Granddi
N'Goyi, born in Melun, France in May 1988, was a combative, defensive-minded
midfielder. He began his professional journey at Paris Saint Germain,
graduating from their youth ranks in 2007. Over five seasons at PSG, he
made 24 league appearances but found first-team opportunities hard to
come by. Loan spells followed at Clermont Foot, Brest, and Nantes, where
he gained valuable match experience in Ligue 2 and Ligue 1.
In 2012, N'Goyi left PSG permanently for Troyes, then recently promoted
to Ligue 1. He made 31 league appearances before leaving for Palermo in
Italy's Serie B on a free transfer the following summer. He was part of
their promotion-winning squad in 2013/14, contributing 20 league appearances
and two Coppa Italia outings. He debuted in Serie A in August 2014, replacing
Luca Rigoni late in a 1-1 draw with Sampdoria.
In January 2015, Leeds United signed N'Goyi on loan for the remainder
of the 2014/15 Championship season, with an option to buy for around £2?million.
The move was part of a spree driven by new owner Massimo Cellino, bringing
in several Palermo imports including Sol Bamba. N'Goyi joined on 26 January
2015, initially wearing the number 10 shirt before switching to number
6 when Edgar Çani arrived.
N'Goyi knew Sol Bamba well with the pair both beginning their careers
at PSG, amd spending six months together at Palermo. N'Goyi hoped to benefit
from Bamba's previous experience in England with Leicester City and his
command of the English language.
'He will help me a lot because he knows English football and speaks very
good English,' said N'Goyi. 'Bamba is my brother, my big brother! I'm
happy to be here. I'm very happy to be joining a good group. I will do
my best for this club. I'm happy because I didn't play a lot of games
in Palermo, I'm very happy.' Upon arrival, he admitted he'd had limited
playing time at Palermo, and saw Leeds as an opportunity to prove himself.
However, N'Goyi suffered an injury in training soon after joining, which
delayed his first-team involvement and disrupted his acclimatisation.
When N'Goyi signed, Leeds hoped he'd offer solidity in midfield —
a tough-tackling presence able to shield the defence, especially in the
wake of Rodolph Austin's injury. Despite being uncapped at senior level,
he had six caps for France U21s and was also eligible for DR Congo, later
earning one appearance for them in 2011.
N'Goyi made only one appearance for Leeds — starting on 14 April
2015 against Norwich City in a 2-0 home defeat. He had been an unused
substitute for a 4-3 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers two weeks earlier.
Manager Neil Redfearn later praised his performance despite the result.
One article labelled N'Goyi 'perhaps the poster child of Cellino's wild
recruitment' and said his sole appearance typified Leeds' post McDermott
dysfunction.
Leeds declined to take up the purchase option, and N'Goyi returned to
Palermo. He subsequently joined Dijon in Ligue 2 on a loan for 2015/16.
The injury at Leeds blended into a broader pattern that blighted his later
years. After Dijon, he eventually signed for amateur side Sénart-Moissy
in France's fifth tier, scoring once in six appearances before declaring
that football was no longer a professional pursuit for him.
