Representative of the Lille revival at the end of the 20th century, Vahid Halilhodžić was expected this Sunday, to celebrate the 80th anniversary of LOSC. In the mixed zone, at our microphone, he expressed his great emotion to us.
Iconic LOSC coach, Vahid Halilhodžić was one of the great Lille figures present this Sunday, during the duel with Stade Rennais supposed to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Lille team. When we got off the bus, the hardest part was not fighting the wind or putting on a big, big smile, but resisting tears. The Bosnian experienced a magical moment and stopped at our microphone to describe his emotions.
“It’s a great pleasure to come back here, and also a certain pridedebuted Vahid Halilhožić. I know this LOSC family well and I’m happy to be able to be there. LOSC is today one of the best clubs in France. There are a lot of emotions, especially when I see the supporters who are always endearing and grateful. Different generations have made LOSC grow, but they have not forgotten me. They haven't forgotten that we participated in all that, that we did something, and I thank them for that. »
“Lucas Chevalier represents the North”
Not forgotten, Vahid Halilhodžić is also happy to see that LOSC maintains the same values year after year. Without them, he would no longer recognize his club: “The values of the club are humility, work and determination to be successful. It was like that and it will always stay like that. If we change something, this image, it would no longer be LOSC. You have to remain humble, modest and very ambitious. Work and determination must be the basis of LOSC’s future success”he insisted, wanting to remind the young people we represented of the first principles.
He also finds his values in a player: Lucas Chevalier. “You know, this boy represents the North. Warmth, attachment, humility, Lucas Chevalier knows it all. He's a good persongreeted Vahid Halilhodžić. HAS
In my time, we didn't have much. Today, when I see the stadium, the training center and all that… We were far from that. Despite this, the team did a great job. It was probably this generation that started something. Playing in the Champions League at the time was unimaginable, and I have the impression that our first participation is a pivotal moment in the history of LOSC. Today, the club is a regular on the European scene. We must continue like this, maintain this requirement and never be satisfied with what we have. We still have to become bigger”he aims.
“When I come to Lille, I am at home”
The past is over, it's time for the present for Vahid Halilhodžić who admitted to us, with a little smile, that he was beginning, twenty years later, to realize the importance he had in the eyes of Lille supporters: “A little bit, yes, because every time I walk in the street, it’s incredible. People still recognize me even though I left LOSC more than twenty years ago. I find it incredible. The fact that I have not been forgotten warms my heart. When I come to Lille, I am at home”he tells us.
A certain emotion then rises: “Of course I would have liked to coach today’s LOSC. When I arrived I almost criedhe admitted to us, catching his breath before continuing. You know, in Grimonpez, it was a legendary stadium but that has nothing to do with all that. I would have liked to be able to coach a LOSC team in this stadium. In our time, the Champions League was played elsewhere, which is also what pushed political leaders to act. LOSC deserves such a stadium”concluded Vahid Halilhodžić, who then experienced an afternoon full of emotions.
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