From Guinea to Belo Horizonte: Mamady Cissé’s journey, the youngster dreaming of the Gran Conquista

Mamady Cissé’s story is one of meteoric growth, filled with different elements that enrich the young midfielder’s journey to the present day, where he has established himself as an important member of the Atlético Mineiro side managed by Argentine coach Eduardo Domínguez.

“The first difficulty we encountered was that he did not speak Portuguese. We immediately hired Benjamín Lelaid as an interpreter to accompany him on a daily basis and teach him the language,” explains Luiz Carlos Azeve, Mineiro’s Youth Football Director, in an interview with GALO TV. “I remember going to pick him up at the airport. He was a very quiet, very shy boy. In Guinea, he spoke two dialects as well as French, so he is very comfortable in three languages, and that helped him gradually take on another one,” says Lelaid.

From his earliest days at Academia Atouga Foot in Conakry, Cissé found in football a passport to the future. “Guinea is a country that really loves football. I lived there with my parents in humble circumstances. I started playing and left school to focus on this 100 per cent. My earliest memories are linked to football, and so are my friendships. The day I was in Nigeria and they told me I was going to Atlético, I was very happy. I found a lot of support here. Benjamín (Lelaid) helped me a lot at the beginning, with 15- or 30-minute lessons so I could gradually learn the language, because when I first arrived I couldn’t understand anything,” says Cissé.

He joined the club in May 2025 and was integrated into the youth ranks to understand the ‘Alvinegro’ set-up, experience day-to-day life at a giant of Brazilian football and avoid the difficulties of suddenly adapting to elite-level competition. Nine months later, through hard work and strong performances, he made his first start for the ‘Galo’, earning his first call-up to the Guinea national team.

His debut for the national side, in a friendly against Togo, did not disappoint: he came on in the 80th minute and six minutes later scored the goal that helped Guinea draw 2-2 at the Prince Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, the Moroccan capital.