TIMITE Cheick

General
ON LOAN
He was on loan at French Ligue 2 club Paris FC from his parent club Amiens during the 2019/20 season. (transfermarkt.co.uk, 02 Sep 2019)

EARLY DAYS
Born in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, he relocated to France at age 14. He began playing football on the streets of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, and later followed his high school friends to play at ES Nanterre in France, against the wishes of his mother. He was later spotted by a scout, and in January 2016 he signed a contract to join French Ligue 2 club AC Ajaccio. "My mother didn't want me to join a club but to focus on my studies. Becoming a professional player was not in my dreams. Many people had to convince my mother that I had some talent and that going to Corsica [AC Ajaccio] was a good opportunity for me. It was weird that only one year after playing football on the streets I was heading to a formation centre. But I adapted myself to the demands. I don't play like I used to before. Then I dribbled past everybody but now I'm no longer playing on the streets." (France 3 Hauts-de-France YouTube channel, 10 Feb 2019; leparisien.fr, 24 Oct 2019; firstmagazine.net, 29 Jan 2020)

LOVE OF THE SPORT
He says he is able to derive a sense of pleasure from playing football that he would be unable to find elsewhere. "Football is a passion, a moment of pleasure, a joy and, for me, the best sport in the world. It is already inside my life. And it is playing football that has given me so much pleasure. Even if I worked for a big company and earned the same amount of money, I wouldn't feel as happy as I am when I am inside the locker room. There are moments there that I wouldn't have lived if I were in an office. For me it's all about enjoyment. Wherever I go there must be joy. Sometimes I speak with people that say, 'I feel that you lack rage and determination', but no, I am not like that. For me football is a pleasure and that's how I learned it and have always played it. I didn't build my career based upon rage." (gazettesports.fr, 29 Aug 2019)