This summer, the former central defender and captain of the Girondins de Bordeaux, Yoann Barbetfound himself free from any contract, following the loss of the club's professional status. If he hoped to stay in France (in Ligue 1 with which he had contact), in Europe, or even in the United States, he ultimately opted for Saudi Arabia, and in particular the Al-Riyadh club.
For Sud Ouest, he remembered last season, particularly on a personal level, where he knew he was scattered in several roles within the FCGB, sometimes putting his primary function, that of a footballer, in the background.
“I started this season being mentally worn out, we didn't recover from the lack of progress, we hardly made any cuts and we started with only two or three starters from the previous year […] I quickly felt psychologically tired, between the pre-match speeches, the participation in CSE meetings where you hear that you have to win the matches for the investors to arrive, the moments where you get caught by the supporters… When you love the club, you want to do everything to make it go well, but I got lost, scattered. My mistake was not saying stop.”
Result, while it was a dream comeback, he who had not been able to sign his first professional contract in his training club, it turned into a nightmare. Even today, when asked whether Yoann Barbet and the Girondins were definitely over, he did not close the door, not even answering a no.
” No ! (smile) We'll see when the time comes, if it presents itself. There is always this taste of unfinished business. Having come so close to the Holy Grail of coming back in 2023… And then this departure in such circumstances this summer… Each time, it's extreme. But it may not be over yet. I'm only 31! “.
Yoann Barbet, present with Gaëtan Poussin at Matmut Atlantique, during Bordeaux-Rennes in the Cup
