Best of UEFA European Football Championship

The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as 2020 UEFA European Championship, UEFA Euro 2020, or simply Euro 2020, is the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Europe organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The tournament, being held in 11 cities in 11 UEFA countries, was originally scheduled from 12 June to 12 July 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and rescheduled for 11 June to 11 July 2021. It retains the name “UEFA Euro 2020”.  Portugal are the defending champions, having won the 2016 competition in France, and the video assistant referee (VAR) system makes its debut at the European Championship in this tournament.

UEFA President Michel Platini said in 2012 that the tournament was to be hosted in several nations as a “romantic” one-off event to celebrate the 60th “birthday” of the European Championship competition. Having the largest capacity of any of the stadiums entered for the competition, Wembley Stadium in London is scheduled to host the semi-finals and final for the second time, having done so before at the 1996 tournament in the stadium’s former incarnation. The Stadio Olimpico in Rome was chosen to host the opening game, involving Turkey and hosts Italy. Originally to be played at 13 venues, two hosts were later removed: Brussels in December 2017 due to the abandonment of building the Eurostadium,and Dublin in April 2021 as there was no guarantee that spectators could attend. Spain also changed their host city from Bilbao to Seville to allow an audience at matches.

On 31 March 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of a maximum of five substitutions in matches at the tournament (with a sixth allowed in extra time). However, each team are only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity allowed in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time. The use of five substitutes has been permitted by IFAB during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the resulting fixture congestion, which has created a greater burden on players. At the start of April 2021, UEFA also said they were considering allowing tournament squads to be expanded from the usual 23 players, following calls from national team managers in case of a possible COVID outbreak in a team, as well as to reduce player fatigue caused by the fixture congestion of the prior season. On 27 April, it was reported that the UEFA National Team Competitions Committee had approved the expansion of squads to 26 players, subject to confirmation by the UEFA Executive Committee. On 4 May 2021, the executive committee confirmed the use of 26-player squads. However, teams still may only name a maximum of 23 players on the match sheet for each tournament fixture (of which 12 are substitutes), in line with the Laws of the Game. These 23 must include three goalkeepers. It was also announced that after each team’s first match, goalkeepers may still be replaced due to physical incapacity, even if the other goalkeepers from the squad are still available.

Of the 24 teams that qualified for the tournament, 19 are returning from the 2016 edition. Among them are Belgium and Italy, who both recorded flawless qualifying campaigns (10 wins in 10 matches),   defending European champions Portugal and world champions France, with Germany also qualifying for a record 13th straight European Championship. Finland and North Macedonia will make their European Championship debut, having never previously qualified for a major tournament.  Scotland, a co-host of the tournament, qualified for their first major international tournament since the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and their first European Championship since 1996. The Netherlands and Denmark returned after missing out in 2016, with the Dutch featuring in a major tournament for the first time since the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For the first time, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Wales reached successive European Championship tournaments. Greece, winners in 2004, were the only former champions that failed to qualify, missing their second straight European Championship and third consecutive major tournament.[89] Albania, Iceland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Romania failed to qualify after appearing in the 2016 finals. Of the 11 host countries, seven managed to qualify directly for the tournament, while Hungary and Scotland qualified via the play-offs. Romania were eliminated in the semi-finals of the play-offs,  and Azerbaijan were eliminated following the qualifying group stage. The Republic of Ireland, originally selected as a tournament host, were also eliminated in the semi-finals of the play-offs, but were later stripped of their hosting rights.

Source : Wikipedia

 

Kolo Touré

Kolo Habib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Liverpool and the Ivory Coast national team as a central defender. He previously played for Manchester City and Arsenal, where he was a member of the famous ‘invincibles’ side of the 2003–04 season. He is the elder brother of Manchester City’s Yaya Touré and Al-Nasr Benghazi‘s Ibrahim Touré.

Arsenal

Born in Bouake, Touré joined Premier League team Arsenal in February 2002 from ASEC Mimosas for a fee of £150,000 after a short trial. His status as a full international meant Touré was able to secure a British work permit. Touré did not make his debut for the first team until the next season, against Liverpool in the FA Community Shield in August 2002.^[3] Initially regarded as a utility player, he started his Arsenal career as a defensive midfielder as well as in right back. He scored his first Arsenal goal at Stamford Bridge in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea.^[4] Arsenal failed to retain the Premiership crown that season, but Touré made a big step in his career nonetheless, winning the FA Cup as an unused substitute in the final.

 

At the start of the 2003–04 season, Wenger began using Touré as a central defender alongside Sol Campbell. He formed a terrific partnership with Campbell and had a great season during which Arsenal were undefeated in the league, claiming the title. He, having previously been a striker or attacking midfielder, made a reputation for himself as being an attacking defender, although he only scored one goal and had one assist. Touré was in and out of the Arsenal team during the 2004–05 season, battling for a first team place with the likes of Philippe Senderos and Pascal Cygan to play alongside Sol Campbell in defence. Touré ended the season with a FA Cup winners medal playing 50 times for Arsenal that season and scoring one goal. His only goal of the 2004–05 season came in the 90th minute of Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League last 16 round tie against Bayern Munich of Germany. Arsenal lost the game 3–1.

 

Touré quickly established himself as one of the best centre backs in the Premier League.^{[citation needed]} He established himself as a permanent fixture in the Arsenal starting XI and as a fan favourite. In the 2005–06 season, he established a formidable defensive partnership with Senderos. Both centre backs had immaculate form towards the end of the season, helping the Arsenal team reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final after keeping 10 consecutive clean sheets (a European competition record).

Touré scored his second European goal on 19 April 2006, the winner in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Villarreal CF. It was the final European goal scored at Highbury and the goal that effectively decided the tie (Arsenal won 1–0 on aggregate), to send Arsenal through to their first ever Champions League Final in Paris, France. Touré was handed the number 5 shirt for the 2006–07 season, which had been vacant since the departure of Martin Keown. In August 2006, Touré signed a new four-year deal with Arsenal worth around £70,000 a week.^{[citation needed]}

 

Touré was the junior vice-captain in the 2006–07 season after former vice-captain Gilberto Silva and former captain Thierry Henry. He captained Arsenal for the first time on 9 January 2007 during a 6–3 victory over Liverpool in the League Cup. He also led the Gunners out for the final of this competition, having also captained them in the semi-final first leg against Tottenham Hotspur. He became the longest-serving member of the current Arsenal squad following the departures of Jérémie Aliadière, Thierry Henry and Fredrik Ljungberg during the summer transfer window in 2007. He also captained Arsenal in a string of games early in the 2007–08 season after captain William Gallas was injured in the game against Blackburn Rovers.

 

He scored a free kick in a match against Bolton Wanderers, where his shot was low and went under two Bolton players and beat Jussi Jääskeläinen. However, during the Africa Cup of Nations, he suffered an injury and looked a bit out of place when he returned and then injured himself again in the Champions League against A.C. Milan when he blocked Alexandre Pato‘s shot with his leg and was carried off the pitch after treatment. Touré returned to the starting lineup against Middlesbrough on 15 March and scored the equalising goal for Arsenal in the final 10 minutes. On 13 April 2009, Touré demanded a move away from Arsenal after a reputed bust-up with defensive partner Gallas. He reportedly handed in a transfer request which was later turned down by Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood.^[5] However, Touré temporarily reversed his decision and committed to the Gunners at least until the summer.^[6]

Samir Nasri

Samir Nasri (born 26 June 1987) is a French international footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical ability, creativity, pace, and ability to read the game.^[3][4] Of Algerian heritage, he is described as a player whose “vision and imagination make him an unpredictable opponent”.^[5] His playing style, ability, and cultural background have drawn comparisons to French legend Zinedine Zidane.^[6][7]

Nasri began his football career playing for local youth clubs in his hometown of Marseille. At the age of nine, he joined professional club Olympique de Marseille and spent the next seven years developing in the club’s youth academy at La Commanderie, the club’s training center. In the 2004–05 season, Nasri made his professional debut in September 2004 at the age of 17 against Sochaux. In the following season, he became a regular starter in the team and also participated in European competition for the first time after playing in the 2005–06 edition of the UEFA Cup. In the 2006–07 campaign, Nasri won the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award and was also named to the Team of the Year. He finished his career with Marseille amassing over 160 appearances. He played in the teams that reached back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 2006 and 2007.

 

In June 2008, Nasri joined Premier League club Arsenal agreeing to a four-year contract. He reached prominence with the team in his third season winning the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Fans’ Player of the Month award on three occasions and being named to the association’s Team of the Year. In December 2010, he was named the French Player of the Year for his performances during the calendar year.^[8] In August 2011, after three seasons with Arsenal, Nasri joined Manchester City on a four-year contract. In his first season with the club, he won his first major honour as a player as the club won the 2011–12 edition of the Premier League. Nasri is a former French youth international and has represented his nation at every level for which he was eligible. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played on the under-17 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. Nasri made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a friendly match against Austria. Two months later, he scored his first senior international goal in a 1–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying win over Georgia. Nasri has represented France at two major international tournaments: UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2012.

Personal life

Nasri was born in Septèmes-les-Vallons, a northern suburb of the Marseille, to French nationals of Algerian descent.^[9][10] His mother, Ouassila Ben Saïd, and father, Abdelhafid Nasri, were both born in France; his father being born and raised in Marseille, while his mother being from nearby Salon-de-Provence.^[10][11] Nasri’s grandparents emigrated to France from Algeria.^[12] His mother is a housewife and his father previously worked as a bus driver before becoming his son’s personal manager. At the start of his football career, Nasri initially played under his mother’s surname, Ben Saïd, before switching to Nasri, his father’s surname, following his selection to the France under-16 team.^[13] He is the eldest of four children and is a non-practising Muslim.^[14] Nasri has a younger sister named Sonia and twin brothers named Walid and Malik.^[10] All four were raised in La Gavotte Peyret. After joining Arsenal in England, Nasri settled in Hampstead, a district of North London.^[15]

Club career

Early career

While growing up in La Gavotte Peyret, Nasri grew an attraction to the sport of football at a young age.^[7] He regularly played the sport on the streets where he learned many of his skills. Upon noticing his prodigious talent, his parents signed him up to play with the local club in his hometown. Nasri spent one year playing with the club in La Gavotte Peyret before moving to Pennes Mirabeau in nearby Mirabeau at the age of seven. While playing with Pennes, Nasri was discovered by Marseille scout Freddy Assolen who had been informed of the player’s talent through local word of mouth.^[10][16] After noticing Nasri’s skill in person, Assolen recruited the player to travel with a group of other young players to Italy to participate in a youth tournament where they would play against the youth academies of Milan and Juventus. Nasri impressed at the tournament and Assolen was jokingly told by a Milan scout that “he (Nasri) stays here, you leave him”.^[10] After returning to France, Marseille officials organized a meeting with the player’s father and the group agreed to allow Nasri insertion into the club’s academy at the age of nine.

Marseille

 

Upon entering the Marseille youth academy, Nasri quickly impressed. Upon moving to Bastide, where the club’s youth players reside, his style of play began to take shape. In 2007, Nasri admitted that the move to Bastide really helped his game stating, “That’s where I really started to progress. Training was different and the facilities are beautiful, all of which helps you work well.”^[16] As a result of his quick progression, Nasri was an integral part of every youth team he was a part of winning several trophies, such as the Championnat de Provence, Coupe de Provence, and the Ligue de la Méditerranée. After spending most of the 2003–04 season playing with the club’s under-18 team, for the latter part of the season, the now 16-year old Nasri was promoted to the club’s reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. He appeared primarily as a substitute in a few matches during the campaign as the reserve team failed to rebound from its bad start to the season, which resulted in a 16th place finish and relegation to the Championnat de France amateur 2.^[17]

Debut season

Ahead of the 2004–05 season, several clubs were reported to be interested in signing Nasri, most notably English clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle.^[18] In an effort to decrease the speculation, Nasri was offered a three-year professional contract by Marseille officials led by president Pape Diouf and manager José Anigo. On 13 August 2004, Nasri agreed to the contract. Marseille officials had been eager to sign Nasri to a contract in an attempt to not undergo a situation similar to the departure of Mathieu Flamini, in which the player departed the club without Marseille receiving any compensation.^[19] As a result of his professsional contract, Nasri was promoted to the senior team by Anigo and assigned the number 22 shirt. He began the season playing on the club’s reserve team and appeared in four matches before earning a call up to the senior team in September 2004.^[20] Nasri made his professional debut on 12 September in a 2–0 league defeat to Sochaux appearing as a substitute for Bruno Cheyrou.^[21] On 17 October, he made his first professional start playing the entire match in a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne.^[22] Nasri featured heavily within the team under Anigo and later Philippe Troussier. In the team’s first match following the winter break, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 away victory over Lille.^[23] Nasri finished his rookie campaign with 25 total appearances, one goal, and two assists.

Zinedine Zidane

 

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (French pronunciation: ​[zinedin zidan], born 23 June 1972) is a French assistant coach and sporting director at Real Madrid, and a retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for the French national team, Juventus and Real Madrid.^[3][4] Renowned for his elegance, vision and technique, Zidane was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years by UEFA,^[5] and has been described as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}At club level Zidane won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned sides. On the international stage Zidane won 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 with France. Amongst his personal accolades Zidane has won the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, and the Ballon D’Or once. He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 1996, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2001 and La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2002. He was awarded the Euro 2000 Player of the tournament and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball. He retired from professional football after the 2006 World Cup.

Early life and career

Zidane is of Kabyle Berber descent.^[11][12] His parents, Smaïl and Malika, emigrated to Paris from the village of Aguemoune in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylie in northern Algeria in 1953 before the start of the Algerian War. The family, which had settled in the city’s tough northern districts of Barbès and Saint-Denis, found little work in the region, and in the mid-1960s moved to the northern Marseille suburb of La Castellane. On 23 June 1972, Zidane was born there as the youngest of five siblings. His father Smaïl worked as a warehouseman at a department store, often on the night shift, while his mother was a housewife.^[11] The family live a reasonably comfortable life by the standards of the neighborhood, which was notorious throughout Marseille for its high crime and unemployment rates.^[12]

 

It was in La Castellane that Zidane had his earliest introduction to football, joining in at the age of five in football games that the neighbourhood’s children played on the Place Tartane, an 80-by-12-yard plaza that served as the main square of the housing complex.^[13] In July 2011, Zidane named former Olympique Marseille players Blaž Slišković, Enzo Francescoli and Jean-Pierre Papin as his idols while growing up.^[14][15]At the age of ten, Zidane got his first player’s license after joining the junior team of a local club from La Castellane by the name of US Saint-Henri. After spending a year and a half at US Saint-Henri, Zidane joined SO Septèmes-les-Vallons when the Septèmes coach Robert Centenero convinced the club’s Director to get Zidane. Zidane stayed with Septèmes until the age of fourteen, at which time he was selected to attend a three-day training camp at the CREPS (Regional Centre for Sports and Physical Education) in Aix-en-Provence, one of several such footballing institutes run by the French Football Federation. It was here that Zidane was spotted by AS Cannes scout, and former player, Jean Varraud who recommended him to the training center director of the club.^[16]

Club career

Cannes

Zidane went to Cannes for a six-week stay, but ended up remaining at the club for four years to play at the professional level. Having left his family at the age of fourteen to join Cannes, he was invited by Cannes director Jean-Claude Elineau, to leave the dormitory he shared with 20 other trainees and to come and stay with him and his family. Zidane later said that it was in living with the Elineaus that he found equilibrium.^[11]

 

Zidane made his professional debut with Cannes on 18 May 1989 at the age of sixteen in a Ligue 1 match against Nantes.^[17] He scored his first goal for the club on 10 February 1991^[18] also against Nantes in a 2–1 win. After the match during a party for all the Cannes players, Zidane was gifted a car by Cannes chairman Alain Pedretti, who had promised him one the day he scored his first goal for the club.^[19] On the pitch, Zidane displayed extraordinary technique on the ball, offering glimpses of the talent that would take him to the top of the world game.^[16] In his first full season with Cannes, the club secured its first ever European football berth by qualifying for the UEFA Cup after finishing 4th in the league. This remains the club’s highest finish in the top flight since getting relegated for the first time from the first division in the 1948–49 season.^[20]

Bordeaux

Zidane was transferred to Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1992–93 season, winning the 1995 Intertoto Cup,^[21] and finishing runner-up in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup in four years with the club. He played a set of midfield combinations with Bixente Lizarazu and Christophe Dugarry, which would become the trademark of both Bordeaux and the 1998 French national team. In 1995, Blackburn Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish had expressed interest in signing both Zidane and Dugarry, to which team owner and chairman Jack Walker reportedly replied, “Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?”^[22] Also towards the beginning of the 1996 season, according to football agent Barry Silkman, Zidane was offered to Newcastle United for £1.2 million, but the club turned down the offer after watching him, claiming that he was not good enough for the First Division.^[23] In 1996, Zidane received the award for Ligue 1 Player of the Year.^[24]

Juventus

After a series of consistently outstanding performances for both Bordeaux and France, Zidane had offers to join Europe’s top clubs in the spring of 1996, deciding on a move to UEFA Champions League winners Juventus during the close season.^[26] Zidane’s impact in Italy was immediate, and won the 1996–97 Serie A title and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup.^[27] He lost in the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund when he was unable to make an impression against the close marking of Paul Lambert.^[28][29][30] The following season, Zidane netted 7 goals in 32 matches in the league to help Juventus win the 1997–98 Serie A and thus retain the Scudetto. In Europe, Juventus made their third consecutive UEFA Champions League Final appearance, but lost the game 1–0 to Real Madrid, a club Zidane would later join. In 1998 Zidane was named FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the Ballon D’Or. Juventus finished second in the 2000–01 Serie A, but were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League, after Zidane was banned for head-butting Hamburger SV player Jochen Kientz.^[31] In 2001, Zidane was named Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year for the second time.

Abou Diaby

Vassiriki Abou Diaby (French pronunciation: ​[abu djabi]; born 11 May 1986), known as Abou Diaby, is a French footballer of Ivorian descent who plays for English club Arsenal in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as a box-to-box central midfielder, as he is adept in both attack and defence, and is described as a player who is “languid, elusive, and athletic” that can either “dribble past opponents or slip passes to team-mates”.^[3] Of Ivorian descent, Diaby also possesses “superb touch” and “excellent close control”, however on the negative front, he often struggles with repetitive injuries, a problem that has existed since his time in France.^[3][4] His physical appearance and positional preference have evoked comparisons to Arsenal legend and compatriot Patrick Vieira.^[5][6]

 

Diaby was born in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, but was raised in the Parisian commune of Aubervilliers. He began his football career playing for hometown club CM Aubervilliers. In 1998, he joined Red Star Paris. A year later, Diaby was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. He spent four years at the academy while simultaneously training with Red Star. A year before departing Clairefontaine, Diaby moved to professional club Paris Saint-Germain. Following an administrative error by club officials which made Diaby a free agent, he joined the academy of Auxerre. He spent two years in the club’s youth academy before making his professional debut in the 2004–05 season. Diaby also played in the UEFA Cup with the club. After spending the fall portion of the 2005–06 season with Auxerre, in January 2006, Diaby signed with English club Arsenal on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut with the club that same month and scored his first goal three months later against Aston Villa. Diaby suffered a severe ankle fracture 5 months after joining Arsenal, and has since struggled with numerous injuries.

 

Diaby is a former French youth international having earned caps at under-19 and under-21 level. Prior to playing for the senior team, he played on the under-19 team that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Diaby made his senior international debut in March 2007 in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Lithuania. He has represented France at one major international tournament; the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Diaby participated in all three group stage matches the team played as a starter.

Personal life

Diaby was born in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, but was raised in a housing development in Aubervilliers, a northeastern suburb of Paris. He is the son of a long-distance truck driver and developed an interest into the sport of football after becoming fascinated by several players who played on the 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning team, most notably midfield stalwart Patrick Vieira, whom Diaby describes as “a monument to French football”.^[7] Diaby was also adept at playing other sports such as basketball and boxing. Of Ivorian descent, Diaby is a practicing Muslim and, while growing up, developed a fascination towards the subjects of religion, philosophy, science, and astronomy.^[7] Diaby became interested in accountancy after taking a course at the age of 17, while he was at the Auxerre youth academy.^[7]

Club career

Early career

Diaby began his football career playing for hometown club CM Aubervilliers in December 1996. While at Aubervilliers, Diaby was coached by David Giguère and Alain Mboma, the latter now serving as the manager of Red Star Paris.^[8] After two years at the club, Diaby’s quick progression at the amateur club led to a move to nearby semi-professional outfit Red Star Paris in Saint-Ouen. While in the club’s youth academy, Diaby was supervised by youth academy director Yves-Henri Gergaud and was described by club youth coach Marco Lienel as a player who was “fairly quiet and quite frail”.^[9] Diaby started his career at the club playing on its under-13 team in the Division Honneur Régionale of the Île-de-France region.^[8] After spending a year playing with Red Star, in 1999, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy.^[10] While at Clairefontaine, Diaby was a part of A la Clairefontaine, a documentary series which chronicled the lives of the France’s top young footballers during their time at the academy.^[11][12] During the series, an episode showed Diaby getting into a physical confrontation with Hatem Ben Arfa.^[13]

Auxerre

2002–2004

Towards the end of his development at Clairefontaine, Diaby departed Red Star to play domestic football with professional club Paris Saint-Germain, despite being a supporter of Marseille.^[14] He spent a year at the Camp des Loges, the club’s training center, from 2001–2002. After his departure from Clairefontaine, Diaby was expected to sign a youth contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Club officials wanted to keep the player, however, the club’s human resources department failed to send a “letter of commitment” to Diaby’s parents ahead of the 30 April 2002 deadline, which resulted in the player becoming a free agent.^[15] Diaby was hastily recruited by Auxerre scouts and he joined the club’s academy ahead of the 2002–03 season. In his first season in the club’s youth academy, he won the Division d’Honneur des 16 ans, the under-16 league title of the Bourgogne region.^[16]

 

During the 2003–04 season, Diaby alternated between playing on the club’s under-19 team in the Coupe Gambardella and playing on the club’s reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football. During the reserve team season, he played on the team alongside future Arsenal teammate Bacary Sagna, as well as Younes Kaboul, Hassan Yebda, Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé, and former Clairefontaine classmate Garra Dembélé. Diaby finished the season with the team with 11 appearances and one goal as the team finished first in its group.^[17] After the season, he signed his first professional contract with the club agreeing to a three-year deal. Manager Guy Roux subsequently promoted Diaby to the first team and assigned him the number 24 shirt.

2004–2006

Similar to the previous season, Diaby regularly trained with the first team, while concurrently featuring as a starter on the club’s reserve team.^[18] He made his professional debut on 14 August 2004 appearing as a substitute in a 3–1 league win over Rennes.^[19] After making his debut for the club, Diaby spent the rest of the fall season either playing on the club’s reserve team or dealing with injuries. He returned to the team in March 2005 making his European debut in the team’s UEFA Cup Round of 16 first leg tie against domestic rivals Lille.^[20] Diaby appeared in both legs as a substitute as Auxerre won the round 1–0 on aggregate. The club later lost in the quarterfinals to Russian club CSKA Moscow. Diaby made his first professional start on 20 March against his former youth club Paris Saint-Germain. He played 74 minutes before being substituted out in a 1–0 loss.^[21] Diaby made three more appearances as a substitute to close out the season.

 

Following the season, Roux retired as manager of Auxerre after managing the club for 44 straight seasons. He was replaced with former France national team coach Jacques Santini. During the season, Diaby featured early on during the campaign, but as the fall season wore on, he struggled with injuries, which subsequently, led to the playing failing to gain the confidence of Santini.^[22][23] Unlike fellow youngsters Sagna and Kaboul who were quickly establishing themselves at their respective positions, Diaby only featured in five league matches during the first half of the season. The midfielder did score his first professional goal on 10 September 2005 in a 3–1 loss to Rennes.^[24] In Europe, Diaby featured as a starter in the team’s first round defeat to Bulgarian club Levski Sofia in the UEFA Cup.^[25][26] Midway through the campaign, Diaby was deemed surplus to requirements by management. Following the sale of the player, vice-president Gérard Bourgoin declared that “We have always kept the young players which our coach wanted to use, but Diaby did not play, so this was a strategic sale for us”.^[27]