FC Nantes – Christian Karembeu: “Antoine Kombouaré is a centerpiece in my career”

For a moment, La Beaujoire was able to admire all the love and pride that Antoine Kombouaré feels for his “little brother“. When Christian Karembeu was given a flocked jersey with his favorite number four, last september 8
“an honor“, his model began to applaud while asking the public to follow him when the former midfielder raised his frame to present him to the whole stadium. In Athens, this Thursday evening, the reception which will be reserved to the coach of FC Nantes will be much less moving. Whatever, he will have been treated behind the scenes by “the little brother“, now sports director of Olympiakos, and that’s the main thing. “He is a model for me“, slides with great respect Karembeu.

Christian Karembeu’s first steps in Nantes

The telephone interview has not started for two minutes that Christian Karembeu cuts off. “I would first like to pay tribute to the former president of FC Nantes Jean-Rene Toumelin, left too early
regrets the Kanak. I think of all the coaches who worked with him, “Coco” Suaudeau, Reynald Denoueix and I don’t forget Robert Budzynski who helped me grow in football.“More than three decades after his arrival at La Jonelière, the recognition of the 1998 world champion with regard to his training club is intact. Moving even.

Antoine helped me take flight by giving me advice.

“I welcomed him to Nantes, he was 17remembers Antoine Kombouaré. He had come to try his luck like me. We then see his journey, it is a source of pride. Our relations are more than fraternal, I consider him as my little brother.” Karembeu does not say better. “It’s a spiritual bond“, he tries while recalling that their mothers are from the same island. This filiation was born in the last months of the year 1988. Already installed in Loire-Atlantique for five years, Kombouaré takes under his wing the future 1995 French champion who impressed Suaudeau from his first training sessions.

Sundays playing belotte

“With Antoine, there were always gamesremembers Christian Karembeu with a playful tone. We played petanque, golf becauseat that time he was refining his swing and so I had learned a new sport. Almost every Sunday, we played belote. There were always not bets but games which meant that there was permanent competition and always a desire to win at home.“He will pass it on to his little brother with the success that we know of him.”Antoine is a centerpiece in my careerpays tribute to the younger of the two Kanaks. He helped me take flight by giving me advice.“

Today, our ties go beyond football.

Whether when”golden helmet“played with the shirt of PSG, Sion, Aberdeen, in Scotland, or when Karembeu accumulated the trophies in Madrid and Athens, the relationship between the two men saw no interruption.”We supported and accompanied each other during our careersrecalls the technician from Nantes. Today, our ties go beyond football.“A connection such that Karembeu admitted his apprehension when he learned that he was going to return to Beaujoire for the first time since a charity match played in 2010 in order to raise funds for the victims of the storm Xynthia
.

“I wanted him to go back to his roots”

“I knew it was going to be emotionally difficultsays the 2000 European champion. I have a lot of memories in Nantes, my first daughter was born there, and I knew that passing by some places that I know very well was not going to be easy. But the fact that our vacation spot was in La Baule when we came, made it possible to have this distance and I was spared (laughs).” Approved by the approximately 30,000 spectators in the lair of the Yellows, “a pleasant surprise and a great happiness“, the man who has the ear of the president of Olympiakos, Evàngelos Marinàkis, left empty-handed from his first confrontation against the club that brought him”fed, housed and bleached“.

Somewhere, it was written that he would return to Nantes and he did an exceptional job.

But he had been able to closely admire his eldest at the task as on May 7 at the Stade de France
, where Karembeu was obviously present. “I wanted him to come back to his roots, to the houseassures Karembeu. It was completely normal to come back to help the club. Somewhere, it was written that he would return to Nantes and he did an exceptional job. There was Suaudeau, Denoueix and now it’s Antoine. It’s just incredible what he does and we are very proud. This is the flag bearer and ambassador of New Caledonia and we watch everything he does.” A pride that the Kanak passed on to his eldest daughter. “Today, she goes to all of Antoine’s matches!”