M'Baye Niang

M'Baye Hamady Niang (born 19 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Empoli.

Born in France, he represents Senegal at international level.

He made his professional debut at the age of 16, in a league match for Caen.

His playing style has also drawn comparisons to Mario Balotelli.

After spending the second part of the 2009–10 season with the under-19 team, Niang was promoted to the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, ahead of the 2010–11 season.

He made his reserve team debut on 14 August 2010 in a 0–0 draw with Avranches.

In the team's ensuing match against Moulins, Niang scored the only goal for the team in a 1–1 draw.

On 12 September, he scored both team goals in a 2–2 draw with the reserve team of professional club Lorient.

After becoming the team's top scorer after its first six matches, Niang began earning praise from the local media who began predicting when the player would be called up to the senior team.

He was also linked to several clubs abroad such as Italian club Juventus and English clubs Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur - who reportedly offered Caen €8 million for the player.

On 18 February 2011, Niang signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal with Caen.

He was called up the senior team for the first time on 23 April 2011 for the team's league match against Toulouse that was played on the following day.

Niang was assigned the squad number 9 shirt and made his professional debut in the match appearing as a second-half substitute as the match ended in a 1–1 draw.

At 16 years and 114 days, Niang's appearance in the match made him the youngest player ever to appear for Caen in the club's history.

A week later, he made his first professional start in a 4–0 away win over Nice.

On 7 May, Niang scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw with Lens.

The goal made him the second youngest player to score a goal in Ligue 1 behind Laurent Roussey.

In the team's next match against Rennes, Niang appeared as a substitute and scored the equalizing goal four minutes after coming on.

In the team's final league match of the season against Marseille, he converted the team's second goal, which put Caen 2–0 up.

Marseille later scored two unanswered goals to draw the match 2–2.

Niang finished the campaign with seven appearances, of which four were starts, and three league goals.

Prior to the start of the 2011–12 season, Niang's professional contract became subject to debate after French newspaper Le Parisien revealed that his father did not agree to the signing of the contract.

Due to Niang being a minor, it is required by French law that both parents of the player agree to the contract.

Despite reportedly being present during the signing of the contract, Niang's father, through his lawyer, threatened to begin "a procedure for revocation of the contract".

Despite the contract issues, Niang remained a Caen player and made his season debut on 13 August 2011 in a 2–1 win over Sochaux.

On 24 September, he scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–2 away win over Evian.

Niang's only other goal during the season came in the 1–1 draw away to Nancy.

Before the start of the 2012–13 season, it was reported that Niang had gone on trial with English clubs Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham.

On 27 August 2012, it was confirmed that Niang was in negotiations with Italian club Milan after arriving in the city and having dinner with club vice-president Adriano Galliani.

Internationally, he represented France at under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels, before opting to represent his ancestral Senegal internationally in October 2017.

Niang was born in Meulan, a commune in the Yvelines department of the Île-de-France region, to Senegalese parents.

He began his football career at the age of seven playing for local club Basse-Seine Les Mureaux.

Niang spent two years at the club before being spotted by amateur club Poissy.

After hearing of the player through word of mouth, Niang was spotted by professional club Caen scouts Laurent Glaize and David Lasry.

Glaize later stated that before scouting the player, he was informed that Niang was possibly a présu, a player claiming to be younger than his actual date of birth.

The claim was made primarily because of Niang's height, which stood at 1.75 m when he was 13 years old.

Despite the claim, the scouts continued to pursue Niang, who was also being linked to other professional clubs in France, such as Lille and Paris Saint-Germain.

Niang joined Caen's youth academy at the age of 13 after excelling at a trial, in which he scored a hat-trick.

He quickly ascended up the club's youth hierarchy and, by the age of 15, was already featuring with the club's under-19 team.

Niang was described by the team's coach Philippe Tranchant as a player with "huge potential" while also stating "we've never seen a player like him at the club before".