London City and France forward Kadidiatou Diani on learning the game with her brother, adapting to England and why no girl should see a barrier.
“Iwouldliketomakesurethateverygirlknowsthatshecanplayfootball,andthatbeingagirlisnotabarrier.”Kadidiatou Diani
Kadidiatou Diani has hit the ground running in England, with four goals and three assists in six starts for London City Lionesses. Ahead of Sunday’s London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates, the France forward explains where her love of the game began, and why she wants to break down barriers for the next generation.
Every footballer’s journey is unique, and London City Lionesses’ French star Kadidiatou Diani’s career has so far largely been encapsulated to two capital cities.
She started her football career in the youth set up at Paris FC before graduating to the senior set-up and switching to Paris Saint-Germain. The two Parisien clubs gave her the perfect grounding for a move to the BWSL via giants Lyon.
Yet it was closer to home, and more specifically a member of her family, who proved to be the biggest influence on Diani’s formative years.
“When I was young, I used to spend a lot of time with my brother and, because he played football, I played football with him because I wanted to be with him and wanted to be like him,” she explains.
Diani loved to shoot, and so it was only natural that she developed her skills as an attacking player. Playing football with her brother, and other boys, gave her a physical edge.
As a forward, she spent all of her professional career in the Premiere Ligue in France, spending five seasons with Paris FC, six with Paris Saint-Germain and three with Olympique Lyonnais – gaining valuable experience at the top level of the game.
She also collected a number of records and milestones along the way. She netted 41 goals in 93 appearances with OL Lyonnes, and 86 in 145 games for Paris Saint-Germain. She is PSG’s second-highest goalscorer of all time.
At international level, Diani was also the joint second-highest scorer at the 2023 Women’s World Cup with four goals, one behind Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa.
Her consistency has been phenomenal.
She has scored 14 or more goals in her last seven seasons. In 2022-23, she scored 17 in 17 league matches. She has four goals already this season, not a bad return for a new division in a new country.
Diani’s journey hasn’t been without its hurdles. She grew up in the tough Parisian suburb of Vitry-Sur-Seine, widely known as the birthplace of French hip hop. Not surprisingly, the French international cites hip hop, R’n’B and Afroabeats as her favourite genres.
Moreover, her move from Paris FC to PSG was a record Division 1 Feminine transfer fee, which brings its own pressure.
These highs and hurdles along the way bring great emotion, and Diani alludes to this when she describes what football means to her personally away from the pitch.
“In football, I think you have so many emotions that you could not find anywhere else. I think that's why I love football, playing football.”
In the summer, Diani brought that passion to London thanks to her move to Eder Maestre’s side, and she’s now lighting up the Barclays Women’s Super League after recovering from injury.
As well as her four goals she’s added three assists in six starts, suggesting that she’s had few issues adapting to the English game.
“I didn’t think there would be much of a difference [from France], but it is a different way of playing. Only small differences… maybe more physical. I think I have adapted well [to the BWSL].”
Diani has been asked to take players on and provide crosses from wide positions while also winning the ball back when out of possession.
She’s been doing both with aplomb. There’s the three assists, of course, but she has a 56.3% dribble success rate among players who have attempted at least ten dribbles in the BWSL this season, while her high pressing has seen her make ten tackles.
Her style of play is earning plaudits, but may also act as inspiration for rising stars too. However, football is as much about mentality as it is what you do on the pitch, and Diani hopes her success can pave the way for more girls to follow in her footsteps.
“If I could change one thing about football in France, I would change the mentality,” she says. “I would like to make sure that every girl knows that she can play football, and that being a girl is not a barrier. I want girls to play without the barriers that existed when I was growing up, and instead to have the confidence to play. You have to know to always believe in yourself no matter what, even if it can be difficult."
Diani is proof that hard work, self belief and ability can get you a long way.
