From Sarpsborg basement to World Cup: Diatta's journey fueled by pizza and integration

Nine years ago, Krépin Diatta, now a key player for Senegal, was eating frozen pizza in a basement apartment in Sarpsborg, Norway. He is set to play for his country on the world's biggest stage against Norway.

Diatta spent a season with Sarpsborg 08 between 2017 and 2018, a period his former landlord, Alexander Klaussen, describes as the true start of his career. "He says it was fantastic," Klaussen told VG. Diatta's successful debut season led to a transfer to Club Brugge for 20 million kroner, and he now plays for Monaco in France's Ligue 1.

During his time in Sarpsborg, the speedy winger, who was once one of the league's most feared, lived in Klaussen's basement for about ten months. Klaussen and his wife Marte played a significant role in Diatta's integration. "We invited him for dinner and tried to make sure he was comfortable. Many of these players from Africa come from backgrounds we can't imagine in Norway. They are here on a mission to save their families," Klaussen explained.

Tobias Heintz, a teammate who also broke through that season, was already living in the basement apartment when Diatta arrived. Heintz suggested Diatta move in with him, fostering a close friendship despite language barriers. "He ended up hanging out a lot with me and my friends, so he became part of that group. We took him to all sorts of things, so he became like a normal Norwegian youth eventually," Heintz said. He even became part of Heintz's family, visiting his home in Moss.

Heintz humorously recalls introducing Diatta to a bad habit: frozen pizza. "He loved Grandiosa, so he ended up eating himself to death on it. There was a lot of pizza in that apartment," he laughed. Diatta is not the only future star to have lived in Klaussen's basement; Ghana's Christopher Bonsu-Baah and Iraq's Aimar Sher also stayed there during their time with Sarpsborg 08.