François Roy comes to the Center Nutrilait to take some shots of the player, there he sits with Kwizera, Zorhan Bassong and Sunusi Ibrahim. They got into the habit of talking football like that after training.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Kei Kamara (second from left) with Zorhan Bassong, Sunusi Ibrahim and Jojea Kwizera
Ibrahim is another who had good words for the veteran, at the end of May. The 19-year-old Nigerian had just scored a hat-trick against Hamilton’s Forge in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Championship.
“When Kei arrived in the team, I was so happy,” he said. […] After practice, we sit together and he says to me: “You have to do this, that.” I’m so happy he’s here. »
Same story for Mason Toye.
“He can help me think about the game better,” the 23-year-old striker said at a press conference at the end of June. “We will continue to have discussions, to dissect my game and see what improvements I can make. I’m young, he’s been doing this for a long time. I want to be a sponge. »
His smile and his qualities as a mentor make people happy on the field as well as in the locker room. Talk to Wilfried Nancy, who on June 25 was delighted with the new tradition of playing sweet carolina after each win. An idea from Kamara.
“Kei is very good at it,” he said after the home win against Charlotte. It’s a good initiative, because we have a young group. Kei brought that dynamic. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Sunusi Ibrahim and Kei Kamara
“We have no choice but to be happy”
This mentoring reflex comes naturally to him.
“I try to lead by example,” Kamara explains. It’s who I am. I get up and train every day. It’s easier to do something like that than to ask someone to do something. »
“If I go all out, they have to keep up. »
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Kei Kamara giving advice
He himself says he learned from “one of the great Canadian players”, Dwayne De Rosario. Both played for the Houston Dynamo in 2008, their third year in MLS. He also cites the name of current Chicago Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson, with whom he played in Columbus in his early days.
“I learned by playing with guys older than me,” says Kamara. Every day, I tell myself that I can’t be here and not give back to the youngest. »
And he does it with a smile, always.
“Jojea asked me how I managed to have so much energy all the time. I replied: “Come on, man, we have no choice but to be happy, we play football!”
“There’s never been a day in my 17-year career that I’ve complained about being tired. [Jouer au soccer] is a blessing. I grew up in Sierra Leone during the civil war. I had nothing. I moved to the United States, I became an American citizen. I went to college, I played professional soccer, I traveled all over the world, I’m one of the leaders in MLS. I can’t complain about anything. »
The Montreal dream come true
The story is well known: Kei Kamara had been toying with the idea of playing in Montreal for a long time. “It was my dream,” he says. I am very happy that I made the decision to come here. Dominic Oduro, Didier Drogba, Laurent Ciman, Hassoun Camara. I talk to these guys all the time. They said to me: “Come, come!” But I never came, until I achieved my dream of playing for Montreal. »
Even if he only has a one-year contract in his pocket, he does not worry too much. “If I impress the club enough and they want to keep me, there will be a conversation, underlines Kamara. I want to do more for the club, he continues. We’ll see how the season ends. But I will never say no to Montreal. It’s a fantastic place. The stadium, the facilities, the people. »
When Olivier Renard contacted him, he spoke to him about the possibility of playing a more limited role, given his age in particular. “It was a good, positive conversation,” Kamara said. He said things to me that made me think. Renard told him that he “wouldn’t play a lot”, that he “wouldn’t often start”. “I said: ‘Yes, of course!’, says the striker. And he said, “Okay!” I think he was even surprised that I said yes. »