LONG READ
THE ONE THAT WE ADORE
By Mike Taylor
In an interview that first appeared in the Official Matchday Programme for the visit of Crystal Palace,
ILIMAN NDIAYE sits down with the Official Matchday Programme to discuss a new role, a new chapter and carrying new responsibility, as well as a fresh dynamic in the Blues’ camp and his hunger to make history for Club and country…
There is a particularly interesting contradiction when it comes to Iliman Ndiaye.
An extrovert on the pitch – famously influenced by his father’s dance techniques and freestyle footballers – yet unassuming off it.
A star without an ego. It’s at least partly a factor as to why Ndiaye has not only fitted in but become a key figure for Everton, a club that has long valued humility alongside technical excellence as the ultimate combination.
After arriving from Marseille in the summer of 2024, the Blues’ No.10 enjoyed an impressive first season in royal blue, scoring 11 goals in all competitions. This time around, there are new challenges – a new position, a new standard and now an expectancy to deliver.
“I don’t go into a game thinking about the responsibility, I go into a game thinking that I know who I am, I know what I can do and I go out there to enjoy it,” explains a typically laid-back Ndiaye, who has notched two goals and one assist in the opening six Premier League games of the new campaign.
“I have to be aware of the responsibility and carry it, but the manager puts me on the pitch for a reason and I try my best to, at least, give everything and produce what people expect of me.
“I think my teammates know what I’m capable of and the fans expect things from me – and I enjoy it, because they feel I can do something that will help the team.
“As an attacking player, I need to produce goals and assists but it’s not on my mind to the point where I obsess over it. It’s more making sure I give 100 per cent because when I do that, everything else will follow. I’ve grown up being told to play that way, to work hard, give everything and the rest will come easily. It’s how I still approach it now.”
A busy summer transfer window saw a host of incomings and outgoings for Everton and, as a result, Ndiaye has been deployed primarily on the right flank so far this term, having spent the majority of his maiden campaign on Merseyside operating off the left side.
It’s a role that has asked new questions – and he is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding the best answers.
“I’m still getting used to it and finding my best ways,” he reveals. “The way I’m playing on the left is different from the way I’m playing on the right, but it’s good. I’ve scored two goals playing on the right, coming in at the back post and being alive in there.
“I feel like I can still do more – score more goals, create goals – but I’m still learning the role. It’s new to me because, generally, in the past, I’ve tended to play more off the left or down the middle. I’ve played on the right a few times but not as much. I’ve played on the right for Senegal recently, too.
“I say it a lot – as a forward player, you want to be able to play in those different positions across the line. It’s not necessarily easy because you don’t have the same actions and spaces on one side compared to the other but it’s about getting used to all of that as quickly as possible.
“I’ve been doing a lot of work on it, in training and through analysis sessions with the backroom team.
“I’m working on different situations I’ll find myself in on the right side and trying to get better and better. I’m working on my positioning, where and when I can attack space, where I can dribble and things like that. Obviously, the more you work on it, the better you will be.”
Two of those aforementioned summer recruits – Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – have quickly established themselves as key cogs in David Moyes’ new-look side. And their injection of technical ability and nous is helping Ndiaye become even more dangerous.
“It does feel different, for sure,” insists Ndiaye. “It’s a fresh start for everyone, including the manager. He came in halfway through the season last season and got the job done and this summer was a chance to reset in terms of where we want to be and making sure everyone is on the same page.The manager is calm and it’s been good to work with him. I’m enjoying it and I think the feel of it has changed a lot from last season.
“Having the new players gives me more freedom and more space in certain situations. I know and the team knows that we can hold the ball well, which gives us a different dynamic. We can attack down either side or through the middle and it feels like we have more dangerous players who can make things happen.
“I can also do different things than what I’ve done before. For example, and I was speaking about this with Iddy [Idrissa Gana Gueye] recently, but last season, you would rarely find me at the back post trying to score there but now I have that confidence I can do that and also feel like I have to be in there because something is always going to happen. I’ve found myself being in the opposition’s box a lot more and vice versa, when I have the ball, I think Jack [Grealish] has been trying to get in on the other side as well.
“I think the more we play together, the better the understanding will be and the better we’ll get as a team.”
Towards the end of the most recent transfer window, rumours emerged regarding interest in Ndiaye from across the continent.
It felt unthinkable to Evertonians to lose a talisman at the start of a promising new era for the Club, and the man himself insists nothing could have tempted him away.
“I was always very keen to stay here and be part of this new chapter for Everton,” he smiles. “As I always say, if there are rumours or interest and things like that, it must mean you’re doing something right, right?!
“I am really happy to be at this club and be part of a new project with the new stadium, new ownership.
“It feels like a new adventure for all of us.
“I want to achieve things with Everton, I want to win trophies, which the Club hasn’t seen for too long, and things like that. It’s an aim for us to work towards.
“You know, winning a trophy would be huge for this club and for the supporters but also for me. It’s an ambition of mine, too. I’m not playing football for the sake of it or just to earn money, you know? Whenever I play, I want to be successful and do something for the Club, leave my mark, win trophies. I want to be successful for myself and my family, as well as the Club.
“I am really happy to be at this club and be part of a new project. It feels like a new adventure for all of us"
“It’s always an ambition and it’s in my head. I think knowing Everton hasn’t won a trophy for a long time, it’s now become an even bigger thing, like, ‘Okay, we need to end this run’. It’s something I’d love to do here.”
From learning football in the forests of hometown Rouen, France, and the beaches of Senegal, to countless academy rejections and a breakthrough with Rising Ballers – it’s been a unique journey to the top for Ndiaye.
Now settled in Formby, Ndiaye prefers a quiet life away from football, spending his time with his wife and three young daughters – the eldest of whom is only five years old – in the local area.
“It’s great here, I love it,” he explains. “I’ve spent half of my life here in England so I’m very used to it! When I came back here from France, I settled back in immediately because I know it so well.
"I’m not playing football for the sake of it or just to earn money, you know? Whenever I play, I want to be successful and do something for the Club... I want to leave my mark"
Iliman Ndiaye
“This Club is amazing, living in Formby is amazing, so everything is good.
“My kids enjoy being here, too. I think the eldest is starting to understand it a bit more now. They love seeing me play and seeing me on TV and coming to the stadium, which is incredible.
“I think the new stadium already feels like home. Obviously, it’s very different from Goodison Park. It’s new, it’s modern and it has everything. We get more fans inside and it definitely gives you more energy for your performance as a player. I’ve felt it. You properly feel it, especially when it gets going. That’s what you want.”
As well as an exciting period at club level, Ndiaye and compatriot Idrissa Gana Gueye are almost certain to play key roles for Senegal at the forthcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which is set to run from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.
Gana was part of the side that helped the Lions of Teranga to their first-ever triumph in the competition in 2021 and Ndiaye is desperate to repeat that feat in a few months’ time.
“It’s in the back of my mind to some degree,” he admits.
“Of course it goes away when you’re playing, when you’re fully focused on the game and just playing football – but when I go home and if I speak to my family and things like that, they are very excited about it.
“Obviously, it’s not fully ideal because it falls in the middle of the season and I’m going to miss some games. It’s a huge tournament and opportunity, I just wish they could find a different time for it so I could play every game for Everton, too. It’s frustrating because I want to play every game I can but that’s the way it’s set and I can’t change it.
“The aim is to win it, always. We don’t go to a tournament just to be part of it. We want to leave our mark and we are going there to win it.”
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