Serge Branco, 2000 Olympic champion, names Mahamadou Nagida, left-back for Stade Rennais and the Indomitable Lions, as the best up-and-coming left-back in Ligue 1. He also points out what the player still needs to work on.
In an exclusive interview with AfricaFoot, Serge Branco, the former Cameroon international and 2000 Olympic champion in Sydney, names the Stade Rennais left-back as the best up-and-coming left-back in the French league. A verdict made all the more notable by the fact that it comes from a former Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart player.
The compliment comes from a man who has known Nagida since childhood: both hail from the same New-Bell neighbourhood in Douala, which gives his assessment a personal dimension.
New-Bell, childhood and the same flank
“He’s a kid I know from New-Bell, because we come from the same neighbourhood,” Branco told AfricaFoot. He then pressed the point: “He’s quick, sharp, bold. A left-back has to be quick, sharp and bold, and always on the move.” The Olympic champion pushes the comparison as far as his own style of play in his youth, highlighting the Rennes defender’s sharpness, boldness and speed.
His career path recalls those shared roots: Nagida was trained at the École Publique de New-Bell / KDD in Douala.
Progress already clear over time
Nagida had already made a name for himself last season in Rennes colours and is confirming his progress in the 2026-2027 campaign, again according to AfricaFoot. It is in this context that Branco declares: “THE left-back currently on the rise in Ligue 1”.
His performances have also caught the eye of European heavyweights, including Paris Saint-Germain’s scouts, who are monitoring his profile, according to AfricaFoot. The source goes no further than that monitoring: no formalised interest is documented.
Impulses and effort, the Rennes man’s work in progress
The tribute comes with a caveat. According to Branco, the Rennes defender still needs to improve his control of his impulses and the management of his efforts during matches.
For the Indomitable Lions, the stakes go beyond the club: Nagida is one of the great hopes to succeed long-term on the Cameroon national team’s left flank.
Stade Rennais continue their Ligue 1 schedule with an important away trip in the league in the coming days, AfricaFoot reports.