“Constantly exceptional”: Lassine Sinayoko, the Ligue 1 sensation who transcends Paris FC

Pierre Ferracci prolongs the pleasure. After a vibrant tribute before the match, two separate tifos and a quarter of an hour spent among the Lutetias ultras, the outgoing president of Paris FC, twenty years at the club including almost two thirds at its head, took advantage at the foot of the Gilardi stand. He is teased by his players, including Lassine Sinayoko, with a smile on his face and quick to let the future ex-president take the spotlight, while he is coming off a major performance, once again, which scattered AS Monaco (3-1 victory).

In the cold of the capital, on an autumn Sunday disguised as winter, the Franco-Malian warmed hearts. He opened the scoring after forcing a Monegasque error through his pressing (38th), beat Eric Dier in the race before finishing with composure (44th) and showed his quality with the ball and his foresight to offer a goal to Pablo Pagis (74th). Starter, main course, dessert. The 19,000 souls at the Jean-Bouin stadium quite logically gave him a standing ovation when he left (79th).

Statistics worthy of Mbappé

“Since the start of the season, he has been consistently exceptional,” greeted his coach Liam Rosenior. The former Auxerrois, recruited for 7.5 million euros last summer, had already scored a hat-trick against Marseille (2-3 on September 6) as well as two goals and two assists against Rennes (4-3 on October 18). He is the top scorer in Ligue 1 (8) and the second best passer (5). Better: only Raphinha (18), Lamine Yamal (17) and Kylian Mbappé (14) have been involved in more goals than him in the five major European championships.

The figures are frightening for the man who was content with 12 goals and 4 assists in 32 L1 matches last season at AJA, who he will meet again this Saturday at Abbé-Deschamps. “Everyone will talk about the goals, but what I especially appreciated was his attitude,” Rosenior emphasized. he works so hard. He’s so unselfish in his pressing and the way he defends for the team.” His teammate Diego Coppola corroborated: “We all see what he does. He is strong, he scores, delivers assists, but above all he works for the team.

Unfailing lucidity

Questioned in the mixed zone, the main person concerned did not speak about his personal situation, redoubled his “we” to highlight an entire group. However, he could have praised his insolent consistency, his dazzling progress at 26 (27 in a month) and his expanded range as an attacker. Against Rennes, he scored with an acrobatic return, and caused then converted a penalty at the end of the match. Against OM, header and again from the penalty spot in the final minutes, despite the pressure from the Vélodrome.

His statistics are the result of a lucidity reserved for elite attackers, and a lot of work on “his positioning” as Rosenior explained. A native of Bamako, a child of Val-d'Oise where he set foot at the age of one, the Malian international (32 caps, 11 goals) is today the standard bearer of Paris FC, 4th in Ligue 1. The club now chaired by Antoine Arnault, bought by his family with the support of Red Bull two years ago, would be on the podium of the championship budgets.