Ousmane N'Doye

Senegal

N'Doye, born on 21 March 1978 in Thiès, Senegal, began playing junior-level football at local club, ACS, and also practiced basketball until he was aged 12 or 13. He then moved to the junior center of Diaraf, a club where he started his senior career in 1997. In 1999, N'Doye joined Jeanne d'Arc with whom he won three Senegal Premier League titles, being considered the best player in the league at one point.

France

In the summer of 2002, at age 24, N'Doye was transferred by Ligue 2 club, Toulouse where he was wanted by coach Erick Mombaerts. He made a good impression shortly after arriving, helping the team finish the season in first place, thus earning promotion to Ligue 1. His Ligue 1 debut took place on 2 August 2003 in a 1–1 draw against Strasbourg where he provided the assist to Cédric Fauré's goal from a corner kick. He made a total of eight appearances in the competition, scoring two goals in two consecutive 2–1 losses to Ajaccio and Lens, but also received two red cards. Eventually, he returned for the second half of the season in Ligue 2, being loaned to Lorient.

Portugal and Saudi Arabia

In July 2004, N'Doye went to play in Portugal for Estoril, making his Primeira Liga debut under coach Litos in a 0–0 draw against Rio Ave. He scored three consecutive goals against Porto, Belenenses and Penafiel, leaving the club at the end of the first half of the season due to a conflict with Litos. N'Doye went for the second half of the 2004–05…

N'Doye was considered by coach Bruno Metsu to be part of Senegal's squad for the 2002 World Cup, but he was eventually not selected. He made his debut for the national team on 30 March 2003 under coach Guy Stéphan in a 0–0 draw against Gambia in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Stéphan also included him in the final tournament squad, where he played in two group stage draws against Burkina Faso and Mali. The team reached the quarter-finals where they were defeated by Tunisia without N'Doye playing. He played only one game in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, but then made six appearances with one goal scored in a 5–1 win over Burkina Faso during the successful 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. N'Doye was selected by coach Henryk Kasperczak to participate in the final tournament, where he played in a 2–2 draw against Tunisia, as his side failed to progress from their group. Subsequently, he played four games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. He made his last appearance for the national team on 1 April 2009 in a 1–1 friendly draw against Iran, having a total of 27 matches with one goal for the Lions of Teranga.

Scores and results list Senegal's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after each Ousmane N'Doye goal.

N'Doye claims that during his childhood, his favorite player was Chelsea's Dan Petrescu and while he was playing football with his friends, he would write the name Petrescu with the number 2 on the back of his shirt, calling his team "Romania", especially after seeing the team's performance during the 1994 World Cup. He eventually got to play in Romania and worked for a while with Petrescu as his coach at ASA Târgu Mureș. During his years spent in Romania, thanks to his charisma and eccentric style, he received considerable media attention, offering entertaining moments in front of the camera such as a spontaneous conversation after a meeting at an airport with actor Florin Piersic. In April 2015, after a 1–0 away victory of ASA Târgu Mureș against Steaua București which helped his side reach the first position with five rounds before season's end, N'Doye said some ironies against his opponents in front of the cameras:"In one leg I beat them, I didn't practice after the match with CFR, until today. Neither I, nor Muri (n.r. Mureșan), we both played in one leg, because we are injured (...) Give me the number of Andra, Măruță's wife, because she has a song that was like this match: Steaua - Târgu Mureș - "Paper Plane". Paper plane was this match. I also send her a message: Andra, I like your song very much! Măruță, don't be upset! (...) Look what a team we have! We are people of 30 or so years, people say that we are old, but you know how they say: the old hen makes good…