HE has rubbed shoulders with Moussa Dembele and Mamadou Sakho at PSG, he’s tasted the sweet success of a Premier League title with N’Golo Kante. But Cedric Kipre wouldn’t swap Motherwell for the world.
And quite right, too.
The big French centre-half is thriving with first-team life at Fir Park after years in the shadows of some of Europe’s big clubs.
Visions of Motherwell Heritage Centre and Strathclyde Park may be a far cry to that of the Eiffel Tower or the gardens of Versailles.
However, the opportunity to at last get a run of games in the senior top flight has proven to be priceless for the Parisian.
“It’s different here to my past experiences,” said Kipre. “At PSG and Leicester, I wasn’t in the first team so people don’t really care about you.
“Being in a first team environment is what I wanted so, for me, this is the best experience so far.
“I’ve been surprised by the reaction of the fans but they have been great with me. I have been made to feel very welcome. That support shows in every game. It’s amazing.
“I also like the physical challenge in Scotland, because I am a bit of a big guy!”
Kipre’s arrival in Scotland comes just over a year after his former PSG youth team-mate Dembele rocked up to Celtic Park to take the country by storm.
He’s someone the centre-half knew was destined for big things from a young age, and is looking forward to getting reaquatinted with his old pal when Motherwell and Celtic lock horns.
“When we were young, the only thing he was good at was scoring goals! He would score four of five goals every game,” explained Kipre. “It was great for him because the all the eyes were on him because he was scoring so many goals. I haven’t spoken to him for a long time, though, so the fact he has done so well in Scotland wasn’t part of my decision to come here.
“That time with PSG was a good education for me as a player and I learned a lot. Mamadou Sakho was the defender I really looked up to when he was in the first team.”
It is an experience he hopes will serve him well in the coming months and years. Already the 21-year-old has been given a contract extension to keep him in claret and amber until 2019.
Having only joined in the summer, Kipre is grateful for the chance to shine after his team at the King Power came to an end without a single first-team appearance.
He watched on from the wings as the Foxes did the unthinkable two seasons ago, and it gives him encouragement that he can be part of something special at Motherwell.
“I was surprised when I was offered a new contract because I didn’t expect it that quickly, to be honest,” said Kipre ahead of Motherwell's away trip to face Hibernian today. “But obviously it is a good thing for me because it gives me a bit of security.
“Also, I am at an age where I need to play first team football. It is something I have wanted for a few years. I was playing reserve football all the time at Leicester and that is not so good.
“It was good to be at Leicester when they won the title. The atmosphere at the club was amazing. In football, anything is possible. I have seen that in the year when Leicester won. So if Motherwell wants to achieve something, then if everyone believes it can happen.
“To be honest, I don’t think even Leicester believed they could win the league that year. I used to talk with N’Golo Kante a lot. After every game, I would say to him: ‘Oh, maybe now you can win the league.’ And he was like: ‘No, never, never.’ But they did it.”
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