Five months after departing Auxerre, relegated to Ligue 2, M’Baye Niang is experiencing an exciting revival of his career with Adana Demirspor in Turkey.
Leaving France this summer in relative obscurity, a year after Bordeaux’s inevitable descent to Ligue 2, M’Baye Niang found himself in uncertainty in June. Following a challenging season with newly-promoted Auxerre, the Senegalese international (23 caps, 4 goals) couldn’t prevent another relegation for his club. Without dwelling on setbacks, the former Rennes player ultimately found an exit route in Turkey, joining Adana Demirspor. Far from being a burial ground.
Since his arrival on the Bosphorus, the 28-year-old forward has been netting goals, reminiscent of his heights, especially during his time at Stade Rennais. Alongside Nani, Mario Balotelli, and other former Ligue 1 players like Yusuf Sari (ex-OM, once a target for OL), Arber Zeneli, Benjamin Stambouli, Edouard Michut, and Younès Belhanda, the Stade Malherbe de Caen academy graduate quickly adapted to his new environment. He is currently the top scorer for his club with eight goals in the Super Lig.
Eyeing the AFCON?
While Mario Balotelli initially held the spotlight at Adana, his injury reshuffled the cards since October. In football, yesterday’s truth is rarely today’s reality, and it’s hard to imagine coach Serkan Damla sidelining Niang, now his designated number 9 (having replaced Patrick Kluivert abruptly, who was dismissed in early December). This is especially true as the ambitious president Murat Sancak, who pledged to bring in big names after their promotion to the Super Lig in 2021 (and delivered on that promise), has propelled the team into the upper echelons of the league.
A few months after their impressive 4th-place finish, Adana Demirspor continues to dream of European ambitions. Despite a recent streak of five winless matches, the goal remains to match or surpass last season’s performance, where they lost in the Europa Conference League playoffs against Genk. This ambition aligns with M’Baye Niang’s aspirations, who hasn’t tasted the thrill of continental competitions since Rennes’ 2020/2021 Champions League campaign. With such stellar performances, he might also earn a recall to the national team, especially with Senegal participating in the AFCON in January – a timely call-up indeed.
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