Alious
Younès Kaboul may have arrived at Sunderland with a résumé forged on some of football’s grandest stages, but nothing, he insists, prepared him for the intensity and emotion of life on Wearside.
The former centre-back had already experienced London derbies, European nights and the relentless pressure of the Premier League. Yet Sunderland, Kaboul says, stood apart from anywhere else he had played. From his earliest days in the North East, it was clear this was a club rooted in something deeper than results or league positions.
Kaboul recalls being struck immediately by the bond between the city, the supporters and the team. The welcome he received left a powerful impression. The people, he explains, were warm, authentic and fiercely loyal, and it quickly became obvious that Sunderland wasn’t just a football club to them – it was part of their identity.
That sense of belonging intensified the closer he got to the Wear–Tyne derby. Long before facing Newcastle United on the pitch, Kaboul was made aware of what the fixture meant. Conversations in pre-season set the tone, and when the build-up truly began, he realised he was stepping into a rivalry unlike anything he had known before.
The derby wasn’t limited to matchdays or team talks. It followed him into daily life. Everywhere he went, fans reminded him of what was at stake. The message was constant and unmistakable: this was a game Sunderland simply could not afford to lose.
Kaboul’s early months at the club, however, were far from smooth. He struggled with fitness and form, carrying frustration at not being able to perform to his own standards. He openly admits that his initial performances fell well short of what he expected from himself, and the weight of expectation only made it harder.
Everything changed with the arrival of Sam Allardyce. Kaboul credits the manager with restoring clarity and belief at a critical moment. Allardyce’s presence, he says, was immediately felt. The message was simple and uncompromising: focus on the basics, block out the noise and do whatever it took to keep Sunderland in the Premier League.
As results improved, Kaboul’s role within the squad grew. He emerged as a leader, particularly among the French-speaking players, embracing the responsibility that came with a fierce relegation battle. For him, leadership was about setting standards and reinforcing the shared mission.
That mindset was perfectly captured in one of Sunderland’s most memorable derby victories. Under Allardyce, the Black Cats swept Newcastle aside 3–0, extending an extraordinary run of dominance in the fixture. Kaboul was immense at the back, and in stoppage time surged forward to help create Steven Fletcher’s goal, a moment that embodied Sunderland’s authority on the day.
But the derby was just one chapter in a much larger fight. Kaboul played a key role as Sunderland navigated an exhausting and emotionally draining survival campaign. The pressure, he recalls, was overwhelming – not just professional, but deeply personal, because failure would have affected an entire community.
When safety was finally secured with a 3–0 win over Everton in May 2016, the release was total. Kaboul describes collapsing to the ground, emotionally drained but fulfilled. Never before, he says, had he felt such responsibility – not just to teammates or a club, but to a city and its people.
Although he left for Watford later that summer, Sunderland never left him. The supporters, the atmosphere and the meaning behind the badge stayed with him long after his departure.
For Kaboul, the conclusion is simple and heartfelt: Sunderland gave him something rare in football. The belief, the loyalty and the shared struggle forged a bond he will always carry. In his words, they welcomed him, stood by the team through everything – and for that, Sunderland and its fans truly deserve everything.
Alious
