‘A footballing alien’: Mamadou Sangaré soars to Premier League heights

Brentford’s Mali midfielder stood out when he was six and has shone in the Premier League since £39m transfer

“When I first saw him, I thought to myself: ‘Who on earth is this player?’ laughs Youness Bengelloun as he remembers Mamadou Sangaré. With the transfer window in full swing in July 2025, the former Manchester City scout and agent was not expecting to come face to face with a “footballing alien”, but that proved the case during a visit to Rapid Vienna’s training ground. A few weeks later, Sangaré moved to Lens for around €5m. “He was impressive and what struck me was his technique and his work rate,” Bengelloun says.