Mamadou Sarr (footballer)

Mamadou Sarr (born 29 August 2005) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Belgian Pro League club RWD Molenbeek on loan from Lyon.

Early life
He is the son of former Senegalese International Pape Sarr. Mamadou was born in Martigues while his father was playing for Istres. Sarr spent most of his childhood living in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, following his father who spent a large part of his career at Lens.

Early career
Sarr began his football career at Étoile Sportive de Saint-Laurent-Blangy, before joining Lens, where his father plays.

Sarr then moved to Lyon in 2018.

During the 2021-22 season, at only 16 years old, he established himself as a starter with the Rhone under-19 team. He thus plays an important role in Lyon's triumph in the Coupe Gambardella alongside players like Hugo Vogel and Mohamed El Arouch. He scored in the quarter-final against Strasbourg, then in the semi-final against Troyes.

Club career
On 27 May 2023, Sarr made his professional debut in Lyon's 3–0 Ligue 1 victory against Reims as a substitute, replacing Maxence Caqueret in the 83rd minute.

On 18 January 2024, Sarr moved on loan to RWD Molenbeek in Belgium until the end of the 2023–24 season.

International career
Eligible to play with Senegal, Sarr chose France for his first selections for the youth team, even recovering the captain's armband on several occasions with the under-17s. In April 2022, he was selected with the France team for the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship organized in Israel. He was a starter during the competition, where France was crowned as champions after a defeating Netherlands 2–1 in the final thanks to Saël Kumbedi's brace.

Style of play
Trained as a centre-back, Sarr also occasionally played as a defensive midfielder during at Lyon's youth teams.

Honours
Lyon Youth
 * Coupe Gambardella: 2022

U17 France
 * UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2022