Ibra Sanoh Interview

Recently, Jack and I had the chance to sit down with Ibra Sanoh, and he was a joy to speak to.

Ibra Sanoh is one of this year's new signings for the HFX Wanderers and he was an absolute phenom of a striker at Holland College in PEI.

Now with the Island Games coming to PEI, he's going to be playing on home turf, in a new league with a lot riding on his shoulders.

On the Wanderers squad, Ibra Sanoh is the only “big man” striker. So I'm very interested in how Stephen Hart is going to set up around him, and setup the attack in general, which was one of the biggest weaknesses last season.

Ibra came to Canada from West Guinea (a French-speaking part of Africa) as his father specifically wanted to send him to an English-speaking area of Canada, which I thought was interesting. Once in PEI he had to adapt to more physical style of soccer in Canada. And yet, when it comes to stats, he dominated his league.

Stats:

• Named the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association “Player of the Year” four times
• Scored 101 goals in 70 games
• Starred in a 2018 exhibition match for Stephen Hart’s Atlantic Selects against German under-21 side Fortuna Düsseldorf, before the CPL had even started
• Scored the goal in the above mentioned match which equalized the two teams!

Ibra has a solid head on his shoulders and some great advice to give for young soccer players who want to follow in his footsteps.

One of the interesting things that came up in the interview was his decision to take some time off the soccer pitch and specifically bulk up. He knew he needed to get stronger to take his game to the next level, and he worked extra-hard to achieve the results.

After spending about an hour chatting, you can easily see that Ibra is one of the nicest, and most genuine people who gave very thoughtful answers to our numerous questions! He has an incredible attitude and we discuss many things beginning with his upbringing, to how he handles pressure, along with the the one superpower he'd love to have if it were possible!

And of course, since both Jack and I are self-confessed foodies, you know we always have to sneak some food questions in there and he shared with us his “must-try” food from back home in Africa.

All in all, this interview is worth a solid listen for all fans of soccer, and especially for HFX Wanderers Fans.

So without further ado, let's get into it!

The Ibra Sanoh Interview

Below is a timestamp of the interview. For a clickable timestamp, visit YouTube:

https://youtu.be/AAquAQp_S-c

00:00:00 Welcome Ibra!
00:00:40 How has it been back training with the team?
00:01:20 How did you start playing soccer?
00:02:15 How did your parents help your desire to go pro?
00:03:27 How did you end up going to PEI?
00:06:19 What was it like playing in PEI?
00:07:36 So you found it a lot of more physical, the game here?
00:07:50 Transition from winger to striker.
00:11:03 So did you change your diet during that time?
00:11:45 So what was one of the healthy snacks you were craving all day, or healthy food?
00:12:54 What food did you miss most from back home?
00:14:26 What’s your favourite spice?
00:15:16 Do you like playing as a target man or getting behind and using your speed?
00:16:11 Do you shoot with both feet?
00:18:12 What did your coach at Holland do to improve your game since you were just dominating, record setting etc…?
00:19:23 Is there a skill move you like to use when you’re on the pitch?
00:20:20 How were you so dominant?
00:22:36 You scored 101 in 70 games – 1.4 goals per game…Did you feel pressure when you weren’t scoring goals?
00:24:06 What is your favourite formation to play in?
00:24:40 What do you think of playing with your new teammates?
00:25:50 You are the only traditional number 9, what did Stephen Hart see in you that you are going to play such an important part in this year's squad?
00:26:55 In your opinion Is your first time you get the ball in front of the net the most important time to score for you?
00:27:26 Can you tell us a little more about why you love Cristiano Ronaldo?
00:30:35 In the last 12 months, what have you been working on to improve your game?
00:33:28 School is important, can you tell me why you took Marketing and Advertising?
00:35:15 What are some of the obstacles you’ve had to overcome in your soccer journey?
00:37:09 Tell me about mindset and how you keep your mindset so that you can be a top performer, a top athlete?
00:38:05 Quote you really like or one you live by.
00:39:16 How did you get on the radar of the TFC Academy?
00:46:40 How did Stephen Hart learn about you?
00:48:11 What is one thing Stephen Hart has done to improve your game?
00:50:42 What is your favourite soccer moment?

Jack’s Rapid Fire Questions:

00:53:26 Do you play FIFA?
00:53:30 PS4 or Xbox?
00:53:44 Favourite fruit?
00:53:58 Favourite goal you’ve scored?
00:55:09 One superpower you’d like to have?
00:55:44 Do you cook?
00:55:47 Favourite thing to cook?
00:56:00 One food everyone needs to try?
00:56:34 What is the biggest crowd you’d ever played in front of?
00:57:13 Favourite book?
00:57:28 Favourite movie?
00:57:59 Favourite board game?
00:58:22 What kind of soccer boots do you wear?
00:59:11 What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
01:00:12 What are 3 words to define you?
01:00:35 What are your goals for the future?