AS Saint-Etienne : White, Larqué, the supporters, the players, Cyprien tells about his Green years | ASSE News

Zapping Goal! Football club ASSE: tops, flops, future … the assessment of the 2020-2021 season of the Greens

At the end of your visit to Le Havre, then in D2 at the very end of the 80s, several clubs are interested in your services?

There are Paris and Saint-Etienne. But Pape Diouf makes me understand that Sainté would be preferable for my career plan. In Paris, I would have been too close to my friends.

The choice is wise since upon your arrival, you will become the darling of Geoffroy-Guichard’s public …

Effectively. With each ball touched, I loved hearing the screams of the public, I was happy to be on the field. And I even looked forward to the next match to hear the clamors coming from the stands.

When you sign, you arrive at the same time as Sylvain Kastendeuch and for 3 years, you will form one of the best central hinges of our championship.

You are right. We immediately felt good together.

Personally, you were rewarded with the award of a France Football trophy for best player of the year. To date, no other professional working in Sainté has received this distinction …

Now that you tell me that, I’m even more proud. At that time, it was very proud and my efforts had paid off. I will be able to continue to admire it. If I remember correctly, this trophy was given to me on the evening of a derby against Olympique Lyonnais (victory for the Greens 3-0).

As you approach your last year of contract in Green, you will receive another reward …

I am indeed summoned to the office of the new sports director, Jean Michel Larqué, and of the coach, Jacques Santini. They tell me that I am becoming the team captain, Joseph-Antoine Bell is gone and Sylvain Kastendeuch is on the start. It is with great pride that I accepted.

“Everything had started well with Laurent Blanc. But the concerns started when I gave an interview to a journalist who distorted my words. During the afternoon training, we had a heated explanation with him and we ended up having no more intercourse. ”

The rest will be less pleasant and your association with your new teammate in central defense, Laurent Blanc, will be more complicated

Everything had started well. But the concerns started when I gave an interview to a journalist who twisted my words. In the afternoon training, we had a heated explanation with Blanc and we ended up having no more sex. But the problems, during my captaincy, we continued. During a match against Toulouse, a teammate (Jean-Philippe Delpech) is at its worst, he cannot run, he is in pain. Obviously he’s playing injured and I wonder if he hasn’t been forced to play. Faced with this situation, I am disgusted and when returning to the locker room, I return my armband. Myself, I have overcome my pain several times, having to put my foot in the ice after each game. My osteopath prescribed me rest periods. While we had a good team, tensions arose and the atmosphere within the group became unhealthy.

Your efforts will nevertheless be recomposed, since one person closely follows your performance in the person of the national coach, Aimé Jacquet.

He attends one of our matches against OM. I play a great game and three days later, I learn my selection. I was in heaven and I was finally rewarded with the two big seasons that I had done. To play an Italy-France in Naples, I could not ask for better and to have as partners, Cantona, Djorkaeff, Boli, Desailly.

Your euphoria will be short-lived since you are going to suffer a serious injury.

My happiness will be short-lived since three days after the Blues, during a match in Caen, I was the victim of a ruptured Achilles tendon. While I had signed a pre-contract with Lazio in Rome. I have the operation for the first time during the offseason. That doesn’t prevent me from signing for Torino anyway. Unfortunately, on July 14, my tendon let go and a second operation is necessary. I am even told that my career may be compromised.

If this injury had not occurred, and even operated earlier, your career would have been different?

I would never know. But all the same, I have known beautiful things.

What do you have left of your Saint-Etienne years? Do you still have relationships with former teammates?

I cannot say that the city of Saint-Etienne is the most beautiful in France, but I have very, very good memories of it. I have met some wonderful people and I will never forget the cauldron audience. At the relational level, I only kept in touch with René Saada (a greengrocer at the time), who is now the owner of the famous restaurant “Le Glasgow” and who is also the godfather of my first daughter. He always supported me, helped me, and he still continues. But hey, the world of football is a world apart: when you leave it, you are no longer recognized. While I was very close to Etienne Mendy, I no longer have any contact. There are even people who come to my town and don’t call me. It’s okay, I’m happy.

Finally, do you still follow Sainté’s matches and news?

I’m looking at the results, yes. I admire the work done by a former coach, who did not always have large numbers but managed to bring the club back to the European Cup. In addition, he won a trophy. I have enormous respect for Christophe Galtier. He’s a gentleman. We can see what he has managed to do this season with Lille.

Regarding the presidency of the two-headed club, decisions must be complicated to take when there are disagreements?

In any case, I am very disappointed with the way Stéphane Ruffier was treated. He was disrespected. When Moulin took his place, I had doubts. At first he played on euphoria, but when you play very little it goes down quickly and I was surprised to see him concede stupid goals. But I have nothing against him. The club has flirted with relegation for the past 2 seasons, the choice to take only young people may in the short term be dangerous. We need experienced players to coach the young players who, next season, will play under pressure from the public. I do not understand, either, the position of the club compared to Loïc Perrin, he has spent his entire career at the club like Paolo Maldini, today, sports director at AC Milan. He should be part of the technical staff. I wish the club and its supporters good luck. LET’S GO GREEN.

Cyprien remembers ASSE

Former ASSE defender Jean-Pierre Cyprien is back for Goal! Sainté on his experience in Green. And evokes his many memories.

Benjamin Danet