Amadou Haidara Interview RB Leipzig 2024/25 season | OneFootball

Doudou Haidara's contagious smile is generally known as one of his trademarks. "I got my cheerfulness from my mother," he explained when asked about it.

The 27-year-old's smile has been a regular sight in Leipzig since the midfielder joined the Red Bulls in January 2019.

We spoke to Doudou about his journey from a youngster to a key player, while also discussing integration, his home country Mali and his biggest role model at RB Leipzig.

01. Doudou and RBL

A Red Bull for over six years

On 8th January 2019, one of the most talented midfielders in the world born in 1998 was presented at Cottaweg. It was Amadou Haidara, RB Leipzig's new number 8. The youngster had already won the Austrian Bundesliga twice and the UEFA Youth League in 2017 with Salzburg.

The coach for Salzburg's Youth League triumph was a certain Marco Rose, while Xaver Schlager played alongside him in midfield. The trio would later be reunited in Leipzig and go on to win the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup together.

The Mali international has become a key midfielder for RBL over the years. "I played in a number of different positions at the start, but I mainly play as a defensive midfielder or a box-to-box midfielder now, which is where I feel most comfortable."

With Xaver Schlager, an important midfielder for RBL, currently out injured, Doudou is having to take on more responsibility in the middle of the park: "Xaver and I have known each for so long now. I know the runs he makes and when he's going to make tackles. We're trying to deal with his absence as a group." There is one advantage to the current squad: "With me, Kevko, Arthur and Nici, we've got lots of different types of guys who can play in central midfield. We can all learn something from one another."

Another member of the 300 club coming soon?

Our midfielder has played 212* competitive games for RB Leipzig so far, meaning, along with Kevin Kampl (272 games*), he could be the next player to join the likes of Yussuf Poulsen and captain Willi Orban in the 300 club.*Correct as of 19th February 2025

Amadou Haidara: "I was only young when I arrived in Leipzig. I've grown into a man here. I feel right at home at this club and in this city. Leipzig has everything you need for a happy life.

Everyone is fully focused on football at this club. If you need help, everyone is there to help you. I'm a real family person and at RB Leipzig, we're just one big family. I'm extremely happy here."

02. A great teammate, on and off the pitch

Synonymous with RBL

Doudou is somebody that places importance on having a good time too. "We always work as hard as we can in training and must be fully focused. However, I think it's important that you have fun in the changing room at times as well. You need a good mood within the group if you're going to have success as a team."

The two-time DFB-Pokal winner doesn't just rely on himself to provide the good vibes though: "We've got a lot of funny guys. Castello, Raumi and Baumi are always good for a laugh. Joking around together brings us closer together as a team and can help us in difficult times too."

Haidara's mother often cooks for his teammates

Doudou's biggest supporter is his mother. She was the one that allowed her then 10-year-old son to join the JMG Academy in 2008, a renowned football school with camps spread out across the whole of Africa. Famous players like Yaya Toure (FC Barcelona and Manchester City) and Gervinho (Arsenal and Roma) also came through the academy.

"My father was against me joining back then. He wanted me to focus on school, but my mother knew it was the right step for me. She helped me join the academy and convinced my father, which meant so much to me." The decision to let Doudou join the JMG academy turned out to be a key moment on his journey to becoming a professional footballer.Haidara's mother regularly comes to visit her son in Leipzig for several weeks at a time. "I invite the lads over when my mum is here. She cooks for all of us, it's really special. We listen to music together, watch football and chat. It helps new players like Lutsha, Antonio or now Tidiam." On the menu is often dishes from Haidara's home country Mali, such as Yassa (marinated meat with rice) and Cheb-ou-jen (fish with rice in an onion sauce).

Gift for languages

In addition to his friendly nature, Doudou's language skills also play an important part in helping others integrate themselves into the team. During the hour-long conversation as part of this interview, Doudou spoke entirely in German. The midfielder is also fluent in French and English. "When I arrived in 2019, Willi and Yussi took care of me. That's why it's natural for me to do the same for the new French-speaking players that join the team, in order to help them feel at home."

"He's like our father"

Doudou has also been able to learn a lot about what it means to help others from RBL team manager Babacar N'Diaye. "Baba is like our father. We know that he's always there for us," he explained. "If I'm dealing with an issue, then I know that I can call him at any time of day and that Baba will be there for me. You can talk to him about anything, not just football. He's always got advice for you and helps where he can. He's a great role model for us in terms of how to deal with others."

03. Big dreams with Mali

Chasing World Cup qualification

Haidara was born on 31st January 1998 in Bamako, the capital of Mali. The country has a population of over 20 million and football is by far the most popular sport played there. "People love football, they go crazy for it," he explained. As a result, there are always big crowds whenever Haidara returns to Mali, either for games with the national team or during his summer vacation.

Along with his Mali teammates, Haidara hopes to give his country plenty of reasons to celebrate over the coming years. "We have players like Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur) or El Bilal Toure (VfB Stuttgart), who play for big clubs in Europe. At the same time, there are also many talented players in Mali," he said. "Our U17s finished third at the last World Cup. We want to be amongst the best teams in Africa in the next years."

AFCON in December

Mali's next big tournament will be the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco (21st December 2025 to 18th January 2026). They have been placed in Group A, alongside hosts Morocco, Zambia and the Comoros. "Our goal is to win the AFCON for the first time in Mali's history, after which we want to take part in the 2026 World Cup," Haidara shared. "That's our biggest dream – there's no bigger achievement for a footballer." Should they manage to qualify, it would mark the first time in Mali's history that they would take part in the World Cup.

04. Social engagement

The Amadou Haidara Foundation

Since setting up his namesake Amadou Haidara Foundation, the midfielder has been involved in several charitable initiatives in Mali. "It started with a hospital in my father's village," he said. "It's located two hours from the capital and there weren't any options close by for pregnant women or people with illnesses to seek medical treatment. That's why we made sure that a hospital was built there and that the people have running water."

Together with other professional football players from Mali, Doudou was involved in hosting and running a football camp for young players for the third time last summer. "Kids aged 10 and older can participate and we have between 200 to 300 participants in the camp, who are all provided with sports clothing and shoes," Haidara explained.

In addition to providing training sessions, the players also seek to transmit important values to the camp's participants. "Everyone dreams of being a professional footballer. But, there's only a few that will go on to make it. That's why it's important for us to also teach the kids that going to school and getting a good education is also important," he said.

The Amadou Haidara Foundation will continue to be involved in helping the people of Mali in the years to come. "I want to give something back to my homeland," Haidara said. "The kids there need role models, like I had back in the day."

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