the essential
Jean-Pierre has been walking the lawns of the AS Tournefeuille club for more than six decades. Nearly 73 years old, this enthusiast continues to play football in the veterans’ team. And he doesn’t plan to stop. Portrait.
The slightest action is scrutinized. On the synthetic pitch of AS Tournefeuille, there is no room for error. A little awkwardness is automatically punished by teasing. Sitting on the sidelines, the substitutes are having as much fun as the eleven players lined up on the pitch. “Hasn’t he taken a bit of a slump?”, mocks the coach, pointing at his right winger. “It’s not just the stomach. Look at his bald spot, it’s hollow on the top of his head,” adds another player who is about to go off to warm up.
In this team of veterans from AS Tournefeuille, laughter and jokes are as important as assists, small bridges or goals. From the locker rooms to the final whistle, the good atmosphere and camaraderie reign. And the guarantor of this good-natured climate is the elder Jean-Pierre, nicknamed “The President”.
The diamond wedding with AS Tournefeuille
Officially, the septuagenarian is the head of the veteran section, but above all he embodies the soul of this group. “The President” would not miss matches, training or his famous third halves for anything in the world. “And they are beautiful, that’s also part of the sport. Sometimes we finish until four in the morning,” smiles Jean-Pierre, who looks ten years younger than his age.
DDM – Matis Gardent
In the AS Tournefeuille club, “The President” is an example of longevity. “It’s been more than sixty years since I started playing football in Tournefeuille. And I, at least, have always played for the same club!”, he smiles in front of some of his much younger teammates. “I never betrayed the club, I didn’t go and play for other teams like some,” teases the 72-year-old footballer as he puts on his crampons in the AST locker room.
Jean-Pierre’s miracle recipe for staying in shape is cycling and also looking after his grandchildren. “It takes energy, that’s good!”, he advises. Add to that, lots of warming cream smeared on the legs before matches and a slightly longer warm-up. “The President” would not leave the veterans team for anything in the world. For him, this passion is as intense as his love for Stade Toulousain.
A little warming cream and that’s it!
“As long as I can still gallop, I will continue. It’s good, it gets me away from home. Football is part of my life. Although I have been a stadium subscriber for 35 years,” he admits. On the lawn, the former owner of a tobacco shop who also sold La Dépêche du Midi for several decades, still having fun. Although sometimes the body is a little rusty.
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The man no longer has the legs of his youth. “I especially have a belly,” jokes Jean-Pierre. I have the backpack but no stomach,” he exclaims to his laughing teammates. “The President” does not have his tongue in his pocket. At the slightest opportunity, he spoofs. He likes to entertain the gallery. “The young people need him as much as he needs them. He’s a person who lives for this kind of moment,” explains Albert, one of the friends and former teammates of the septuagenarian who is still active in football. Jean-Pierre has only one goal: to still be able to be on the pitch for the club’s 100th anniversary scheduled for 2026.
