Life Stories
Raoul Diagne
Beginnings
Raoul’s father, Blaise Diagne, was a Senegalese-French politician who was Mayor of Dakar and the first black African elected to France’s Chamber of Deputies. Later, he became the first African to hold a position in the French government. Raoul was born in 1910, in French Guiana.
International Star
Raoul Diagne was a powerfully-built defender who became a key player for Racing Club of Paris. He won medals for the League Championship in 1936 and three times for the Coupe de France in 1936, 1939 and 1940. Diagne played his first game for French national team on 15 February 1931, a 2-1 losse over Czechoslovakia. He also played for France in the 1938 World Cup.
Legacy
After his playing career, Raoul Diagne had experience as a coach in French club football. In 1961 he became the first coach of the Senegal national team. He died in 2002, at a time when the ethnic and cultural diversity of France’s national team was celebrated, as well as debated. What is interesting is that when Diagne entered the international stage in France he did not encounter the same hostility as his contemporary French teammates of African origin.
Thinking points
Educators could look at the life story of Raoul Diagne and work with young people to consider these questions:
- What does Raoul Diagne’s story tell us about colonial migration?
- How are pioneers like Diagne remembered today?
Find out more
Read Philippe Auclair’s “What Makes a Nation” on The Blizzard. You can also explore the profile of Diagne produced by FIFA.
COVER Image
Raoul Diagne in November 1938 (Photo: Le Miroir des sports, 22 novembre 1938).
Life Story
43
LIFE STORIES To discover now
Do you wanna know more?
HISTORY CAN BE EXPLORED THROUGH THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS
Stories
Browse our collection of stories about football history and inclusion. With the history of football being made up of millions of stories, of individuals and communities, of movements and processes, we offer stories that can inspire our cultural conversations today.
Videos
Get to know untold stories where individuals are making history with football. When faced with insurmountable challenges, individuals past and present can use football as a cultural force to foster positive change in society. We honour these individuals and tell their ‘untold’ stories in short videos.
Educational Resources
Explore our innovative educational resources that use football’s history, heritage and legacy to engage young people. The resources include ready-made lesson plans and historical source collections for school history education as well as toolkit with activities for non-formal settings.
Trending Stories
Refugees
In the wake of the 2015 migration peak, activists and volunteers across Europe have been involved in supporting refugees, sometimes with the simple act of offering space and friendship to participate in football through grassroots clubs to help newcomers integrate.
FC Union Berlin: A rebellious football club in a rebellious city
BBC Sport’s Football Focus visits Bundesliga side FC Union Berlin, a “rebellious” football club from East Berlin with a special set of fans, playing their first season in Germany’s top flight 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
LATEST POST You may also be interested in

Formation for Human Rights
A class of high school history students in Oslo was asked to create an ideal starting XI line-up based on Human Rights. Find out why and how it went.

Pass, Shoot, Goal! Football in the Jazz Age – a review
A loving fan and musician put together his two passions and created this compilation of tunes from the Jazz Age.

Mo Salah’s Song to Integration
Prayer days on stadiums, faith rooms and inclusive chants: here is how English football is adapting to a changing world.

Engage young people with football history
Engage young people through Football Makes History’s own Guidebook and Toolkit for promoting social inclusion in formal education or Non-formal settings

21 short stories of football in Amsterdam
Telling the history of a city through football stories: a celebration of Amsterdam.

Angel City FC: An in-vitro football sensation
Angel City FC, the brand new women-majority owned and run club in Los Angeles