Having become the main star of his sport, Antoine Dupont almost gave up rugby when he was only five years old. But that was without counting on the mobilization of his first trainer.
“Turbulent, Impulsive, all fired up, with an already strong character”: Antoine Dupont was not an easy child, according to his mother's own admission in the columns of
The Team. “Let’s say he needed to exert himself physically”she added. As a child, the native of Lannemezan tried almost everything with his big brother, Clément: rugby, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, ping-pong, pétanque…
“Antoine, if we had listened to him, he would have played all sports”confided his mother to this effect. However, it was at the rugby club that the young Antoine Dupont was going to take his first license. A club relaunched by Jean-Philippe Guerrero and friends while Magnoac FC was in decline. While around thirty children (and their parents) were attracted by the project, a very young player already stands out: the future captain of the XV of France.
Antoine Dupont tempted by football
“He was too small, but he was there, we integrated him because he had particularly developed technical qualities,” remembered the local technician. “He was a year younger than the others and had to wait a year or two before he could sign his first license. » But the story almost ended very quickly. The fault of this year of difference with his playmates.
« When his friends changed categories (from mini-chicks to chicks) and not him, his mother came to find me to tell me that he would maybe go play football, explained Jean-Philippe Guerrero. Since it bothered us, we went out of our way to get the right to upgrade him and we succeeded. I believe this is the last year that such a favor was authorized for a kid of this age. (under 7 years old). Antoine was therefore able to continue playing with his friends. And we'll never know what would have happened if he had played football. »
France
