LONDON: Few players will want the winter break in the Saudi Pro League to be over more than Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

Despite his team Damac sitting in 10th place in the Saudi Pro League table, N’Koudou has netted eight goals in 13 games so far; only Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Aleksandar Mitrovic have scored more in the league this season.

The Cameroon international primarily operates as a winger but since moving to Damac in the summer of 2023, N’Koudou has become a dangerous finisher. Before arriving in Saudi Arabia, he had only scored more than five goals in a season once in his career. At Damac, he has done it twice in a row.

N’Koudou hit the ground running in impressive fashion after his move from Turkish side Besiktas, bagging 14 goals in his first 16 games, including a sensational match-winning brace against then-reigning Saudi champions Al-Ittihad last December. The Damac No. 10 credits his prolific form to the influence of his coach, ex-AC Milan defender Cosmin Contra.

“The coach has given me so much responsibility and freedom on the field,”  N’Koudou told Arab News. “He knows I have experience, so he has just let me play my game and be happy on the pitch and off the pitch.

“I have had many great coaches in my career so far but before being a coach, (Contra) is a great man. He’s honest and if he has something to say he will say it to you straight.

“He’s really passionate about the game because he was a player before. He understands us and I think that’s maybe the difference between some of the coaches who weren’t players; he played at a good level in Milan. 

“(Now) I feel free and can enjoy my game. The coach helped me a lot and that’s why I think everything happened for me. I scored 15 goals last season and hope I can do the same this season too.”

It could have been even better in 2023-24 for N’Koudou, who tailed off in the second-half of the season, scoring just once in his last 14 games after his electric start. The Cameroon international firmly believes it was fatigue from the mid-season Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast that was responsible for the slowdown.

“When I came back from AFCON I was so tired; my legs were dead,” N’Koudou said. “I always try to recover as much as I can but sometimes you just can’t.

“Damac is a smaller team and they relied more on me to be the one to score goals or make an assist but it was more difficult (after AFCON).”

Without a continental tournament to disrupt his form this season, could N’Koudou make a serious tilt at the Saudi Pro League Golden boot?

“Honestly I’m not someone who looks at the numbers,” N’Koudou said. “These guys — Cristiano, Mitrovic, Benzema — they are strikers, they play on big teams. They fight for the title.

“I’m a winger, and sometimes No. 10, so for me it’s a little bit different. But I always try to do my best for the team and I will try to score more than last season and then I will see how far I can go. I will try to be there.”

Some of N’Koudou’s best performances for Damac have been against the league’s top sides. Having played in Ligue 1 for Marseille and Monaco, and in the English Premier League for Tottenham, he insists he doesn’t treat these matches any differently.

“I have been used to playing against big players since I was 17, 18. It doesn’t feel surprising to me, like it might for other players who don’t have this experience. I am not shy or scared to play. You still have to be able to express yourself, whoever the opponent — even when it is big players or big teams.”

Although he is one of Damac’s most experienced players, N’Koudou says he is a quiet presence in the club’s dressing-room. The Cameroon winger has certainly done most of his talking on the pitch since arriving in Khamis Mushait, winning over fans not only with high-energy displays but with his sunny disposition too. N’Koudou always plays with a smile on his face, something he attributes to the example set by his football heroes growing up.

“I loved Robinho, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo (Nazario),” he said. “When I was young, I saw these kinds of players, they enjoyed football and played with a smile. For me, this is football.

“It is the pleasure of playing before anything else, the same way I played with my friends as a kid or as people play at the weekend with their mates. This is why I smile too.”

N’Koudou hopes that he and his teammates have more to smile about come the end of the season and promised Damac supporters that he will do everything he can to try to take the club up the Saudi Pro League table.

“For a club like Damac our first priority is to stay in the league at the start of every season. And as a professional football player you want to be competitive — to try to go as far as you can.

“I think we have a lot to improve on from the first part (of the season), but I think if we can make a better finish than last season it’s going to be good for the club. We will see how far we can go.”

DUBAI: Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr added to his growing personal trophy collection in Dubai on Friday night, with Jude Bellingham and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo the other big winners at the 2024 Beyond Globe Soccer Dubai Awards, held in conjunction with the 19th Dubai International Sports Conference.

Vinicius Jr went home with the Best Men’s Player and Best Forward awards after enjoying the best goalscoring season of his career in 2023-24, finishing with 24 goals and contributing nine assists in 39 matches for Real Madrid. At 23 years and 325 days, the Brazilian also broke Lionel Messi’s record as the youngest player to score in multiple Champions League finals, leading the Spaniards to their 15th European title.

“It was such a faraway dream that it seemed impossible for me,” said Vinicius Jr. “I was just a little kid who used to play barefoot in the streets of Sao Gonçalo. I grew up in a poor place, surrounded by crime, so to be here is something very important to me because I’m not only representing Brazil but all the kids out there with the same dream.”

Bellingham, meanwhile, took home the Best Midfielder and the Maradona Award following an outstanding calendar year, which saw the 21-year-old lift the LaLiga title and maiden Champions League in his first season at Los Blancos, as well as the Supercopa de Espana and UEFA Super Cup. The former Birmingham City prodigy also helped England reach the final of the European Championship, contributing with some key goals along the way.

“Thank you to Globe Soccer for inviting me to this awards ceremony,” added Bellingham. “It’s amazing to see so many great players and legends, and it’s a real privilege to win a trophy here tonight as well. It wouldn’t be possible without my teammates, my staff, and most importantly, my family. My mum, who is here tonight, is the biggest motivation in my life.”

Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo clinched the Best Middle East Player for a second successive year, as well as being awarded the prestigious Top Goalscorer of All Time accolade, with the legendary forward currently standing on 917 career goals following his most recent strike against Al-Ittihad.

“I am always happy to be here because I think you do it as a fantastic gala. You can see all the champions here. I think it’s fantastic. Congratulations to all,” said Ronaldo. “In terms of the trophy, I have to say thank you to my teammates, my team. In terms of individual, I did very well, but for me, it’s not enough. My main goal is to win a trophy for Al-Nassr.”

The 15th edition of the star-studded awards took place on Palm Jumeirah, and alongside the Real Madrid representatives and Ronaldo, this year’s event attracted a number of football stars of past and present, including Brazil and Al-Hilal forward Neymar, Barcelona and Spain winger Lamine Yamal, former England manager Fabio Capello, and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand.

The Beyond Globe Soccer Dubai Awards garnered more than 100 million votes cast by fans from more than 200 countries and territories, eclipsing the previous record of 70 million.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancellotti won Best Coach for the second time in three years, as FC Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati retained the Best Women’s Player award. Yamal, meanwhile, was duly recognized as Emerging Player.

Earlier in the evening, Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois joined Ronaldo on stage to discuss “talented football” as part of the Dubai International Sports Conference.

“In the beginning, when I arrived at Manchester United, I was a very skillful player, dribbling a lot, and I realized that it was good for the show, but football is more than that,” Ronaldo commented. “When you have a dream to achieve big things, you need to be more effective, and this is what I planned to do. I started to see examples there in the club, like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. And I took some good ideas.

“And, as I say all the time, of course, you’re never going to be a football player if you only have talent. Talent is the main word to achieve success. But the other things, which I consider more important, are the ethics of work. I dedicated all my life to that because I know I can improve year by year.”

Other winners on the night included Al-Hilal’s Jorge Jesus, who was awarded Best Middle East Coach; while Al-Ain received Best Middle East Club and FC Barcelona were crowned Best Women’s Club once more.

“This is a landmark edition for the Globe Soccer Dubai Awards and once again I am immensely proud to see the world of football come out in force here in Dubai to recognize and celebrate the sport’s best operators and is testament to the growing reputation of the Awards itself and the appeal of Dubai as a destination,” said Tommaso Bendoni, founder and CEO of Globe Soccer.

“I would like to thank Dubai Sports Council for their valuable help and continuous support throughout the past 15 years, with a record response from fans during the voting period reinforcing our commitment to honouring the extraordinary talents that make football a global phenomenon.”

Dubai Globe Soccer Awards 2024 Winners:

Best Men’s Player: Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid and Brazil)

Best Women’s Player: Aitana Bonmati (FC Barcelona and Spain)

Best Coach: Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)

Best Middle East Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr and Portugal)

Best Middle East Coach: Jorge Jesus (Al Hilal)

Revelation Club Awards: Olympiacos FC

Best Men’s Club: Real Madrid

Best Women’s Club: FC Barcelona

Best Midfielder: Jude Bellingham (England and Real Madrid)

Best Forward: Vinicius Jr

Best Sporting Director: Piero Ausilio (Inter Milan)

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Middle East Club: Al-Ain FC

Emerging Player: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona and Spain)

Maradona Award: Jude Bellingham

Top Goalscorer of all Time: Cristiano Ronaldo

Special Career Award: Alessandro Del Piero

Special Career Award: Florentino Perez

Player Career Award: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid and Belgium)

Player Career Award: Neymar Jr (Al-Hilal and Brazil)

Player Career Award: Rio Ferdinand