"The most important thing for me is to play and do well on the pitch"

FC Copenhagen striker Mamoudou Karamoko arrived on loan during the summer transfer window, and has started all four of our last four matches, scoring his first league goal in the NB I last Sunday against ZTE FC. We sat down to talk with him at length.

- Why did you want to be a footballer as a child?

- When I was a kid, I was a fan of Ronaldinho's game, he was the biggest influence on me. I saw how much he enjoyed playing on the pitch and I wanted to become a player like Ronaldinho - he is my role model..

- Do you think there are similarities between you?

- Personality-wise I don't think so, he's a bit crazy, partying day and night, but I'm not like that. Obviously he played at a completely different level to me, but when I play, a lot of the time his game is in front of me, which is something I want to show on the pitch.

- Have you seen him play live?

- Yes, once. If I remember correctly, I was 12 years old, but I was surrounded by so many fans that I couldn't really see.

- Did your parents support you to become a professional athlete?

- They had no say in it, but it was my dream. Anyway, I'm not the only footballer in the family, my brother is currently playing in Luxembourg. It was not an easy road to becoming a professional footballer. After playing for the Paris FC U19 team, I was transferred to the Strasbourg academy, but in the end they didn't offer me a contract, so I found myself in a difficult situation, without a club. I went to Germany for a trial with a fourth division club, where I played, and I was picked and then I was approached by Wolfsburg. I passed the tests, so Wolfsburg gave me a two-year contract. The German club has been the club with the best memories of my career so far.

- When did it become clear to you that a professional career could be a realistic goal?

- I only believed it after I signed my first professional contract with Wolfsburg. I finished high school at the age of 18, and from then on it was easier to just concentrate on football. I didn't really like school, mainly because I always wanted to move instead of sitting in class.

- Last season you also played in one match in the Champions League group stage against Manchester City. That has to be the most memorable match of your life so far?

- Yes, it will certainly remain one of the most memorable days of my career. When you hear the CL anthem and you play against players at the top level of the world, that's when you really experience the level that so many people want to get to. I believe you should always appreciate the place or the league you play in, but the Champions League is a different coffee shop.

- What are your impressions of Hungary?

- I live here in Fehérvár, which I have come to know as a very calm city, so I have nothing to complain about. The calmness of the city helps me to concentrate only on football.

- How difficult was that to get used to after Paris, a global city of over two million people?

- Indeed, Paris is the complete opposite of Orly in this respect, but to be honest, when I lived there I often felt I needed a bit of peace and quiet around me. I think that Fehérvár makes it easier for me in terms of my work, and when I want to go out once or twice a year, I can do that in Paris.

- How much time have you had to get to know the city and its surroundings?

- My day usually consists of coming to training in the morning and then going home to rest, I usually sleep for an hour or two. In the evenings I sometimes go for a walk in the city, so I've had the chance to see the city centre, and on other occasions I go out for dinner with friends.

- You've been a two-time champion in Denmark, a cup winner once, a Champions League player, played in France and Denmark, Germany and Austria. Based on this international experience, how do you see the Hungarian championship?

- I would compare football here to Austrian football, the most I have personal experience with. Like in Austria, in Hungary there is a tendency for both teams to attack with a lot of power, but this type of game is close to my heart - and in this respect the Danish league is not far behind.

- Who are your best friends in the team?

- I talk to everybody, but if I have to mention a few players, Frank Bambock, Deybi Flores, Lirim Kastrati, Kenan Kodro, Ruben Pinto and Nikola Serafimov are the ones I have the closest contact with. I felt very quickly accepted into the team, and I am also happy that I have been given a lot of playing opportunities in recent weeks.

- What is your common language with them?

- My mother tongue is French, but I also speak English and German to a greater or lesser extent. Spanish is similar to French, so when Kenan talk to others in Spanish, I can usually understand them, but I can't answer in their language (laughs).

- How much of an advantage do you feel playing football in your fifth country by the age of 24 is? You were exposed to different football cultures and leagues at a young age...

- Yes, absolutely. And as I've experienced the peculiarities of the different leagues, I've also realised what suits my game and what doesn't. I'm most comfortable in a 4-4-2 formation, where I play behind the two strikers. Besides that, I can also play on the wing or as a finishing striker in a one-striker formation. I also like 4-3-3 formations, but it's really about playing, not about the position. Overall, though, I like playing two-striker, as does Kenan.

- How much can he help you when you play together, as he has experience in the Spanish La Liga?

- He helps me with everything, and since he's the more experienced of the two of us, he also gives me advice on my game. It would be a mistake for me not to learn from him.

- What are your goals at such a young age?

- I'm always looking up and want to achieve as much as I can, but as I didn't get many opportunities at my previous club in Copenhagen, the most important thing for me now is to play and do well on the pitch. After that, my big goal is to play for Ivory Coast at the African Nations Cup in early 2024. My big dream is to make the national team, but first I need to perform consistently well.