During Dan Ndoye’s couple of seasons at Bologna, he kept a few shirts – with his name and number on the reverse – stashed in the glove box of his car in case he bumped into young supporters around town. Naturally, he had a pen handy for autographs, too. It is a nugget that epitomises his down-to-earth character, which radiates as he discusses his £35m move to Nottingham Forest this summer. “If I can give away a couple of shirts here, I will do so with pleasure,” he says. “Sometimes a small gesture can make a big difference.”
As a kid who idolised Neymar, a signed shirt from one of his heroes was the stuff of dreams. Ndoye, who trained with his Forest teammates for the first time last week, was born in Nyon to a Senegalese father, Saliou, and a Swiss mother, Virginie, and came through the ranks at Lausanne. The 24-year-old values his African roots – he visits his grandmother in Dakar when time allows – and incorporated them into his now-trademark celebration, where he mimics a growling big cat displaying its claws. “I was always asking myself: ‘What celebration can I do that represents myself?’ The Senegal national team are known as the Lions of Teranga and my mum, since I was a kid, always called me a little lion, because every time I would always give my best.”
Ndoye is family-oriented; for example, he has selected the No 14 shirt at Forest because it is the date of his mum’s birthday in April. His husky, Alpha, which his sister, Eva, persuaded him to get a few years ago, helps take his mind off things when needed. “I’ve worked really hard to arrive here. There have been ups and downs but I’m a focused person. I always try to give my best, and I think if you do that you’ll get your rewards. It’s been a long journey, but I think this is the beginning. I have a lot of work to do to improve again. I want to become a better player.”
Those who have shared his journey speak of an authentic, upbeat character who is almost always smiling. “I am just living my dream because I always dreamed of being a football player,” he says. It has been a fine 12 months for Ndoye, who starred for Switzerland at Euro 2024 then enjoyed a breakout season in Serie A; he scored eight goals, plus the only goal against Milan in Rome at Stadio Olimpico to clinch the Coppa Italia, sparking joyous scenes in Piazza Maggiore. “It was an amazing experience to win the club’s first trophy for 51 years and something that will always stay with me. Now I’m ready to give my best in my new shirt and I hope it’s going to be a good season.”
He reflects fondly on his time in Bologna and got under the skin of the city. Ndoye often attended basketball matches at Virtus Bologna, the oldest team in Italy and one of the oldest across Europe. He is a big basketball fan and in the summer Switzerland’s double-header in the US presented the chance to study Utah Jazz at close quarters as part of a team-bonding event. “I like to see other sports and see how they work and I like to take a bit of everything from every sport I like so that I can put it into my professional journey.” He enjoyed quizzing the coaches and honed his technique under the hoop. “I try, but I’m not so good, you know,” he says with a smile.
Ndoye had interest from the Serie A winners, Napoli, who will play in the Champions League this season, but preferred Forest, where he signed a five-year contract. A positive rundown of the club from Remo Freuler, his Bologna teammate who played for Forest, helped. Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori, also former clubmates, could also paint a picture. “As soon as I got the interest from Forest, I knew that it was the perfect next step for my career. I spoke with the directors and the coach and it was really clear for me that was the right move for me. If I choose this club, it’s because I’m fully confident in my choice. I spoke a lot with my family about it. I know it’s an ambitious club, and I’m ambitious as well. I think we can achieve great things, there’s a great manager and team. If we put everything together, it can be a really good season for us.”
Nuno Espírito Santo hopes Ndoye will provide Forest with a bounce after the £55m departure of Anthony Elanga for Newcastle. This week Nuno voiced concerns his team were “short of solutions” but in Ndoye, who made a name for himself as an instrumental part of the Basel side that reached the Conference League semi-finals two years ago, they have a player determined to hit the ground running. He concedes he may need to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League but his English needs little work. “I used to watch things like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Every time if I can put something on in English – with the subtitles in French – it can help me.”
Forest begin at home to Brentford on Sunday and will play in Europe for the first time in 30 years; Crystal Palace’s demotion to the Conference League means Forest, who finished seventh, will play in the Europa League. The Premier League, which Ndoye says is the best in the world, was the obvious lure but those European nights promise to be magical occasions. “To bring European football to the City Ground will be something special … I’m proud to be part of this journey.”
