French volleyball star Earvin Ngapeth played his last match on Friday December 27 in front of a packed Arena Futuroscope. A victory in the derby against Tours, to close the enchanted parenthesis that the Poitevins have been experiencing for three months.
No one imagined any other ending. Earvin Ngapeth leaves Poitiers with one last “MVP” title in his pocket thanks to his performance in the derby against Tours (3-2). Above all, the double Olympic champion will have, in three months, put the spotlight on the French volleyball championship and on Poitiers. There were 5,200 on Friday evening at the Futuroscope Arena, a record for a Marmara SpikeLigue match.
“It was already great to have him so yes it’s a special evening. For me it was a dream,” confides Céline, a touch of emotion in her voice after the meeting. “It’s a bit like having Mbappé here, he’s a star,” adds Yannick, a supporter since 1999, the year when a certain Éric Ngapeth, father of Earvin, won the French championship as coach with Poitiers. “He’s a great man, a big thank you for everything he did for Poitiers,” smiles Manon, the jersey flocked with the number 86 on the back. The volleyball star's jerseys sold like hotcakes. “We are approaching 500 jerseys sold, that must be about as many as in twenty years!”, tells Mickaël Pichon, communications manager at Alterna Stade Poitevin to the newspaper l'Equipe.
“I will stay invested in the club”
At home and away, the arrival of Earvin Ngapeth stirs up the crowds. “I made a choice that was perhaps not understood by everyone,” confides the main person concerned. “But with the love I received in the rooms, it feels good. I tell it to the guys from the French team who don't have the opportunity to play there. For 10 years we have worked and we don't necessarily see it but the people are there.” His teammates in the French team almost all play in Turkey or Italy, where volleyball is a major sport, but Ngapeth would like to see them return to France, even for a few months.
“There is a financial reality compared to other championships which does not allow us to say – we are returning to France – but I hope that the clubs, with the results we are achieving in the French team, the sponsors who are arriving, will be structured in the image of Poitiers and that will encourage players to return to France”, adds the Poitevin volleyball player.
For his part, despite his departure for Fenerbahçe, in Türkiye, Earvin Ngapeth does not intend to let go of his training club. “I will remain involved in the club. I don’t know in what way. A training center will be created, it’s something that interests me. Either way, I remain a Poitevin!”
Departure for Turkey from January 2
The receiver-attacker's second passion is rap and he couldn't leave the Futuroscope Arena without giving a little concert. He leaves his home after only three months but with memories in his head.
“What will stay is this last match, with this atmosphere. What I will miss is no longer being able to go and eat at my mother's after training,” smiles the Frenchman. After the goodbyes, there is no respite for Earvin Ngapeth who will join his new club in Türkiye on January 2.
