PSG and Italy starlet Cher Ndour has spoken in detail with Il Corriere dello Sport ahead of the final of the U19 European Championships between the Azzurrini their Portuguese counterparts, assessing his side’s hopes and revealing his footballing inspirations.
Ndour, 18, described as a giant in midfield thanks to his 1.9m height, agreed a deal to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer, leaving Benfica, whom he joined as a 15-year-old in 2020.
“I’m at the best club in the world and it’s a great honour for me,” he told Il Corriere. “They looked out for me, they wanted me and I promised I would go to Paris as European champion. Now, only the last step is missing. At PSG I can continue to grow with the help of great players around me, I can’t wait.”
Ndour was asked how Italy have managed to reach the final after a rocky start in the group stages.
“With a fantastic 3-2 win over Spain,” he replied. “A beautiful game and one where we showed we are second to none.”
The teenager was suspended for the semi-final against Spain after accumulating one too many yellow cards throughout the tournament. Asked how he coped with watching on from the sidelines, he responded: “Terribly. When you’re in the stands, time goes by so slowly. My team-mates were great.”
Italy will play against Portugal in the final on Sunday evening. They have already faced off in the group stages, when Portugal ran out 5-0 victors.
Recalling the unfortunate result at the beginning of the month, Ndour said: “It was a cursed game, also affected by the sending off.
“We can make history, we’ve always said that to each other. We fought a lot to be here, suffering in the first stage of qualification, eliminating Belgium and Germany in the second, qualifying from the group and then overcoming the favourites Spain to reach the final.”
Some have suggested that Italy may be inclined to deploy more defensive tactics this time out against Portugal, but Ndour doesn’t believe that will be necessary: “We always play attacking. It’s a final, a crazy opportunity, we want to dominate the match. We’ll go on the pitch and give everything, right from the start.
“I am friends with many of them, in particular with the three guys who have been with me at Benfica: Nuno Felix, Diogo Prioste and Hugo Felix. They have so many great players and they are so good at dribbling. We have to stop them from doing that. It will take concentration and aggression.”
Ndour also gave his assessment on Italy’s emerging talents and the opportunities they are given in first team set-ups across Europe.
“The talent is certainly there, otherwise we wouldn’t have made a final of the U19 European Championship and one at the U20 World Cup,” he told Il Corriere.
“Young players rarely play regularly for top clubs, that’s true. I think an idea could be to follow the path of Juve and also recently of Atalanta, to have an U23 team in a competitive league such as Serie C or even Serie B, rather than sending them on loan.
“I left home at 15. But I was very determined. Benfica is an exceptional club with young players. I have grown a lot both from a football and human point of view.”
Ndour, like Sandro Tonali, was born and raised in Brescia, representing the club’s academy before leaving for Portugal three years ago. He tips Tonali to do well following his record-breaking move to Newcastle.
“Sandro is great, and he will also do very well in the Premier League. Maybe in the future we can play against each other, or wear the national team shirt together. I remember when I was a kid and in Brescia they always spoke about him.”
Finally, Ndour revealed who his idols are on the pitch. Those inspirations have changed in recent years after a shift in his position.
“Cristiano Ronaldo, also because as a child I played winger or striker. Then mister Valenti moved me to midfield. Now I’m inspired by Pogba, due to his characteristics I can play that type of football and I like playing all positions in midfield.”