Damac鈥檚 dangerman Georges-Kevin N鈥橩oudou has Ronaldo and Mitrovic in his sights

The Cameroon international primarily operates as a winger but since moving to Damac in the summer of 2023, N鈥橩oudou has become a dangerous finisher.(AFP)
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  • The Cameroon international has scored 13 goals in the Saudi Pro League so far this season

LONDON: Few players will want the winter break in the Saudi Pro League to be over more than Georges-Kevin N鈥橩oudou.

Despite his team Damac sitting in 10th place in the Saudi Pro League table, N鈥橩oudou has netted eight goals in 13 games so far; only Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Aleksandar Mitrovic have scored more in the league this season.

The Cameroon international primarily operates as a winger but since moving to Damac in the summer of 2023, N鈥橩oudou has become a dangerous finisher. Before arriving in 黑料社区, he had only scored more than five goals in a season once in his career. At Damac, he has done it twice in a row.

N鈥橩oudou hit the ground running in impressive fashion after his move from Turkish side Besiktas, bagging 14 goals in his first 16 games, including a sensational match-winning brace against then-reigning Saudi champions Al-Ittihad last December. The Damac No. 10 credits his prolific form to the influence of his coach, ex-AC Milan defender Cosmin Contra.

鈥淭he coach has given me so much responsibility and freedom on the field,鈥�  N鈥橩oudou told Arab News. 鈥淗e knows I have experience, so he has just let me play my game and be happy on the pitch and off the pitch.

鈥淚 have had many great coaches in my career so far but before being a coach, (Contra) is a great man. He鈥檚 honest and if he has something to say he will say it to you straight.

鈥淗e鈥檚 really passionate about the game because he was a player before. He understands us and I think that鈥檚 maybe the difference between some of the coaches who weren鈥檛 players; he played at a good level in Milan. 

鈥�(Now) I feel free and can enjoy my game. The coach helped me a lot and that鈥檚 why I think everything happened for me. I scored 15 goals last season and hope I can do the same this season too.鈥�

It could have been even better in 2023-24 for N鈥橩oudou, who tailed off in the second-half of the season, scoring just once in his last 14 games after his electric start. The Cameroon international firmly believes it was fatigue from the mid-season Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast that was responsible for the slowdown.

鈥淲hen I came back from AFCON I was so tired; my legs were dead,鈥� N鈥橩oudou said. 鈥淚 always try to recover as much as I can but sometimes you just can鈥檛.

鈥淒amac is a smaller team and they relied more on me to be the one to score goals or make an assist but it was more difficult (after AFCON).鈥�

Without a continental tournament to disrupt his form this season, could N鈥橩oudou make a serious tilt at the Saudi Pro League Golden boot?

鈥淗onestly I鈥檓 not someone who looks at the numbers,鈥� N鈥橩oudou said. 鈥淭hese guys 鈥� Cristiano, Mitrovic, Benzema 鈥� they are strikers, they play on big teams. They fight for the title.

鈥淚鈥檓 a winger, and sometimes No. 10, so for me it鈥檚 a little bit different. But I always try to do my best for the team and I will try to score more than last season and then I will see how far I can go. I will try to be there.鈥�

Some of N鈥橩oudou鈥檚 best performances for Damac have been against the league鈥檚 top sides. Having played in Ligue 1 for Marseille and Monaco, and in the English Premier League for Tottenham, he insists he doesn鈥檛 treat these matches any differently.

鈥淚 have been used to playing against big players since I was 17, 18. It doesn鈥檛 feel surprising to me, like it might for other players who don鈥檛 have this experience. I am not shy or scared to play. You still have to be able to express yourself, whoever the opponent 鈥� even when it is big players or big teams.鈥�

Although he is one of Damac鈥檚 most experienced players, N鈥橩oudou says he is a quiet presence in the club鈥檚 dressing-room. The Cameroon winger has certainly done most of his talking on the pitch since arriving in Khamis Mushait, winning over fans not only with high-energy displays but with his sunny disposition too. N鈥橩oudou always plays with a smile on his face, something he attributes to the example set by his football heroes growing up.

鈥淚 loved Robinho, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo (Nazario),鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I was young, I saw these kinds of players, they enjoyed football and played with a smile. For me, this is football.

鈥淚t is the pleasure of playing before anything else, the same way I played with my friends as a kid or as people play at the weekend with their mates. This is why I smile too.鈥�

N鈥橩oudou hopes that he and his teammates have more to smile about come the end of the season and promised Damac supporters that he will do everything he can to try to take the club up the Saudi Pro League table.

鈥淔or a club like Damac our first priority is to stay in the league at the start of every season. And as a professional football player you want to be competitive 鈥� to try to go as far as you can.

鈥淚 think we have a lot to improve on from the first part (of the season), but I think if we can make a better finish than last season it鈥檚 going to be good for the club. We will see how far we can go.鈥�