1. Overview
Alfred John Momar N'Diaye (Alfred John Momar N'DiayeAlfred John Momar N'DiayeFrench, born 6 March 1990) is a professional footballer who most recently played for FC Noah as a defensive midfielder, and can also play as a centre back. He stands at 75 in (190 cm) tall and is right-footed. Born in Paris, France, he has represented the Senegal national team internationally.
2. Early Life and Youth Career
Born in Paris, France, Alfred N'Diaye began his football journey with US Vandœuvre in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy. At the age of 14, he transferred within the arrondissement to join the largest club in the region, AS Nancy. Despite facing initial challenges upon his arrival at the academy, N'Diaye quickly garnered attention following his second season there. His progress culminated in him signing his first professional contract in 2006. He played for AS Nancy's youth teams from 2004 to 2008, including 8 appearances for France U17 between 2006 and 2007, and 14 appearances with 1 goal for France U19 from 2008 to 2009.
3. Club Career
Alfred N'Diaye's club career began with AS Nancy in France, followed by moves to Turkey, England, Spain, and Saudi Arabia, before his most recent transfer to Armenia. His career has been marked by several loan spells across different leagues, showcasing his versatility and consistency across various competitive environments.
3.1. AS Nancy
N'Diaye made his professional debut for AS Nancy during the 2007-08 season in the Coupe de la Ligue, at the age of 17. He came on as a halftime substitute for Frédéric Biancalani in a match against Lens, which Nancy lost 3-0. This was his sole appearance for the senior squad that season, as he was subsequently relegated back to the reserve team, where he contributed to a young Nancy reserve squad narrowly avoiding relegation.
For the 2008-09 season, N'Diaye earned promotion to the senior squad and was assigned the number 29 shirt. His Ligue 1 debut occurred in the opening match of the season against Lille, where he appeared as a substitute in a goalless draw. Two months later, he secured his first league start in a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain. His consistent positive performances led to him becoming a regular starter, notably playing the full 90 minutes in the club's significant 3-0 away victory over Olympique de Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome. He also played 120 minutes of football on two occasions in cup competitions: against Grenoble in the Coupe de la Ligue and against SO Romorantin in the Coupe de France. For the 2008-09 season, he made 27 appearances and received 7 yellow cards. Overall for AS Nancy's senior team, he made 61 appearances without scoring between 2008 and 2011. He also played 4 matches for Nancy B in the CFA during the 2010-11 season.
3.2. Bursaspor
On 1 July 2011, AS Nancy officially confirmed that an agreement had been reached with Turkish club Bursaspor for N'Diaye's transfer. The deal was finalized two days later, on 3 July, for a reported transfer fee of 2.00 M EUR. During his tenure at Bursaspor from 2011 to 2013, N'Diaye made 51 league appearances, scoring 4 goals. He also participated in 8 continental matches, netting 2 goals.
3.3. Sunderland
On 9 January 2013, English club Sunderland announced the completion of N'Diaye's signing for an undisclosed fee. He was given the number 4 shirt. His debut for Sunderland came on 12 January 2013 at the Stadium of Light in a Premier League match against West Ham United, which Sunderland won 3-0. He entered the game as a substitute for Adam Johnson and nearly scored with his first touch in English football, though his shot went just wide. His first full start for Sunderland was an away match against Wigan, where he provided a "wonderful" assist for Steven Fletcher to score and put Sunderland ahead. He made 16 appearances for Sunderland.
3.3.1. Eskişehirspor (loan)
On 28 July 2013, N'Diaye joined Turkish club Eskişehirspor on a season-long loan from Sunderland. However, his loan spell was cut short when Eskişehirspor terminated the agreement on 28 January 2014. During this period, he made 16 league appearances, scoring 3 goals, and played 3 national cup matches, scoring 1 goal.
3.4. Real Betis
On 30 January 2014, N'Diaye moved to Spanish side Real Betis on loan for the remainder of the 2013-14 season. He played in 16 matches for Betis, though the Andalusian club was ultimately relegated from La Liga. Following his loan spell, on 22 August 2014, N'Diaye, now a free agent, signed a five-year contract to return to Real Betis. Over his permanent tenure with Betis from 2014 to 2016, he made 62 league appearances, scoring 3 goals. This includes 28 appearances and 1 goal in the Segunda División during the 2014-15 season and 34 appearances and 2 goals in La Liga during the 2015-16 season.
3.5. Villarreal
On 8 July 2016, N'Diaye signed a five-year contract with Villarreal CF, remaining in the top Spanish division. For Villarreal, he made 9 league appearances without scoring between 2016 and 2018, along with 5 appearances and 1 goal in continental competitions.
3.5.1. Hull City (loan)
On 31 January 2017, N'Diaye was loaned to English club Hull City for the remainder of the 2016-17 Premier League season. He made an impactful debut for Hull City by scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 home victory over Liverpool on 4 February 2017. Despite impressing during his 15 appearances for the club, N'Diaye was unable to help Hull City avoid relegation from the Premier League.
3.5.2. Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)
On 31 August 2017, the final day of the summer transfer window, N'Diaye completed a loan move to English Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers, with an option for a permanent transfer. He made his debut for Wolves on 9 September 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 win against Millwall. His first goal for the club was scored on 23 September 2017 in a 2-1 victory against Barnsley, again after coming on as a substitute. N'Diaye played a total of 37 games for Wolverhampton Wanderers across all competitions during the 2017-18 season, contributing to the club winning the EFL Championship title and securing promotion to the Premier League.
3.5.3. Málaga (loan)
On 10 August 2018, N'Diaye embarked on another loan spell, joining Málaga for the 2018-19 Segunda División season. During this period, he made 34 league appearances and scored 5 goals.
3.6. Al-Shabab
On 30 August 2019, N'Diaye transferred to Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab FC on a three-year contract. He played for the club until 24 August 2022, when he was released from his contract. During his time at Al-Shabab, he made 48 league appearances, scoring 1 goal, and also played 4 matches in the AFC Champions League.
3.7. Málaga
Following his departure from Al-Shabab, N'Diaye had a second spell at Málaga during the 2022-23 season. In this period, he made 22 appearances, though he did not score any goals.
3.8. FC Noah
On 1 February 2024, Armenian Premier League club Noah announced the signing of Alfred N'Diaye. As of June 17, 2024, he has made 7 appearances for the club without scoring.
4. International Career
Alfred N'Diaye initially played through the French national youth teams. His youth international career included 8 appearances for France U17 between 2006 and 2007, 14 appearances and 1 goal for France U19 from 2008 to 2009, 2 appearances for France U20 in 2010, and 1 appearance for France U21 also in 2010.
However, N'Diaye ultimately made the decision to play for the Senegal national team. He made his first senior international appearance for Senegal on 14 August 2013 in a friendly match against the Zambia national team. In May 2018, he was included in Senegal's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. During the tournament, N'Diaye played in two group stage matches for Senegal, specifically against the Poland national football team and the Japan national football team. Overall, he earned 30 caps and scored 1 goal for Senegal between 2013 and 2019.
5. Career Statistics
The following tables detail Alfred N'Diaye's club and international career statistics, including appearances and goals.
5.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Nancy | 2008-09 | Ligue 1 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2009-10 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | Ligue 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 61 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 72 | 0 | ||
| Nancy B | 2010-11 | CFA | 4 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Bursaspor | 2011-12 | Süper Lig | 37 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 4 |
| 2012-13 | Süper Lig | 14 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 4 | |
| Total | 51 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 66 | 8 | ||
| Sunderland | 2012-13 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | |
| Eskişehirspor (loan) | 2013-14 | Süper Lig | 16 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 19 | 4 | |
| Betis | 2013-14 | La Liga | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Segunda División | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2015-16 | La Liga | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 36 | 2 | ||
| Total | 78 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 85 | 3 | ||
| Villarreal | 2016-17 | La Liga | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 1 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2017-18 | La Liga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Hull City (loan) | 2016-17 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 15 | 1 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2017-18 | Championship | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 37 | 3 | |
| Málaga (loan) | 2018-19 | Segunda División | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 5 | ||
| Al-Shabab | 2019-20 | Saudi Pro League | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2020-21 | Saudi Pro League | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | |||
| Total | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 1 | ||
| Málaga | 2022-23 | Segunda División | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 22 | 0 | ||
| FC Noah | 2024 | Armenian Premier League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 427 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 472 | 27 | ||
5.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 1 | |
6. Honours
Wolverhampton Wanderers
- EFL Championship: 2017-18