A breath of fresh air invaded the old Jonelière press room last Friday. Two days before the trip to the Côte d’Azur to face Nice, the FC Nantes press service had decided to send Ignatius Ganago to answer journalists’ questions. Logic, it is a former Gym who comes, in addition, froma statistically successful performance against Brest
. But for almost half an hour, it was mainly about his arrival in France, in the summer of 2017, the discovery of a new culture, “semolina for example, I did not know at all! The first time, I said to myself but how do they manage to eat that“, laugh “Gana“. There was also talk of his great friendship with Evann Guessand, whom he has rediscovered in recent weeks on the banks of the Erdre. “We follow each other everywhere“, smiles the Cameroonian international. Report on the traces of this complicity “who will remain even after their career”according to one of their former trainers.
Playstation games and heated debates in the canteen
Five years ago, when Ignatius Ganago arrived from his native Cameroon, he was far from imagining thathe may represent his country in Qatar, during a World Cup. The young “Gana” must first get used to a new life, a completely different accent and the heightened competition between young shoots. “But I was lucky to come across a Cameroonian playerhe confides. Alvaro Ngamba really pushed and encouraged me not to let go“. Two other teenagers will play a major role in his adaptation and integration: Moustakim Assoumani and a certain Evann Guessand
. “We hit it off right away.“, continues the ex-Lensois. From then on, at the boarding school, it was no longer a duo but a trio. In the canteen, it debated on the level of Messi and Ronaldo. In the bedroom, it played the PlayStation . “Oh dearlaunches the Istrean goalkeeper Henrique Tavares who rubbed shoulders with them in training. We really played a lot of Fifa and UFC games [un jeu de combat d’arts-martiaux, ndlr] in this room. No matter how much I improved every time I came, they still beat me. Evann he was very strong but Mouss’ wasn’t bad either.“
“When Ganago arrived, he brought this thirst for success, to win, this competitive spirit, he showed others that he had the slab”
On the training grounds, this complicity will allow them to progress. “When I had them in Nice, Evann played a lot on the left in U17 and I pushed him a little to play more in the axis and to develop his qualities.remembers Laurent Bonadéi, former coach of the reserve now assistant coach of Saudi Arabia, Hervé Renard. They are a little reserved but they also have character, which is not misplaced. There is no misplaced ego, they have a concern for the collective and very often when there is one who marks the other is happy for his colleague. Suddenly, they were complementary when we played with two attackers.“Although they did not play together very often, barely more than a season in National 2 and in 2019/2020 with the pros, under the orders of Patrick Vieira, Laurent Bonadéi has an intact memory of this period. “When Ganago arrived, he brought this thirst for success, to win, this competitive spirit, he showed others that he had the slabrecalls the trainer of Jean-Kevin Augustin and Rémy Descamps. And the others, including Evann, raised their level of investment because Gana was not giving up.“
“They really helped me integrate well”
From these years of hoping to land a first professional contract, the sesame for many, the Cameroonian wants to remember the hours spent alongside his “two good friends“.”We were almost always together during the two years that I spent at the training center.rewinds the 23-year-old centre-forward. With Evann and Moustakim, it was really the best moments. We discussed and talked about everything, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Comoros, etc. We were sleeping. We spent our time doing that, playing, competing. When we went out, he advised me on the stores where I should gothey really helped me integrate well.” And their paths may well have separated at some point when Assoumani moved to Finistère and Ganago joined RC Lens
, they never stopped writing to each other, giving each other news, encouraging each other. Before two of them meet again last summer.
“There is complicity between the two even if they are in a position where there can be competition”
“Between them, it was very fraternalexplains Henrique Tavares. Their friendship was very healthy“It revolves around football, their passion turned into a profession.”I’m not surprised that there is complicity between the two even if they are in a position where there may be competition“, completes Laurent Bonadéi, who spent at OGC Nice between 2015 and 2019. For the two friends, it is now time to express it with FC Nantes so that Evann Guessand, absent in Nice this weekend in reason fora clause in his loan which prevents him from playing against the Gymconfirms its potential and that Ignatius Ganago justifies the six million euros invested to strengthen the attack of the Canaries
. And to prove that their complicity off the field can make sparks with the eight-star jersey of the French champion.