Soon back with Olympique de Marseille as ambassador and strategic adviser to President Pablo Longoria, Jean-Pierre Papin distinguished himself in the stadiums between 1986 and 1992, even winning the Ballon d’Or in 1991. In his private life, the former footballer became the father of five children including a son named Christopher and a daughter Emily disabled due to brain damage diagnosed a few months after his birth in 1990. Very discreet about his family and the state of health of his daughter who will celebrate her 32nd birthday in 2022, he had nevertheless granted a few rare confidences to the journalists of the Parisian in 2020.
Creator with his wife Florence of the association Neuf de Coeur which aims to help families with children who are victims of brain damage thanks to a multisensory stimulation technique, the former OM star confided: “One day, I was told in France that it would never work. Now she is able to run 10 km with me every day. We should not always believe what we are told. Emily is the fight of a lifetime!“
Proud of his daughter’s progress and learning, he said with great hope: “She continues to make progress even though she will turn 30 at the end of the month. We know that she will never be like the others. But Emily lives with us as 200% family. We have one more concern than most other parents and we have dealt with it. (…) You have to be present every day. There are many people who are ashamed of having a disabled child, but it shouldn’t be. He is a different child who needs a little more care, affection.“
Having gone to promote his association with the 2014 edition of the Cross du Figaro, an annual event comprising several foot races, JPP had also spoken of his long fight for his precious Emily. “We managed to bring it back to life in our own world. Initially, this was not the case. We went to the United States to treat her“, he indicated to the journalists of the Figaro.