Dynamic Men: Lassana “Lass” Diarra

Being a journey man is not always kindly looked upon in the world of soccer, but when a talented player is driven to move due to his ambitions to play for and with the best, you cannot fault him for being a flippant. Lassana has in the very same manner as Claude Makalele, proved that he is a player most teams cannot do without. He is not the biggest player on the field, but his industry makes up for his lack of size. His rise in profile has been rapid since the day he left Chelsea and no one can deny the positive affect he has on a team.

Diarra’s description as a journey man started as a young player when he joined Nantes as a child. The youngster was told by the people in charge at Nantes that he was too small and could not make it as a professional player. Determined to prove the world wrong, the hard headed midfielder headed to Le Mans to try his luck with a smaller club. There, he discovered that no one was interested in turning him into a professional player. The player himself has said that the people at Le Mans did not seem to care about him at all. So he left Le Mans to join his last French club Le Havre. While at Le Havre, the midfielder put in impressive performances in the defensive midfield position which caught the attention of the French under 21 manager.

Further stellar performances led the player into the thoughts of the bigger clubs. Chelsea, with Makelele getting past his best, jumped on the chance to sign the youngster from Le Havre in July 2005. the player was so impressive that the notoriously egotistical Jose Mourinho could not stop talking about him. Though he was doing well at Chelsea and getting his chances on the international level, Lassana could not get the playing time he wanted at Chelsea.

In 2007, Lassana made a decision that would have a major impact in his career. He joined Arsene Wenger’s supremely talented Gunners side. Though he had the ability to play at Arsenal, he was faced with the truth that there were other players at the club that were playing at the same level, and who were around the same age. Diarra could not displace Flamini or Denilson in the Arsenal team, although he was higher than Flamini on the French midfield pecking order. So he did what he does best and jumped ship to join Portsmouth.

At Portsmouth, the talented midfielder became a household name in a mid-level club. Diarra’s dynamism stunned the crowds and made him a favorite among the players. When he played, Portsmouth played their best games. His ability to control the midfield allowed players like Kranjcar to go forward and attack their opponents with full force.

Though he seemed happy at Portsmouth, Diarra would be on the move again. After then manager Redknapp left Portsmouth, Diarra was pursued by Spanish mega-giants Real Madrid. An offer from Madrid is tempting for any player, and the idea of controlling the midfield of the most successful team in Spanish history proved to be the ultimate inspiration. Diarra left Portsmouth and joined the talented whites in Spain.

Diarra’s career has been dictated by the player’s ambitions, and it’s easy to assume that he is still trying to get back at the people from Nantes for rejecting him, but he has proved that talent and desire can push a player to great heights.