Real Sociedad, a refuge with a French accent

Paris Saint-Germain faces Real Sociedad on Wednesday in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League. A club which has given pride of place to the French in its recent history.

35 minutes. This is the time it takes to connect Hendaye (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) to San Sebastian via Euskotren, the historic TGV line connecting the two cities. A proximity which made Real Sociedad, opposed to PSG in the round of 16 of the Champions League, Wednesday February 14, one of the main anchor points of French football in Spain. If this season, only Robin Le Normand (now Franco-Spanish) wears the jersey of the Basque team,ith eleven players and two coaches having defended the colors of the club, France is the most represented foreign country in the history of Real.

“Geographic proximity plays a big rolep, explains to franceinfo: sport Philippe Montanier, spent on the Real bench between 2011 and 2013. Culturally, the French-speaking world is really present in San Sebastian, whether at the club via the players or in the city. The fact that French people manage to shine there helps to strengthen this proximity.“

If Charles Ducasse wore the colors of Real Sociedad during the 1952-1953 season, San Sebastian above all became an important base for the French in the 2000s, notably with the arrival on the bench of the illustrious coach Nantes Raynald Denoueix in 2002. The French coach, fired from FC Nantes, discovered a club with a strong identity. “At first I thought I was going to Spain, but I went to the Basque Country. It’s completely different. If you walk along the beach in San Sebastian, you’ll hear 75% Basque, 10-15 % of French and the rest will be Spanish.”, he confided to Eurosport.

San Sebastian, the asylum of the failed tricolors

The recent Tricolores who passed through Real Sociedad have one thing in common: the offer to join the Basque club seemed like a last chance. From Antoine Griezmann to Robin Le Normand, several players born in France and failed by French training centers have found refuge on the other side of the border to launch their professional careers.

The most famous of them, Antoine Griezmann, joined Real Sociedad after being left aside by many French professional clubs, because of a physique considered too frail. After two good seasons in Liga2 and La Liga, he revealed himself at the highest level under the leadership of another French coach, Philippe Montanier. The French technician explains to us that upon his arrival, “the identity of the club and the desire of the leaders was to bring young people into play, with Antoine at the top of the list. In my second season, we reaped the fruits of our work, and we had an exceptional season, during which he really exploded.”

“I came from the right school, I was educated well at Real Sociedad and Atlético, where you have to play for your teammates. Because without them, you’re nothing, you’re nobody. If I’m at this level, it’s thanks to them too”recalled Antoine Griezmann during an appearance on Téléfoot last year.

San Sebastian, a land of asylum? Undoubtedly yes, for the former Toulouse coach. “The club pays attention to certain qualities that are often found in French pre-training. The local identity also allows them to attract young Basques with strong talent from both sides of the border. La Real has always been open to young French and more generally international players, it was a pioneering club in the field”, develops Philippe Montanier. If the reason given at the beginning was “the budget, which was one of the smallest in La Liga and which did not allow for crazy things”, this desire to give young people a chance has become a founding pillar of the club.

“There have not only been successes, but there have been enough for other clubs to try to reproduce the system, and that is our satisfaction.”

Philippe Montanier

at franceinfo: sport

The club on a human scale has remained in the heart of the Norman coach, who confides “return there regularly. I still have very good contact with the club, with the president. Former players that I had are today in the staff of Imanol (Alguacil, coach of Real Sociedad).“In terms of results against the French clubs in the Champions League, balance remains essential. Eliminated by Lyon during its only round of 16 (in 2003-2004), Real Sociedad took its revenge on the Rhone club ten years later, in a jump-off.