Niger star Hainikoye in seventh heaven amidst CHAN success
When Niger star striker Soumana Boubacar Hainikoye touched down in Algeria ahead of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2022 edition, he felt like he was back home because of the strong support from local fans.
That amazing support from Algerian football fans for Hainikoye and his Niger team-mates during the CHAN matches has spurred the Menas on to reach the semi-finals of the tournament - the first time in the country's history.
The support from the local fans is because the talented forward, who turned 25 at the beginning of this month, featured for Algerian giants CR Belouizdad in the top-flight league from the 2018/19 season.
Hainikoye, who has been the star player for Niger in this tournament as they breezed into the semi-finals, has great memories of his time playing in Algeria.
“It was a great feeling being back here in Algeria. This country is very welcoming. Algerians celebrate football. They love football. They live football and so for me to be back here means a lot. I am so happy to be back here and to see some familiar faces and things,” Hainikoye tells CAFOnline.com in an exclusive interview.
Hainikoye, who now features for USGN back home in Niger, has been at the heart of his team’s remarkable run to a historic semi-final qualification at the continental tournament.
The Menas who reached the quarter-finals in their debut in 2011 finally broke the jinx and made it to the last four.
With a huge smile on his face, Hainikoye reminisces on how special Oran is to him as an individual from his playing days with CR Belouizdad.
“Oran is special to me because my first goal for CR Belouizdad was against MC Oran here in this city. It was a header from a very good cross into the box and I equalized for my team. We had conceded an own goal, so the game ended 1-1 and we really needed that point. Every point was very important for us to avoid relegation.”
“At the time I joined CR Belouizdad, we were at the bottom of the league table, and we really needed this point so it made me happy that I could contribute to the team’s success. We eventually finished eighth on the table at the end of the season.”
Even though things were tough in the league, Hainikoye and CR Belouizdad finished the 2018/2019 season on a high when they lifted the Algerian Cup.
The next season was a much better one as CR Belouizdad were crowned Algerian League champions for the first time since 2001 – a historic moment for this current generation of players and the club’s old guard who had missed the old winning days when they dominated in the 1960s and 1970s.
“For me, these were the first ever international trophies I won in my career,” he added with a content look on his face beaming with pride.
The White and Reds have since gone on to win three national league titles in a row and for Hainikoye who was present when the festivities started admits that this was such a remarkable moment in his career – an unforgettable experience that will forever remain in his mind and so returning to Algeria, brought back such great memories for him.
With the Menas, Hainikoye has already borrowed from that winning spirit and is enjoying a great run of results that have now presented Niger as one of the title favourites and deservedly so.
Hainikoye has bagged back-to-back TotalEnergies Man-of-the-Match Awards following stellar performances against Cameroon and Ghana.
“For most players in this team, this CHAN is their first ever international competition. We all play in the league back home so this CHAN has been a great opportunity to show the world what we can do. We are from Niger. We are so proud to be from Niger. We want to show the world what we can do,” Hainikoye emphasized.
Algeria is to the north of Niger and apart from sharing borders, they also share Islam as the major religion between them with the majority of the populations practicing Islam.
Algerian fans have been supporting Niger throughout the tournament and Hainikoye has not shied away from appreciating their support. He has continuously said, “I have always had a great relationship with Algerians fans not just those from CR Belouizdad. We feel their support in every game and we feel at home here.”
Hainikoye and his Algerian friends and fans will now seek to maintain the friendship even when the two sides meet in the first semi-final on Tuesday, 31 January.
“There is mutual respect between us and both of us will want to win the game. We shall do our best. We know that the stadium will be packed but we are used to this. We have played games with 35,000 fans and more in Niamey so we shall be ready,” Hainikoye says with a big smile on his face.
Hainikoye and his teammates played two friendly games against Algeria in Algiers in preparation for this tournament and despite losing both games 2-0, they learnt so many lessons and want to apply them when the two sides meet.
There is a big Nigerien population in Algeria and especially in Oran that is already preparing their cheering voices to support the Menas at the iconic Miloud Hadefi Stadium on Tuesday when the two sides face-off at 1600GMT.