This is taken from the GFFN 100, our leading 150-page FREE publication ranking the best 100 players in France, see the full list and read every profile right here.
Mohamed Camara’s year started in the most dramatic of fashions. In January, the 22-year-old stepped up to the penalty spot in a sudden death shootout. Despite coolly converting his crucial spot-kick, the Malian international couldn’t prevent the continental giant-killing that followed, as his nation were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations at the Round of 16 stage by Equatorial Guinea.
Fast-forward seven months and the defensive midfielder was garnering interest from a number of potential suitors, all hoping to be the first to pluck him from the ever-reliable RB Salzburg production line. Following in the footsteps of talents like Erling Haaland, Naby Keïta and Sadio Mané, it became clear that it was time to move on from the Austrian champions. Despite interest from Premier League sides Leeds and Everton, it was AS Monaco who succeeded in picking up the young Malian for a fee of €15m in mid-August, following the €100m departure of fellow defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni to the Spanish capital.
While both the player and his new coach, Phillipe Clement, have sought to downplay comparisons, Camara was drafted in to plug the gap left by the beloved young Frenchman. And the Malian has by no means disappointed. Within a few months, it has become clear that Camara has the perfect skillset for the job. Providing 44 tackles and interceptions over the course of just 11 Ligue 1 appearances (4.96 per 90 minutes), the 22-year-old has helped his side contain opponents and, at times, dictate play.
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The best example came in his second ever appearance for the Principality club, against PSG in late August, a performance which earned him a rating of 8/10 from the notoriously critical L’Équipe and his side a crucial point at the Parc des Princes. Battling hard against the prolific Messi-Neymar-Mbappé trio, Camara stifled the PSG attack, most importantly setting up the counter-attack through which his side took the lead by executing a perfectly timed slide tackle on Lionel Messi.
Though his art may not be the most spectacular, his stats certainly are: his tackles and interceptions place him in the top 7% in the league, and outrank both Tchouaméni this season (4.8 per 90) and France and Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kanté last season (4.57 per 90). If Mohamed Camara can maintain his form, he will undoubtedly prove crucial in both Monaco’s pursuit of the podium and their Europa League campaign in 2023.
Jack Wadding | GFFN