Among the many protagonists of the renewed Pavia group that fights for the leading areas (where he was the leader until a few weeks ago) one of the favorites of the Azzurri fans is Lamine Kanteh.
The midfielder born in 2001 originally from Gambia, who moved to Palermo with his family, became a footballer moving to the centre-north.
Its sporting history starts from the beaches of Palermo as Kanteh himself tells us. «I arrived in Sicily with my family in 2016 and I started playing football with friends on the beach – recalls the 21-year-old Italian midfielder -. I was noticed by a football manager who saw my qualities and took me to train with a team in Palermo. But at that time I had trouble understanding others because I didn’t speak Italian. I had to get translated.”
second step
Then the second step was to rely on a prosecutor. «You were the person who found me a team and brought me to Savona, where the team played in Serie D – he says -. It was a season where I trained without playing in official matches because I was awaiting registration. Playing in Savona was a way to enter Italian football. There I met the current general manager of Derthona Roberto Canepa who took me first to Aglianese in Tuscany and then to Tortona where I stayed for two seasons. Then last August Luca Sacco, who I had as manager at Derthona, asked me to come to Pavia, where I arrived on loan, and from the first moment I found myself at ease».
A great footballing adventure for the young Gambian midfielder with both teammates and the public. «In Pavia I play and live with some team mates – says Lamine Kanteh -. I am delighted with a wonderful adventure, on and off the pitch. I was also impressed last Sunday by a fantastic curve from our fans. You breathed a climate not even from D, but from one or two higher categories ».
second house
Kanteh continues: «For me, the Pavia dressing room is a second home. I was certainly struck by the affection of the fans, the great feeling and the chants they gave me right from the start. Then, as for Mede, I scored the winning goal against Verbano in the 90th minute, I ran towards them to share this joy. I’ll tell you – continues the midfielder – that a fan showed me that he had his mobile phone cover made with my photograph. Incredible…”.
«The draw with the Vogherese was important, the first in the class didn’t beat us and we remain there among the very first at -3 from them – recalls Kanteh -. Now we have to start again tomorrow in Binasco to win the three points. It won’t be easy because we’ve seen how they beat Oltrepo, but it’s proof that in these leagues they can win or lose against anyone if you’re not careful. They are all tough games. And in the end, continuity will make the difference and we want to be among the top teams right up to the end». —
ENRICO VENNI