“All my friends will be there for the match”

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When you left SU Dives-Cabourg for Reunion, did you imagine one day crossing paths with them again?

Frankly, not at all. When I saw that we were in the same group in the draw, I thought there was a small possibility. The day before, I had an intuition, and as if by chance, we ran into them! It's beautiful, especially for me. I'm going to find this city and the friends I kept at the club. There are 4 or 5 who were already there. And especially Philippe Clément, with whom I remained in contact. Every year he asks me to come back!

It's also a return to your home territory, you who played in Honfleur, Trouville-Deauville and Villers-Houlgate!

I'm a guy from Honfleur! All my childhood friends and family will be there for the game. Usually, I come back for the holidays in November, but now, as we are still in contention in the cup, I will have to postpone until January.

How do you talk about SUDC to your teammates?

I try to talk to them as much as possible about Dives. I tell them that they are a real cup team, who never give up, whether they win or lose. It's their divisive identity, I really alerted my teammates to this.

“I love my Normandy and my Calvados, but I play for my club”

How do you estimate the level gap between the two teams?

We are playing in R1, but to know the two divisions I think we have level N3. AS Dragon (Dives' previous opponent, playing in Tahiti, Editor's note) also played in R1, but overseas that doesn't mean it's the same level. Without wanting to disrespect them, Tahiti and Reunion Island have nothing to do with each other.

How does it feel to represent an entire island against your own territory?

It's true that the entire Reunion is behind the team. Here, when you go far in the cup, you no longer represent only Saint-Denis FC, but the whole island. I love my Normandy and my Calvados, but I play for my club. It's fair game, there will be a winner and a loser, and I'm going to give everything for Saint-Denis!

In the previous round, it was you who distinguished yourself by scoring the qualifying shot on goal against Vertou on a panenka…

I was the 5th shooter, I had the qualifying ball and I am a calm player. I said to myself why not try panenka? It got a lot of views on social media and it’s very good for the club!

If there is another penalty shootout against Dives, will you also go last?

Yes, I like being the last shooter. I am an attacker, I am here to score and to help my team win!

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