His route to the Etihad has been anything but conventional. From youth football in France and Senegal, to Sunday League and non-league football in England, Ndiaye has taken the long road to the top of the game. Now, following his £65 million move from Everton, he has the opportunity to establish himself at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
Early Life and Footballing Roots
Ndiaye was born in Rouen, France, on 6 March 2000. His father is Senegalese and his mother French, giving him a connection to both countries that would eventually shape his international career.
He began playing football in his home city with Rouen Sapins before progressing into the FC Rouen youth system. As a youngster, he also spent time with Marseille, but his development took an unusual turn when his family moved to Senegal.
There, Ndiaye continued his football education with Dakar Sacré-Cœur, an academy with links to European football. The experience of playing in both France and Senegal helped shape the technically gifted and instinctive player he would eventually become.
At 16, Ndiaye returned to England to live with his father. Rather than joining one of the country’s established academies, he found himself at Boreham Wood, playing at a level far removed from the Premier League.
He also played Sunday League football with Rising Ballers, an organisation that helped showcase young players to professional clubs. It was there that his talent began attracting serious attention.
Sheffield United and the Long Road to the Top
Ndiaye joined Sheffield United in 2019, but his first taste of senior football came in the most unlikely surroundings.
In 2020, he was sent on loan to Hyde United in the Northern Premier League. He was just 19 and earning around £100 a week.
The move might have seemed like a setback, but Ndiaye embraced it.
His commitment was extraordinary. Having already trained with Sheffield United earlier in the day, he would travel by train from Sheffield to Hyde for evening sessions. During the winter, he would arrive at the ground in darkness and was regularly the first player there.
Hyde manager David McGurk later recalled having to take Ndiaye off the pitch because it was time to turn the floodlights off.
The numbers were modest – one goal in nine appearances – but the talent was obvious. McGurk described a player whose technical ability, movement and understanding of the game were already operating at a level above non-league football. (
The hard work eventually paid off.
Ndiaye made his Sheffield United first-team debut in March 2021 and gradually established himself in the Championship. His breakthrough season came in 2022-23, when he became one of the most exciting attacking players in the division.
He scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists as Sheffield United secured promotion to the Premier League. His performances earned him both the club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards, as well as recognition in the Championship Team of the Season.
The boy who had been playing Sunday League football was suddenly one of the most sought-after young attacking players in England.
Marseille: A Difficult Season
In the summer of 2023, Ndiaye moved to France to join Marseille.
The transfer represented another significant step in his career, but his single season in Ligue 1 proved difficult. He made 30 league appearances but scored only three goals.
Despite the disappointing statistics, his underlying talent remained clear. Marseille had paid around £17 million for him, believing there was considerably more to come.
After only one season in France, Ndiaye returned to England.
This time, it was to join Everton.
Everton: Becoming a Premier League Star
Everton signed Ndiaye in July 2024, bringing him back to the league where he had first made his name.
The move proved transformative.
At Goodison Park, Ndiaye quickly became one of Everton’s most important attacking players. His ability to receive the ball under pressure, carry it past defenders and create something from nothing made him a natural focal point for the Toffees’ attack.
His first Everton season was particularly impressive. He scored nine Premier League goals and finished the campaign with 11 goals in all competitions.
The following season he remained an important part of the side, adding another six Premier League goals.
Across his two seasons at Everton, Ndiaye made 74 appearances and contributed 21 goals and assists.
More importantly, he established himself as one of the Premier League’s most naturally gifted attacking players outside the established Big Six.
His performances also attracted attention from some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
And eventually, Manchester City came calling.
Manchester City: The Next Step
On 1 September 2026, Manchester City completed the signing of Ndiaye from Everton for a reported £65 million, comprising £60 million guaranteed and a further £5 million in potential bonuses.
The 26-year-old signed a five-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad until the summer of 2031.
It is a remarkable destination for a player whose professional career once included travelling by train to evening training sessions at a non-league club.
Ndiaye was also strongly linked with Tottenham in the final days of the transfer window, but ultimately chose City.
Speaking after completing the move, he made it clear that his preference was never really in doubt.
He said that he had worked his whole life for an opportunity like this and that he believed he could play for a team challenging for the biggest prizes. He also explained that he wanted to play in an attacking team that keeps the ball on the ground and looks to score.
That sounds like a pretty good description of what Manchester City are trying to build under Enzo Maresca.
International Career: Senegal
Although born in France, Ndiaye chose to represent Senegal.
He was included in Senegal’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, making his international debut shortly before the tournament.
Since then, he has become an established member of the Senegal side and was also involved in the 2026 World Cup.
At the 2026 tournament, Ndiaye contributed one goal and two assists as Senegal competed on the world’s biggest stage.
His international career has added another dimension to his experience. He has played alongside some of Africa’s finest players and now arrives at City with experience of major international tournaments as well as Premier League football.
Style of Play
Ndiaye is an attacking midfielder who can operate across the front line. He is comfortable playing from the left or right, through the middle, or in a more traditional number 10 role.
Perhaps his most obvious quality is his ability to beat defenders.
He has excellent close control, a low centre of gravity and an instinctive ability to manipulate the ball in tight spaces. Rather than simply relying on pace, he uses changes of direction, body movement and quick touches to create room.
He is also comfortable using both feet, which makes him particularly difficult for defenders to read.
His movement is another major strength. Ndiaye is constantly looking for pockets of space between midfield and defence, while his ability to turn with the ball allows him to attack defences from central positions.
There is also an element of unpredictability to his game. He is the type of player who can receive the ball in an apparently harmless position and, within seconds, turn it into a dangerous attacking situation.
His creativity is perhaps just as important as his goalscoring. City have plenty of players capable of finishing chances, but Ndiaye brings the ability to manufacture them.
That combination of dribbling, movement, creativity and versatility should make him an interesting fit for Maresca’s system.
What Can City Expect?
The biggest question is whether Ndiaye can translate his individual brilliance into consistent performances at the very highest level.
At Everton, he was often one of the team’s primary attacking outlets. At City, the responsibility will be different.
He will be surrounded by technically elite players and will have to compete for places with the likes of Jérémy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland.
That competition could ultimately work in his favour.
Ndiaye has spent virtually his entire career having to prove himself. From Boreham Wood to Hyde United, from the Championship to Marseille and then Everton, there has always been another level to reach.
Now he has reached Manchester City.
The challenge is to show that he belongs there.
Career Statistics and Honours
Club senior career:
- Sheffield United: 77 appearances, 21 goals
- Marseille: 30 appearances, 3 goals
- Everton: 74 appearances, 17 goals
- Manchester City: Joined September 2026
International career:
- Senegal: 39 caps, 4 goals
Major honours and awards:
- Championship promotion: 2022-23 – Sheffield United
- Championship Team of the Season: 2022-23
- Sheffield United Player of the Year: 2022-23
- Sheffield United Players’ Player of the Year: 2022-23
- FIFA World Cup appearances: 2022 and 2026
- Africa Cup of Nations winner: 2025 – Senegal
The Verdict
Iliman Ndiaye’s career is one of perseverance as much as talent.
Very few £65 million Manchester City signings can claim to have spent their formative years playing Sunday League football and their first senior loan spell in the seventh tier of English football.
Ndiaye has had to work for every step.
The raw talent was always there. What has changed is the consistency and maturity with which he now applies it.
At 26, he arrives at Manchester City in the prime years of his career, rather than as an untested youngster. He knows English football, understands the demands of the Premier League and has experience of international football at the highest level.
Most importantly, he brings something City always value: a player capable of making things happen.
If Maresca can harness Ndiaye’s natural creativity and combine it with City’s possession-based attacking football, the Senegalese forward could become one of the most exciting additions to the new-look Manchester City side.
From Hyde United to the Etihad.
It is quite some journey.