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Mbappe is a phenomenon, not the norm. Most of the young players who were trained in various youth training centers ended up leaving silently, with no contracts, only an unknown future. In recent years, French football governing bodies have taken this issue more seriously and have come up with ways to help more young people find their future.
Almost 10 years have passed, and looking back now, it is still like yesterday, inexhaustible sourness.
"After the season, the Academy director told me that the club would need to think about it for a while before deciding whether to keep me. I was full of doubts and my self-confidence was slowly fading. The second time we met, they said to me, 'We can't give you a professional contract. You're not a bad player, but everyone else is better. It's really hard to accept. At that moment, I remembered what I had done over the years, and the sacrifices my family had made for me... It feels like all the hard work has come to waste. ”
Jordan Cüvier, then in his 20s, expired his apprenticeship contract. After the trial failed in Wren, Le Havre also closed the door to him. Also closed was his entry into the world of professional football.
Jordan Chuvier
The verdict of fate
Now 28 years old, Kuvier can only enjoy the joy of football in the regional league, and his fate is definitely not alone. A survey and statistics of 34 clubs in France shows that every spring, nearly 15 players leave the various youth centers without a single avail.
The French National Football Technical Committee circular reads: "With the increase in early signing of professional contracts and the exodus of underage players, about 15% of players of the same generation can obtain professional contracts. By the time they are 25, half of them are still playing professional football. "In short, only one or two out of 20 young players can have a career.
Chris Mavinga is one such lucky one. The defender, 31, plays for the LA Galaxy in Major League Leagues and has worn Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool jerseys. He is very sensitive to this topic, because his brother Jean is a "defeated dog" and was abandoned by Caen at the age of 18.
"I could have suffered the same fate because I was probably in the middle class. Every year a teammate is 'eliminated', and maybe one day, it will be your turn. Ever since you joined the academy, the manager has been putting pressure on you: 'If you're not good enough, we're going to drive you.' So, you have to be prepared early, because dreams can turn into nightmares." ”
Chris Mavinga
While success stories like Kylian Mbappé have been inspiring young people to chase their dreams, the competition has been too brutal. The fate of many children who were once expected to step into the professional arena has long been uncared for. Dreams can wake up in a very sudden way, with some children being eliminated in the "pre-academy" stage, most being unaccepted after their apprenticeship contracts expire, and others being abandoned after playing professionally for two years. Accept the ruthlessness of fate and re-plan for the future, before the age of 15 or after the age of 20.
This reality blow has also been experienced by Thomas, now 37. As a midfielder, he spent one season (2000–01) in Paris Saint-Germain's pre-academy. "I had planned to go to school for two years and then stay in the academy." Unfortunately, it didn't work out. "The plan was to sign a professional contract and play at Parc des Princes. That's all I had in my head, instead of going home at fourteen or fifteen and finding a new school. It was the worst experience of my life, and my heart was hit hard because of it. ”
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From love to hate
After being eliminated by Paris, Thomas did not give up football, but mixed into amateur competition. With his own efforts, he finally found a place in the French Second Division team and played in the 1/4 final of the Coupe de France for two consecutive seasons. "I had the most wonderful moment at the age of 31, which allowed me to ease some of my initial failures."
Today, Thomas often exchanges experiences with other former "youth players" on his Twitter account "Football Student Tracks". "It's a kind of self-medication after failure that can also have a preventive effect on others." I spent 10 months in the Paris Saint-Germain Academy and left scars that cannot be erased. At some point, I completely lost my self-confidence and wanted to give up at the slightest difficulty. Think about the kids who worked hard for five or six years and were eventually abandoned. ”
Marvinga believes that if you put all your hopes on football from the age of 14, suddenly losing your way is like falling into hell, "because no one is prepared for failure from the beginning!" ”
Thomas agrees: "There are only two positive ways out, either fully embrace amateur football or, like me, offer experience to others." ”
Children who are eliminated from the Academy usually go on to play football in amateur or semi-professional leagues. There are also a very small number of people who have achieved the resurrection of defeated dogs and regained their brilliant careers, such as Ribery and Valbienne.
Going to a lower league abroad to try your luck is also an option, but you need to have good planning and a strong helper by your side. Nadan Lazer is an example of failure. The striker trained at Monaco for three years, the same time as Kylian Mbappe. On the advice of a certain "agent", he joined Bulgarian minor league club Obolishte. That experience lasted only 4 months, after which he returned to France, resumed his studies and now works in the insurance industry.
Football has changed from a profession to a hobby, but there is no pain and resentment in Razze's heart. "Anyway, I'm happy. In the end, the people who can play professional football will always be a minority, and if I can't get past that hurdle, I can only accept it. ”
Nadan Lazer
Thomas told us that many losing dogs will cut off from football altogether after being eliminated. "I have a friend in my hometown, Clerfontaine, who entered at the same time as Henry and Anelka, and later failed to stay. Abandoned by professional football, he was completely sunk and this guy said to me more than once: 'Don't talk to me about football, this sport makes me want to vomit.' He added that killing would not allow his children to play football. ”
Alain Divino, who spent time in the youth academy at Rennes and Brest, chose to leave because he was fed up with the training style of a certain coach. "From 2013 to 2018, I didn't touch football at all and I didn't want to hear that word again, even on TV." This guy with great character later switched to athletics and is now a strength and conditioning coach by profession.
Alain Divino (right)
Pierre Husso, who was waived by Rennes' youth academy in 2016 and a former team-mate of Barca striker Osmann Dembele, tried to make a new start at his hometown regional club, but unfortunately was still unsuccessful. "After leaving football, I had to go to work in a factory and get up very early every day. The job was obviously not that interesting, and I was like a slap in the face by reality. ”
Some young people, after their final fate is pronounced, their parents completely ignore them and even prevent them from returning home - which also poses a very big obstacle to their reintegration into society. Gaborrell, who was rejected by Sochaux, Rennes, Le Havre, Paris Saint-Germain and Lille in 2015, said: "They left school very early and dreamed of playing football, making a lot of money and one day becoming a TV star. But after a few months or years, they have achieved nothing, and the psychological gap is huge. Some have had to leave their homes and run to other cities to start their lives again. ”
In Gaborel's view, family economic conditions are very important for children to be able to re-embark on the road to success.
Pierre Husú (pictured)
One more option
As president of the French Football Foundation, Guillaume Naslan aimed to fight this social isolation. "A lot of clubs are willing to sign them early to give them peace of mind, but they can't guarantee playing professional football. Be sure to let the children understand that the Academy is not the end. ”
Marvenga said that being defined as failure early will make many children have very scary thoughts. In October 2020, Jeremy Westen, who was only 17 years old, committed suicide after being abandoned by Manchester City. The young defender's death has caused a strong social repercussion and made the club and football governing bodies more aware of the seriousness of the problem.
In the past two years, for players who have not been awarded professional contracts, Premier League Crystal Palace has set up a "companionship agency" to help defeated dogs find their way again. Toulouse has also brought back a young player who had been abandoned to the club this season. Academy director Julian Racur said: "Not all children leave with their heads down, we give them other options, albeit just as a matter of courtesy. The club takes great care to protect them and the dialogue is very sincere. ”
Children who are eliminated often learn their fate months in advance, and it is customary for Toulouse clubs to inform their players of the result in January. "This allows them to start a new self-assessment early." After each game, they get a personal performance summary and weekly evaluation data so they have more time to digest and accept reality. ”
Bertrand Antoine, who has been working in the youth academy for almost 20 years in Metz, has been involved in the psychological support of young players, especially the eliminated children, countless times. "We follow each player in detail and the coaching staff communicates every day, evaluating the players, analysing their shortcomings and telling them where they need to improve. We will also share our opinions with the club president, sporting director, youth director, first team manager, and everyone will understand the situation before making a final decision. Youth training is about being patient enough, being extra careful when doing analysis, and not ignoring the facts, because it means a lot of responsibility. ”
The French professional footballers' union often intervenes in the daily life of the club, starting with the preparatory youth training, encouraging children to stay healthy and not give up on their studies. In Toulouse, each player must choose a career direction other than football in order to acquire a skill and open their eyes to "real life". "They must continue to learn and realize the importance of the rest of their lives," Rakul said. We just sow the seeds, and what kind of fruit we can bear depends on them. In any case, their lives are still long, and there are many paths to choose from. ”
As a former Brest Under-17 and Under-19 captain, Donguy Gilu admits that he never stopped studying culture during his training and has now successfully completed his career change. Antoine Le Gar returned to the club to work in law after four years at Rennes Academy. This season, a former Toulouse youth player earned a degree in physics at the university. Sports studies, related industries, languages and real estate are also popular areas for the transformation of football people.
According to Naslan, many clubs no longer use "Plan B" to define their work in saving defeated dogs, and have recently advocated a "comprehensive plan" concept. In Montpellier, Patricia Jallo, a youth academy director who has been in the industry for almost 30 years, introduced the club's "triple plan" to develop young players: academic, sporting and social. "We will focus on our children's academic studies for a long time. In recent years, students' test scores have gradually improved, indicating that the program is really working. ”
The Auxerre Club has also focused on developing its own school, where trainees learn foreign languages and acquire professional knowledge such as finance and banking until they graduate from high school. Baptiste Marebi, general manager of Auxerre, who has worked in the Rennes Academy, said: "A lot of people are looking for ways for children to change careers and we would win a lot of time if we worked from the youth level. For the club, it's not an expense, it's an investment. Let more and more children have vocational skills and more possibilities, parents will be more at ease. When an underage child enters your academy, you must commit to the best training for his parents, not just about football. ”
This article is written by Simon Bole & Alexis Danielon
Compilation: Xiangbo
This article was originally published in Football Weekly Issue 864
Release date: 2023.4.10
The image comes from the Internet
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