Having left for Burnley this summer to relaunch his career, Étienne Green discovered English football with all that it implies: intensity, physical demands, and a life very different from the one he led at Saint-Étienne. Trained with the Greens, the goalkeeper nevertheless remains very attached to his favorite club as he explains in Le Progrès.
After 15 years spent at Saint-Étienne, Étienne Green has chosen to turn an important page in his career. “I reached the end of a cycle with the ascent”he explains, evoking an opportunity that he did not want to miss: that of joining Burnley and discovering the Championship, the demanding English second division. Should we remember that Etienne Green has English blood through his father, Richard. He is therefore bilingual and opted for the English selection a few years ago.
Great pressure from the start!
From his first training sessions, Green understood the specificities of English football. “I left with an elbow in the eye and a crushed foot from my first session! » he jokes. An anecdote which demonstrates, if necessary, the intensity and physical pressure omnipresent in English football.
The goalkeepers are not spared, particularly during set phases: “In the Championship, there is a lot of physical pressure put on the goalkeepers during these phases, it creates something chaotic. » Demanding and physical phases of play which add to a busy schedule of 46 championship matches, without forgetting the cups and play-offs.
Between video sessions, weight training, extended training sessions and matches, Green describes a sustained pace, almost “7 days a week”. He also compares this system to the one his former club is trying to adopt: “In Sainté, they are also trying to implement longer days. »
-Green doesn't let go of the Greens, even in England!
Despite the distance, Green remains loyal to the Greens. “I took out a subscription to watch all the Sainté matches”he confides. His attachment to the club remains intact, and he takes advantage of each break to return to Saint-Étienne, meet his loved ones or share a meal with Gautier Larsonneur and Jeff Bédenik.
Étienne Green does not hide his desire to explore other horizons. After his departure, he spoke with Dylan Chambost, a former ASSE player who left to discover MLS. “Why not MLS one day? A club contacted me, but it didn't happen. »
In the meantime, he adapts to English life. And even if the solitude of the first months took its toll, Green sees it as a stage of personal construction: “This moment of solitude is part of a man’s life, beyond football. »
With Burnley, Étienne Green embarked on an adventure that fits his culture and his desires. If the playing time is not yet there, he says he is satisfied with the progress made. In contact with a different football and a new culture, the Veauchois continues its path with intact ambition and an eye always turned towards… Saints of course!
