At the club for five years, Facundo Medina is committed to the long term with the Sang et Or. The Argentinian has become, over the years, a real pillar of the team. He has seen many teammates pass by in defense, but he remains faithful to the position.
“I had already planned to play in Europe, he remembers before joining Lens. Then everything happened very quickly, with the pandemic, the Argentina under-20 team… I already knew that I was going to play in Lens. They presented us with the project, a recently promoted team, with a lot of history… What I quickly liked were the fans. They told me that Lens was a very hard-working city with very humble people, and I felt very identified with my hometown, with my neighborhood, with the way my mother had taught me values, even in River. We came to see what was going to happen and we realized a lot. We played the Champions League, we were one point away from winning the championship. I hope we can repeat it and we are fighting to achieve it. »
«They kept pushing and encouraging»
For the Spanish daily AShe also returns on the passion that surrounds the club. “As a local and as a visitor, it’s a very crazy thing. When we move, the opponents set a gauge, because otherwise, the Lensois supporters would be even more numerous in the stands. I'll tell you something. We went to an away game, and I swear we felt like locals, for all the space we had. They kept pushing and encouraging, and it’s crazy. We Argentinians identify with this. We like challenges, they prepare us for competition. »
-«We had tense moments, father-son moments»
When he arrived in 2020, Medina was welcomed by Franck Haise, then coach of Racing when the club returned to the elite. “My relationship with Franck is very personal, continues Facundo Medina. He keeps in touch with me. It is the affinity that we create with others. We had tense moments, father-son moments, because it is normal in these relationships for disagreements to arise. Add to that that I came from Argentina to Lens and that here, sometimes, the referees make other decisions, another way of seeing football compared to the Argentinians. I come from another football and here they sanction you for anything. I had problems with him. He told me to calm down, that they were going to card me, and I got angry. We both wanted the same thing: to win and achieve the best for the club. I have a great relationship with him. In this team, with Openda, Fofana, Sotoca… We had good relationships with each other. And it makes a great team. »
