Scorer in the semi-final of the Coupe de France against AS Monaco, Samuel Moutoussamy is currently going through his best period at FC Nantes and his coach Antoine Kombouaré is no stranger to it. Confession of a man who wants revenge at the Stade de France on May 7.
His spontaneity does a lot of good in this usually so polished universe that is football. After a complicated loan to Dutch club Fortuna Sittard last season, midfielder Samuel Moutoussamy is “returned with very clear ideas“, claims the 25-year-old Congolese international. “I feel good hereentrusts the player under contract until 2024. I realized that the grass was not necessarily greener elsewhere.” Reassured by Antoine Kombouaré with whom he spoke at length, the unfortunate finalist of the Gambardella in 2015 finally finds his place. Scorer in the semi-final of the Coupe de France against Monaco, in front of his grandparents who had made the trip for the event, Samuel Moutoussamy reveals himself as May 7 approaches. Between excitement, solicitation of supporters and family emulation. MAINTENANCE.
“Scoring in the half marked my return to Nantes”
How did you experience this semi-final in a sold-out Beaujoire?
It is the strongest match I’ve played in terms of emotions. There were also a lot of them in my first match with the national team and my first as a professional player, but I think the semi-final is still a step above. We felt the atmosphere of the public, the emotion and the invasion of the field at the end, everything was incredible. Besides, I had my grandparents and my mother at the stadium. We have a very close relationship. The fact, in addition, to score, recorded my return to Nantes and it was something strong for me.
Since I have been at the club, this is the period when we feel the most support from the public.
Besides, you have a gesture for your grandfather as soon as you score.
He always supported me, we are very close, despite the fact that he often returns to the country. We talk a lot and it was a goal we had both set ourselves, so it was a very strong moment.
You were talking about the public. What role did he play in this epic in the Coupe de France?
He pushes us a lot. We feel that every action, every situation is on fire in the stadium. When you suffer a little, you hear the songs of the supporters even louder and that helps. It gives us extra energy even when you start to get tough. That makes all the difference. Since I’ve been at the club, this is the period when we feel the most support from the public.
– Loic Venance
Do you feel a certain emulation as this final approaches?
It is true that we have more requests compared to the Coupe de France. When I meet the supporters in town or when I go shopping, everyone tells me about the final. We feel that there is an expectation around the club, I think the city and the fans are already very happy that we are in the final. When I’m walking or when I’m with my wife, for example, I come across people who tell me about this appointment. They tell me: “we’re coming”, or “you have to make us dream”. This support is very nice.
Is it also a topic of conversation between players?
We must tell the truth, it is a present subject, it is a certainty. It is also the goal for the end of the year, so we are trying to prepare as well as possible for this match. As they say, a final is not played, it is won, we will do everything for it. After it’s football, don’t make a fuss of it.
What does the Coupe de France mean to you?
It is the holy grail.
– Maxime Jegat
“On the field we are all a bunch of friends”
On May 7, you will tread the lawn of the Stade de France for the second time in your career, seven years after your Gambardella final lost against Sochaux. What memories do you have of this match?
It’s a memory of defeat, it’s more complicated. But the feeling before the game was amazing. The stadium was not at all full so it was different but there was my family in the Stade de France. It’s always quite different when your loved ones are there to see you play. We then stayed to see the final of the Coupe de France between Paris and Auxerre. And with a full stadium on Saturday, it’s going to be something.
If we don’t finish in the top 10 and we win the Coupe France, we can say it’s been a successful season.
What does Ludovic Blas, your captain in the Coupe de France, bring you?
He brings us his confidence on the pitch, his quality. He is the technical leader of the team, when it works, when he is in good shape, when he makes the game smoother, when he creates things, when he is creative or decisive, he carries everyone with him . He has this positive aura on the whole group. But he also has it even when he’s not a captain. It’s the same for Alban (Editor’s note: Alban Lafont the goalkeeper), captain or not, it doesn’t change anything on the pitch, he pulls everyone up with his performances, his aura and his energy.
It looks like you’re having a lot of fun this season. Are we wrong?
No it is true. We have a great group, we all get along very well, if only from a human point of view and that’s already a lot. On the pitch we are all a bunch of friends, there is a big work mentality on a daily basis. We all pull each other up, we all progress together and on the ground it is transcribed and I manage to give the best.
Would it be a failure, with this team, not to finish in the top 10?
Of course, but if we don’t finish in the top 10 and we win the Coupe France, we can say that it’s been a successful season.
– Loic Venance