The long love story between Youssou Ndour and football

Youssou Ndour, the king of mbalax is a legend in many ways. His multidimensional career is also crossed by football, the king of sports. A logical consequence for two essential aspects of Senegalese life.

Between Youssou Ndour and football, it’s a long love story. And the climax undoubtedly arrived in 1998, during the World Cup in France. The organizing committee of the 1998 World Cup, led by Michel Platini, chose him to compose the official anthem of the event. He then invited the Belgian singer Axelle Red for a duet on “La Cour des Grands (À ton turn de voix)”. The English title of the song is “Do You Mind If I Play”.

On June 10, 1998, during the opening ceremony, the song made history at the Stade de France. In front of nearly 80,000 spectators and hundreds of millions of television viewers, the two artists brought the anthem to life in a grandiose setting. In the middle of the pitch, Youssou Ndour and Axelle Red sing the official anthem of the competition live.

The message is one of unity rather than victory. Unlike many sports anthems that focus on competition, the song emphasizes unity, respect and sharing. At the time, few African artists had benefited from such visibility at the World Cup. Four years later, Senegal beat reigning world champions France in the opening match of 2002, before reaching the quarter-finals. Many see the 1998 performance and the 2002 epic as two founding moments in Senegal’s influence.

A footballer’s dream

Youssou Ndour is not just a singer who loves football. He told the sports newspaper Record that, at a very young age, he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. What inhabits him, he says, goes beyond practice: it is the spirit of sport and fair play.

His passion shows in his actions. He cut short a tour in Toulouse to go to Rabat for the CAF Awards. He also experienced the Lions CAN finals up close. In 2002, he wanted to go to Bamako and rented a plane. In 2019, he left Dakar for Cairo. In an interview with Radio Foot Internationale after the 2022 coronation, he says he spent the night crisscrossing Dakar, where everyone was transfigured by joy.

Songs for Lions

Yousou Ndour dedicated several pieces to the Senegal national team: “Ni ngi ànd ak yéen”, a colorful clip displaying the selfies of around a hundred supporters, released the year before CAN 2019; “Gaïnde” an official song of the Senegal team for the 2018 World Cup, signed with Black M; “We did it” (with his son Nelson), a title revealed during the “All behind the Lions” evening on TFM, before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; “Senegal Rekk”, an anthem available in three versions (original, remixed and Arena) in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup, with the message “All behind the Lions, yesterday, today and tomorrow”.

From “La Cour des Grands” to “Senegal Rekk”, the thread is the same. Youssou Ndour puts his notoriety at the service of a collective dream, which cannot be reduced to a result. Music has accompanied Senegalese football for years, and Youssou Ndour is one of its most constant faces.

Oumar Boubacar NDONGO