Dressed in a large winter coat and a beige cap, he cut the ribbon during the presentation ceremony of the new “legends stand” of FC Nantes, a few hours before the match against Marseille (with a 2-1 defeat of Nantes as a result). Jean-Claude Suaudeau is still there, at 86 years old, and continues to make an impression. It is in fact one of the 16 names retained to decorate eight pillars located behind the Océane stand at the Beaujoire stadium.
“Coco” Suaudeau doesn’t hide it, he says to himself “happy“to be entitled to this distinction.”I think it encompasses quite well. For my part, you must also remember that I played before being a coach“. And the archives remember it well, since the former midfielder twice won the French championship with FC Nantes, in 1965 and 1966. Before winning twice again on the bench as a coach, this time one in 1983 and one in 1995.
“I still watch the matches on TV”
Even if the legend has retired from the field for a long time now, nothing prevents him from keep up to date with football news. “I watch the matches anyway“, he tells us. While also talking about the current FC Nantes. “Today it is much more difficult. It's an athlete's football today“. With very different physical criteria in many aspects.
Jean-Claude Suaudeau does not praise a particular era either. And doesn't lose any of its mischief. “Between people who run very fast and those who jump very high, I don't see where I could have found my place. But hey… We could still have found something anyway“. A little sentence that makes you smile when the former Nantes player pronounces it. The last one slipped in front of the journalists, before he leaves with several other club legends behind the scenes at Beaujoire.
