Former Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye has been labelled “football’s unluckiest man” by Football Insider after finding himself associated with three very different controversies.
Football Insider pointed to Ndiaye’s experiences involving Everton, Senegal and now Manchester City, writing: “Three teams, three huge controversies.”
It’s tongue-in-cheek, of course, rather than a serious judgment on Ndiaye, who obviously bears no responsibility for any of the issues involved. The sequence itself, however, is certainly unusual and ‘unlucky’.
Everton, Senegal and now Man City
Ndiaye joined Everton in July 2024, shortly after a season in which the club had twice been docked points for breaches of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
He later appeared to have won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal after they beat Morocco 1-0 after extra time in January 2026.
That title was subsequently taken away when the CAF Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final and awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory. Senegal have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning that dispute remains unresolved.
114 of 115 for City…
Ndiaye then left Everton for Manchester City during the summer, only for an independent commission to subsequently find his new club guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League.
City have lodged an appeal against those findings, so that process also remains ongoing. The three cases are entirely separate, and Football Insider isn’t suggesting otherwise.
Its description of Ndiaye as “football’s unluckiest man” is instead a neat observation on a remarkable run: arriving at Everton in the immediate aftermath of their points-deduction season, seeing an AFCON triumph subsequently overturned and then joining City shortly before the commission’s verdict was announced.
Ndiaye could perhaps be forgiven for hoping his next few months are a little calmer.
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