| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | M'Baye Babacar Niang[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 19 December 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Meulan, France | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Caen | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2003 | Basse-Seine Les Mureaux | ||
| 2003–2007 | Poissy | ||
| 2007–2011 | Caen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2011– | Caen | 22 | (4) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009–2010 | France U16 | 6 | (3) |
| 2010 | France U17 | 8 | (0) |
| 2011– | France U21 | 2 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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M'Baye Babacar Niang (born 19 December 1994 in Meulan) is a French football player who plays for French club Caen in Ligue 1. He plays primarily as a striker, though his influence can extend out to the wings and the attacking midfield positions.[3] Niang is described as "a phenomenon" and "a striker out of the ordinary" and made his professional debut, at the age of 16, in April 2011 in a league match against Toulouse.[4][5] Niang made his first start the following week in a 4–0 away win over Nice.[6] On 8 May, he scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw with Lens.[7] Three days later, Niang scored the equalizing goal in another 1–1 draw, this time with Rennes. He is a France youth international having represented his nation at under-16, under-17, under-21 level.[8]
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Niang was born in Meulan, a commune in the Yvelines department of the Île-de-France region, to Senegalese parents.[8] He began his football career at the age of seven playing for local club Basse-Seine Les Mureaux. Niang spent two years at the club before being spotted by amateur club Poissy.[8] After hearing of the player through word of mouth, Niang was spotted by professional club Caen scouts Laurent Glaize and David Lasry.[8] Glaize later stated that before scouting the player, he was informed that Niang was possibly a présu, a player claiming to be younger than his actual date of birth. The claim was made primarily because of Niang's height, which stood at 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) when he was 13 years old.[4] Despite the claim, the scouts continued to pursue Niang, who was also being linked to other professional clubs in France, such as Lille and Paris Saint-Germain.[4]
Niang joined Caen's youth academy at the age of 13 after excelling at a trial, in which he scored a hat trick.[4] He quickly ascended up the club's youth hierarchy and, by the age of 15, was already featuring with the club's under-19 team.[8] Niang was described by the team's coach Philippe Tranchant as a player with "huge potential" while also stating "we’ve never seen a player like him at the club before".[4] After spending the second part of the 2009–10 season at under-19 level, Niang was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, ahead of the 2010–11 season. He made his reserve team debut on 14 August 2010 in a 0–0 draw with Avranches.[9] In the team's ensuing match against Moulins, Niang scored the only goal for the team in a 1–1 draw.[10] On 12 September, he scored both team goals in a 2–2 draw with the reserve team of professional club Lorient.[11] After becoming the team's top scorer after its first six matches, Niang began earning praise from the local media who began predicting when the player would be called up to the senior team.[8] He was also linked to several clubs abroad such as Italian club Juventus and English clubs Manchester City and Tottenham.[2] The latter club reportedly offered Caen €8 million for the player.[1]
On 18 February 2011, Niang signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Caen.[12] He was called up the senior team for the first time on 23 April 2011 for the team's league match against Toulouse that was played on the following day.[13] Niang was assigned the number 9 shirt and made his professional debut in the match appearing as a second-half substitute as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.[5] At 16 years and 114 days, Niang's appearance in the match made him the youngest player ever to appear for Caen in the club's history.[14] A week later, he made his first professional start in a 4–0 away win over Nice.[6] On 7 May, Niang scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw with Lens.[7] The goal made him the second youngest player to score a goal in Ligue 1 behind Laurent Roussey.[15] In the team's next match against Rennes, Niang appeared as a substitute and scored the equalizing goal four minutes after coming on.[16] In the team's final league match of the season against Marseille, he converted the team's second goal, which put Caen 2–0 up. Marseille later scored two unanswered goals to draw the match 2–2.[17] Niang finished the campaign with seven appearances, of which four were starts, and three league goals.
Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Niang's professional contract became subject to debate after French newspaper Le Parisien revealed that his father did not agree to the signing of the contract.[18] Due to Niang being a minor, it is required by French law that both parents of the player agree to the contract.[19] Despite reportedly being present during the signing of the contract, Niang's father, through his lawyer, threatened to begin "a procedure for revocation of the contract".[20] Despite the contract issues, Niang remained a Caen player and made his season debut on 13 August 2011 in a 2–1 win over Sochaux.[21] On 24 September, he scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–2 away win over Evian.[22]
Niang is a France youth international having represented his nation at under-16, under-17, under-21 level.[8] In December 2009, he earned his first international call-up at under-16 level under coach Patrick Gonfalone for friendly matches against Belgium. Niang made his youth international debut in the first match against Belgium in a 4–1 win.[23][24] In the second match against Belgium held two days later, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win.[25] Niang returned to the under-16 team in January 2010 to participate in the 2010 edition of the Aegean Cup in Turkey.[26] In the competition, he appeared in all four matches France contested. He scored two goals; both in group stage victories over the Czech Republic and Romania.[27][28] France won the competition after defeating the hosts 3–1 in the final to become the competition's two-time defending champions.[29] Afterwards, Niang failed to earn a call-up under Gonfalone at under-16 level, which resulted in the player missing the Montaigu Tournament.
At under-17 level, Niang was among Gonfalone's first call-ups and made his debut at a European tournament in Serbia in the team's opening group stage match against the hosts.[30] In first round qualification for the 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, he appeared in all three group stage matches as France finished the round in second-place behind Italy. Despite appearing in the team's first eight matches, Gonfalone failed to call Niang up again for the under-17 team. He, subsequently, missed both the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship and 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Due to being born in France to Senegalese parents, Niang is eligible to represent the Senegal national team at international level. In May 2011, Senegalese media reported that Niang was named to the Senegal under-23 team to participate in 2011 CAF U-23 Championship qualification matches in June 2011.[31] After this report was deemed inaccurate, in July 2011, it was reported that Niang had announced his desire to represent Senegal at senior international level.[32] Later that month, he was named to the Senegal squad to face Morocco in August.[33] On 4 August, Niang distanced himself from the reports and re-affirmed his desire to represent France at international level.[34][35] He later stated "First, I never said that I had chosen Senegal or France. The only words I have spoken is that, for now, I prefer the French youth teams".[36]
On the same day after reaffirming his decision to represent France, Niang bypassed three international levels and was called up to the France under-21 team by coach Erick Mombaerts to participate in a three-day training camp at the Clairefontaine academy.[37] In September 2011, he was called up for the second consecutive time by Mombaerts for a 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification match against Latvia on 2 September and a friendly against Portugal on 5 September.[38] He made his under-21 debut in the qualifier against Latvia appearing as a substitute in the 72nd minute. After 15 minutes on the field, Niang scored his first goal for the team. France won the match 3–0.[39]
(Correct as of 18 December 2011)
| Club | Season | League | Cup[nb 1] | Europe[nb 2] | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Caen | 2010–11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 | |
| Career total | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 | |
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