At La Turbie, Petris shares the locker room with a certain Kylian Mbappé. “We already knew each other from the Paris region where I faced him when he was in Bondy. Of course it was clear that he was ahead of us and that he was going to blossom very quickly.” Their youth coach, a certain Bruno Irlès, who only lasted 5 matches with the RWDM last season, nevertheless rubs shoulders with the future world champion. “Kylian knew he had qualities. Sometimes he was a little grumpy. Bruno was very tough. With his character, he didn't say yes to everything. It bothered Kylian and his family. But he was an excellent coach even if it didn't end well with me either”he smiles.
Sidelined, the player Carolo found exile by returning home to Paris FC. “It didn't go well there either. I was young and a little crazy. I wasn't aware of things.” The Parisian is forced to travel again by taking the gamble of joining Gozzano, a Serie D club, in 2017, without speaking a word of Italian. He will be a winner. “It was complicated because I was the only French person but I'm a solitary person, it didn't bother me. Then I learned the language, I had no choice.”
As proof that he adapts perfectly both off and on the pitch to the point where Crotone, then in Serie B, hired him after he had ensured the rise to the third division with Gozzano. Calabria unfortunately means another setback. “I lost three years. I was loaned to Serie C to Bisceglie and Pro Vercelli. I couldn't take it anymore psychologically. I ended up terminating my contract to go to Bulgaria.”
Victim of racism every week in Bulgaria
Some might have thought he was lost there for good. On the contrary, it is the place where he will be reborn. Despite the abject racism of which he is a victim. “It's every match as soon as he sees a black person. Eastern countries are a world apart. I had already suffered that in Serie D. At first, it's complicated to manage emotionally . Then it didn't matter to me anymore.”
In just 10 small matches played with Tsarsko Selo, from February to May 2022, despite the descent to the second division, he caught the eye of the leaders of Levski Sofia. In the capital, Sporting number 98 knows the joys of the Conference League. A first transformation in his new life as a footballer now definitively validated by his transfer to Charleroi and his performances in Belgium. “Here, I learned to eat better. In Italy, we ate at the club for lunch but in the evening, it was each their own problem.”
And his efforts show. He quickly impressed, as Antwerp residents and Anderlecht player Samuel Edozie, of whom he has fond memories, can attest. “It's one of the best duels in my career. It was like a battle but we had to maintain respect. That day, when he came out, I high-fived him because he was strong .I saw in his eyes that he thought the same thing about me.”
All that remains is for him to transform this recognition and his incessant raids into assists. “Statistics are important and I don't have many. It's a big frustration. For me, if I'm a scout and a guy has 12 assists, even if he's terrible at the week – end, I'll take him anyway.”
Not sure, however, that recruiters won't hold it against him. With what he demonstrates, his Transfertmarkt profile may well soon provide information on a prestigious championship.
gullIf a guy has 12 assists and he's terrible, I'll take him anyway.
