Cheerful, gentle and always nodding: How new signing Cheick Doucoure is settling in at Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace star signing Cheick Doucoure is fulfilling a promise he made to his father as a 10-year-old that he would one day be playing in the Premier League.

Cheick Doucoure idolised Frédéric Kanouté, who enjoyed Premier League success at Tottenham and West Ham, and hopes to be held in a similar regard at the end of his career.

As the young Doucoure grew up and his football senses developed, Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba, two of the greatest Ivorian footballers dominating Europe at that time, also became idols to the Palace midfielders.

But striker Frédéric Kanouté was always the physical representation of Doucoure’s dreams, and he’s worked incredibly hard in the years that have followed to arrive in south London.

Born in Bamako but grew up in Abidjan

Eagles fans know that their best player Wilfried Zaha was born in Abidjan but grew up in Croydon.

What they mostly don’t know is that their new midfielder Cheick Doucoure was born in Bamako, the capital of Mali, but grew up in Abidjan one of the big cities in Ivory Coast.

His father drove a cab in Mali but later got a job in Abidjan to work in the port while his mum sold food to the people in their neighbourhood.

By the time the midfielder was 10, he had made his mind that he was going to be a professional footballer, a dream was held by most of the kids growing up in Abidjan at that time. His dad wasn’t too sure about it but the young Doucoure assured his dad it was his calling.

Doucoure’s father’s job at the port took a hit and the midfielder left home and went back to Mali joining a promising academy called JMG Academy in Bamako.

The advantage of this set up was that he was being fed three times a day and scouts would occasionally take notice of you.

So many scouts had a look at the young Doucoure but not many were willing to take the chance on him. It took six years before he would get his proper breakthrough.

He had a stint with AS Real Bamako but his real chance  would come after he was picked for the FIFA U17 World Cup which was won by England in 2017.

The England winning team had players like Phil Foden as the star man and Rhian Brewster as the top scorer.

After the tournament, Lens had seen enough to take the chance on him and by 2018 he was signed up by the French club.

He received his first national team call up that same year, as Mali moved fast to cap him before Ivory Coast or France made their move.

The national team call up was a massive endorsement for a young man who had given up education and left home at the age of 10 to try his luck at football.

The French journey

After just a season with the Lens reserves, Doucoure joined the first team and was a main-stay in Ligue 2 before helping them gain promotion to the Ligue 1.

In France, he played 117 times for Lens, scored 5 goals and was wanted by clubs like PSG, Monaco before taking the call to move to Crystal Palace.

One of the gifts of Steve Parish and the people around him is the ability to spot a talent with the right attitude who fits what Palace is about on and off the pitch.

In Doucoure, they believe that they have found a player at the right age who is going to either make them a lot of money or a lot of memories.

Taking in the new surroundings in Croydon

Behind the scenes, Vieira has been very supportive to Cheick Doucoure and his adaptation has been well ahead of time.

The skill has always been there but not many people at Palace expected him to take to the Premier League like he has in his first six games.

His English is quite basic, but he compliments that with an incredible attitude to always listen attentively during tactical meetings.

He has moved closer to Odsonne Edouard, who himself is not the best at English, but at least they are able to hold a conversation largely in French with a mix of simple English.

The people at the club say his humility is infectious and he is always nodding as a seal of approval when shown videos and clips of where he can improve.

His passing has been great but his positioning in the team when in transition has been equally impressive and he gives his teammates confidence to express themselves.

He is built for the rigour of the Premier League but his intelligence is one skill that the technical team believe will make him one of the best midfielders in the game in the next few years. He smiles a lot in training and comes across as a genuinely nice bloke.

The fans are taking to him and he is going about his business in red and blue quietly.

There is a feeling that the squad is not as strong as it was last season, but the addition of the midfielder is one of those jewels that could be found in the dust.

It is early days yet, but the signs are that he is a world beater in the making.