Canada had just defeated El Salvador 3-0 in a qualifying match for the next FIFA World Cup. It was 9:30 p.m. in early September. Most of the spectators had already left BMO Field in Toronto. There were only two players left on the pitch, who walked the length of the pitch doing sprints.
Samuel Piette was one of the volunteers for this interval training, led by a physical trainer. I recognized him from afar by his blonde hair and ponytail. He did not enter the game until 78e minute, as a substitute, and wanted to stay sharp for the next CF Montreal game.
After training, he gifted his jersey to fans waiting for him at the edge of the pitch and then hugged his head coach John Herdman, who burst out laughing. This generosity, this esprit de corps, this humor, this discipline and this professional dedication characterize the 27-year-old Quebec midfielder, one of the pillars of the national team for 10 years.
Not only will Canada finish 2021 in first place in its World Cup qualifying group, ahead of the United States and Mexico – which it defeated 2-1 in mid-November in Edmonton, under the snow -, but in addition the Canadian selection is the only undefeated after eight games. No one, starting with Samuel Piette, could have imagined such a scenario a year ago.
No national team, nor that of Brazil, France, Argentina or Italy, has scored more goals this year. It is unexpected and unheard of.
If it finishes in the top three of its group – there are six games to go, from the end of January to the end of March – Canada will qualify for the second World Cup in its history (after that of 1986 in Mexico ), next November in Qatar. The last time the national team came so close to the Grail of world football (in 1994), Samuel Piette had just been born.
“I don’t know if people realize how much of a feat it would be,” said Piette, who arranged to meet me at the end of November at the Tommy café on rue Notre-Dame, in Old Montreal. . “Even we don’t realize how close we are to the World Cup. We know that it is not over and that there are big games to come. It’s not that we are afraid of dropping it. There is a confidence, an assurance that we did not have before. There is the belief that it is possible. Our destiny is in our hands. ”
A World Cup, he dreams of it since he was little. But like all Quebec soccer players, it was a dream that until recently was more of a fantasy. An unrealizable goal. “For me, it was something we watched on TV,” says Piette, who has vivid memories of the 2006 France-Italy final. “It wasn’t an event you could participate in. When we say that dreams become realities, that’s not bad! ”
The Canadian team is united and counts, more than ever, on exceptionally talented players.
Alphonso Davies, who plays for Bayern Munich, is one of the best full-backs in the world. Jonathan David, a Lille striker, was at the time of this writing the top scorer in the French league, ahead of PSG superstars Mbappé, Neymar and Messi.
Samuel Piette was only 17 when he was first called up to the senior national team. Nothing predestined him for a career in professional soccer. His parents knew nothing about it. His father was more of a fan of hockey and baseball, sports that young Samuel never played. Inspired by cousins who lived on his street in Le Gardeur, Samuel, an only child, asked his parents to register him for soccer.
He was 4 years old. A passion was born. He rose through the ranks, from local soccer to regional selections and teams in Quebec – where he had as coach none other than Wilfried Nancy, head coach of CF Montreal – up to the national selections.
I have always played a little naively. Each time, I told myself that I had reached my limit, that I was going to be cut off. Then there was another call. I felt that the other players knew more about it than I did. That I was less good, but still managed to break through. It helped me to progress naively, without putting too much pressure on myself, by living the present moment.
Samuel Piette
This humility characterizes the man and the player he is. Willing to do anything for the team. A reliable and tireless warrior who brilliantly understands team play and its role in the workforce. The type of player that his teammates and coaches really appreciate. At 15, at a time when the Impact Academy did not yet exist, Samuel Piette made a decision for his future. He left to live in France, in order to join the FC Metz training center and to continue its development.
“It wasn’t easy! I was leaving my high school friends, my girlfriend, my parents. I was alone there. And I didn’t know if it was going to work. It was a big risk to take. My parents always told me there was an envelope on the bedside table with money to pay for a plane ticket if I decided to go home. They always supported me, without putting pressure. I thank them very much for that. With my son [qui a 16 mois], it will be the same. Zero pressure. If he prefers to dance ballet rather than play soccer, that will be his choice. ”
After two years in Metz, where he completed his secondary school at a distance, Samuel spent two seasons in Düsseldorf, then in the German second division. One of his good high school friends, Philippe Léger, who is notably a columnist for Journal of Montreal, went to see him play in Germany, with his father, pollster Jean-Marc Léger. “I didn’t have a contract with Adidas for my shoes, so the Léger family decided to sponsor me! ”
Piette then found himself in Spain in various third division clubs: Deportivo La Coruna B, Racing Club de Ferrol and CD Izarra. He was still there, in 2017, when several Montreal Impact fans (myself) discovered him thanks to his intense and physical recovery game with the Canadian selection at the Gold Cup tournament.
After seven years in Europe, the Impact convinced him to return home.
He hesitated before accepting the offer. “I was 22 years old. My goal was to play in Europe like Patrice [Bernier] and return to Montreal at 30. I do not regret my choice, as much for my career as for my personal life. My friends are here. My fiancee waited for me in Montreal for a year when I was in Spain. My life is more than soccer. In Europe, everything revolved around soccer all the time. I like to pick up sometimes! ”
Piette had the opportunity to leave CF Montreal for another MLS team, which offered him a better salary, but he preferred to stay at home. He can see himself playing it for another 10 years. “There isn’t just money in life! It would be the best of all worlds to end my career here. I would be very happy, ”says the man who has become, in five years, a flagship player of the club, of which he is one of the three captains, with Kamal Miller, his team-mate in the national team, and the former player of Tottenham Victor Wanyama.
He was also chosen from the “group of leaders” of the Canadian selection, where he is one of the few players from Quebec.
“I’m not the star of the team, far from it! But I have some experience and I try to help as much as I can. Both on and off the pitch, we are fighting for better conditions. We wanted our matches to be broadcast on television. We took steps and it happened. Canada’s memorable victory over Mexico in Edmonton was seen by 3.5 million viewers.
Obviously, Samuel Piette is a born leader. “I think I have the values of a Quebecer,” said the favorite of Montreal fans. I am a hard worker who never gives up. It is a pride for me to be at the club. And I’m glad people like it. I think it’s important for the club to have players from Quebec. ”
After winning the Canadian Championship against Toronto FC in November, CF Montreal will face Santos Laguna in the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions League in February. “I have played over 100 games in MLS and over 130 games with the club. I am very proud of it. Obviously, I will never be in the top scorers list, but I would like to beat the record of games played. I would like to see my name next to that of Patrice Bernier, who is my model for his career and for his professionalism, and who played until the age of 38. ”
He would of course also like to play, in less than a year, a World Cup with Canada. “I am a little guy from Repentigny. What are the odds? ”
Questionnaire without filter
Coffee and me : Big fan of coffee, two or three a day. Cortado when possible, if not, filter / black.
My ideal Sunday morning : At the chalet, with my little family, coffee in hand.
The last time I cried : A dinner at a restaurant with my fiancee, during a conversation about wasted time / things missed with my boy since I was away from them for a long time in 2021.
My favorite currency : “Don’t worry about criticism from people you wouldn’t seek advice from. ”
Who is Samuel Piette?
He was born on November 12, 1994 in Le Gardeur (now Repentigny). He played in Repentigny and Boisbriand before doing a one-month internship at the FC Metz training center in France, which he joined the following year at the age of 15. He competed in the Under-17 World Cup for Canada, Mexico, in 2011. The following year, he was selected to Canada’s Senior Team for the first time. In 2017, he became a Montreal Impact player. In January 2020, he captained the Canadian team against Barbados and Iceland.