Marseille's Samassa Picks Mali Ahead Of France
OM's young striker has decided to star for Mali and not France, where he was born.
5 Jan 2009 03:37:40
The 22-year-old Mamadou Samassa said: "After some reflections, I have decided to feature for my country of origin. I'm now ready to wear the colours of Mali."
He has already represented France at Under-21 level six times, scoring three goals. He signed for Olympique Marseille last summer after four years at Le Mans.
Samassa, who was born in Paris, spent the recent holidays in Bamako to see things for himself and met with the Mali coach, Stephen Keshi.
The forward, who made his debut for Le Mans at the tender age of 17, said his decision was helped by the encouragement he received from compatriot and Juventus midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.
One of Mali's top stars, Frederic Kanoute, also had the chance to play for France, as he was born there, but eventually chose his fatherland.
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