Riding the momentum of winning the Africa Cup with Senegal, Lamine Camara has established himself in the midfield of Monaco, the best team in Ligue 1 in the second half of the season, who are eyeing third place ahead of Marseille, whom they host on Sunday.

 

"He doesn't receive the recognition he deserves," said ASM goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky on Friday, his eyes lighting up at the mention of his teammate. "He's a great player."

 

"Since his return from the AFCON, he has been one of our best players. He has clearly taken his game to another level. Lamine is a key player in our current comeback and our winning streak. He has a strong character," the 36-year-old Finn explained.

 

Praised by his peers, Camara is also praised by his coach: "My first few weeks were spent without him because he was injured (sprained ankle, editor's note)," recalls Sébastien Pocognoli. "Once he returned to training, we immediately felt his impact. Then, he grew stronger, just like the team."

 

Monaco have won their last six Ligue 1 matches to give themselves a chance to qualify for the next Champions League, an objective that seemed unattainable at the start of the year.

 

Camara applies the doctrine of the Belgian coach of ASM: high-intensity training during the week for a result that translates into matches. "Lamine is in this process," explained Pocognoli. "He trains every day like a top professional, he lives like a top professional."

  

"More responsibility and higher standards"

 

Having returned from the AFCON as a champion, "the best moment of my career," he asserted, after the final won against host country Morocco (the trophy has since been awarded by CAF to Morocco on a technicality, but the Senegalese Federation has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, editor's note), he quickly "forgot about the competition to help Monaco qualify for the Champions League next season," he assured a month ago.

 

Camara has always believed in his team's comeback. Since his return at the end of January, he has insisted that Monaco can reach the podium. Seven wins and two draws later, that possibility exists.

 

"Lamine now has a new status; he has become a big name in his country," Pocognoli pointed out. "He is learning to take this step. But he has returned with the same humility, the same thirst for work, the same focus. I would even say that he has taken on more responsibility and has higher expectations of himself and his teammates. This is very good because the group needs it. It demonstrates great potential for the future."

 

Combative, tough, a tireless worker but also a skilled technician, Camara is ambitious. "The coach often tells me to go beyond my role, to press, to help the forwards and attacking midfielders press high," he explained. "Especially when we see they're tired. That's what I'm here for."

 

He is also one of the team's designated set-piece takers, "because I have very good set-piece ability," he admitted. In the Principality, everyone remembers his 58-meter lob over Philipp Köhn on October 22, 2023, when he was playing for Metz. A few months later, he signed a five-year contract with Monaco.

 

Today, European giants have their eyes on him. But he knows he still has significant room for improvement. And he intends to continue developing before leaving.

AFP