Ismaïla Sarr: The story so far

Club

1 Aug 2024

Ismaïla Sarr is a Crystal Palace player – the Eagles’ third arrival of the summer transfer window – but how much do you know about the Senegal forward?

From Senegalese prodigy to spectacular goalscorer supreme, catch up on Sarr’s career so far below…

Rising Sarr

Born in the historic seaport city of Saint-Louis – Senegal’s former capital city, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – Sarr began his football career further down the west coast in Dakar.

There, he was snapped up by Académie Génération Foot – a club founded in the year 2000, whose notable alumni included Papiss Cissé, Diafra Sakho, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mané – and helped the club win promotion from the second tier.

Even before moving to Europe, Sarr’s talents were coming to the fore, as he represented his country when they hosted the U23 Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 – despite being just 17.

Big break

Like Mané before him, Sarr then moved, at the age of 18, to Metz – Académie Génération Foot's parent club.

Handed a five-year deal, Sarr made his Ligue 1 debut in August 2016, picking up an assist in a 3-2 win over Lille.

Within weeks, he had been handed his senior international debut for Senegal, emerging as a late substitute in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying win over Namibia – fittingly, replacing Mané.

By the end of his debut campaign with Metz, Sarr had recorded 10 goal involvements (five goals, five assists) in just 31 games at club level – four of those in his last eight matches.

He had also scored his first international goal, netting against Libya – and was beginning to attract widespread attention.

Rennes-dering results

After just a single season with Metz, and despite reputed interest from Barcelona, Sarr put pen-to-paper with fellow Ligue 1 side Rennes in July 2016 for a fee reported to be as high as £15 million.

Despite an injury-disrupted first half of the season, Sarr’s contributions helped Les Rennais to a fifth-place finish and their first European qualification in 10 years, earning him a Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year nomination.

He was duly called up by Senegal for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia, where Sarr started all three group matches.

The following season, Sarr tasted senior silverware for the very first time, scoring and assisting during Rennes’ run to the 2018/19 Coupe de France final.

There, he played the full 120 minutes in the showpiece occasion against Paris Saint-Germain, before netting the winning penalty kick.

There was individual glory to follow, too, as Sarr’s eye for the spectacular came to the fore.

On his European debut, mere days after being shortlisted for the Golden Boy award, the Senegal forward produced a stunning volleyed finish against Czech side Jablonec, later named 2018/19 UEFA League Goal of the Season.

He would follow this up with a goal in a 3-1 win over Arsenal and, after an eye-catching campaign at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where Senegal stormed to the final – conceding just once in six matches, before a 1-0 defeat to Algeria – Premier League overtures seemed inevitable.

Showing his sting

That attention would duly transpire into a transfer.

In August 2019, Watford announced the then-21-year-old’s signing for a club-record fee. Within three weeks, Sarr had netted his first goal in English football in an EFL Cup tie with Coventry City.

His first Premier League goal arrived in November 2019 but, after a steady enough start, the forward’s first explosive performance for Watford saw him named Man of the Match in a 2-0 win over Manchester united at Vicarage Road, opening the scoring against the Red Devils before winning a subsequent penalty.

Perhaps his best Premier League performance was in February 2020, when a brace and assist against Liverpool ended the eventual champions’ 44-match unbeaten league run.

Spectacu-Sarr

Despite Watford’s relegation at the end of the season, Sarr continued to win plaudits in the Championship, winning the Hornets’ Player of the Season award with 23 goal contributions in 2020/21 – including netting the goal which sealed their return to the top-flight.

In January 2021, Sarr added further silverware to his cabinet, playing an instrumental role in Senegal’s first-ever Africa Cup of Nations victory as they overcame Egypt in the final in Cameroon.

He was duly awarded the National Order of the Lion – Senegal’s highest order.

A further five Premier League goals followed in 2021/22 as Watford once again failed to retain their top-flight status, but Sarr continued to shine in English football as he scored the EFL Championship Goal of the Season in 2022/23: a remarkable goal from his own half against West Bromwich Albion.

A return to the big stage was inevitable and, last summer, Sarr departed Watford – for whom he scored 34 times and registered 22 assists in just 131 appearances – for a Marseille team who reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.

After a solitary season in France, Sarr now returns to English football an established, but no-less incredibly exciting, talent.

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