Sunday, July 10, the French women’s football team began its European championship in the best possible way. A clear and flawless 5-1 success. This match, Solène Durand had dreamed of it for 3 years. She finally had to live it from her sofa. Everything changed on April 16. We play the 19th day of D1 Arkema, Dijon receives Bordeaux. 25th minute: the goalkeeper jumps to grab a harmless aerial ball. As he falls, his right leg buckles and twists. Solène Durand remains on the ground. Verdict: rupture of the cruciate ligaments, and minimum 9 months of rest before resuming competition.
A big blow to the back of the head
For the 27-year-old, it’s a nightmare: “At the time, it’s very, very hard. We think of all the sacrifices we made for 3 years to participate in the Euro. For a few weeks I was not morally well at all. I took a big hit in the back of the head”.
– NICOLAS GOISQUE
Solène Durand, regularly called up in the France group, was almost guaranteed to go to England to compete in the 2022 European Championship. It was therefore necessary to rebuild: “I surrounded myself a lot, especially with a mental trainer to evacuate the frustration. It did me a lot of good. And then I regularly have my teammates from the France team on the phone. It’s as if I was doing part of the team” she smiles.
Find a club to achieve your goals
But a few weeks later, another blow. The goalkeeper learns that her contract at DFCO, which expired on June 30, 2022, would not be extended by the club. “Today is really the most difficult thing to live with. I need a club to continue to progress, to show myself and come back to the level. I managed to mourn the Euro, to set myself new goals, like participating in the World Cup next year. It would be silly to be late“.