Roses of Montreal | Latifah Abdu, back home

Latifah Abdu returns to Montreal. In a big sea blue Boeing? History doesn’t say it. But after four years in France, perhaps she needed this light, coming straight from Labrador, to make it snow in winter… blue roses, golden roses.

Forgive us for this prose from the great Robert Charlebois, but in this holiday season, and in the context of the Roses of Montreal, we could hardly do otherwise.

Abdu, a 23-year-old from Quebec, was unveiled as the Roses’ new player on Tuesday. For her, it’s a return to her roots, to her hometown.

“It was obvious,” said the Montrealer in an interview with The PressTuesday morning. I wanted to join the Montreal project. »

That might not have been the case. Abdu has been involved since last July with En Avant de Guincamp, in the French first division.

If Gabrielle Lambert and Charlotte Bibault were the first Roses players presented to the general public, last October, Abdu was the very first to get along with the team. And, therefore, to believe in the Montreal project even before it actually exists. There was no name, no logo, no teammate already in place at that time.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” she confirms, with her Roses scarf around her neck in a hotel lobby in Griffintown, Montreal. But we knew it was going to be something good for everyone. »

Marinette is Marinette Pichon, the club’s sports director. Anecdotally – or not – the former striker was also the holder, until 2020, of the French team’s goals record, with 81 successes in 112 matches. The two women have a close bond, which made Latifah Abdu’s decision much easier.

“I had the chance to meet her a few years ago when she was about to leave for Europe,” Pichon told us on Tuesday morning in the same hotel lobby. It was in the Premier Soccer League of Quebec (PLSQ), with the Lac Saint-Louis Lakers, then led by the legend of France.

“She approached me and said: ‘Look, would you like to give me some lessons in front of goal, etc.’ That’s what we did. I liked his mentality, his state of mind which was to work hard, do repetitions to gain confidence and benchmarks in front of goal. »

Abdu candidly admits to us: this meeting was a “turning point” in his career.

“I’m going to go for it, because there’s Marinette who believes in me,” she said to herself at that moment. And so I too will believe in myself. »

“She hadn’t seen the training center,” adds Marinette Pichon. She didn’t have the information, she didn’t know who the coach was. The only person she trusted with the project was me. That’s a nice mark of recognition. »

Latifah’s “courage”

Abdu got a first chance in France with Soyaud, in D1, in 2020. She then returned to the Quebec semi-pro, with CS Mont-Royal Outremont, in 2021. That year, she won the Golden Shoe of the PLSQ by scoring eight goals in nine games.

She then returned to the Old Continent, where she scored 14 goals in 27 second division matches with Metz and Strasbourg. Since 2023 in D1, with Dijon and Guincamp, it’s 2 goals and 5 assists in 23 appearances, including 15 starts.

“Football is very different in Canada and Europe,” believes Abdu. She believes she was able to “grow” and “learn” in a “healthy” and “competitive” way by putting herself in “uncomfortable situations”.

“It helped me in every aspect. As a woman. As a player. As a person. »

“What I would like to highlight is Latifah’s courage,” says Robert Rositoiu, head coach of the Roses. Earlier, I told him: “Bravo for the sacrifice of going to play abroad.” Right away, she told me: “It’s not a sacrifice, it’s an experience that I lived and loved.” But at the same time, it feels really good to be back. »

“The reason for being of this club”

Rositoiu “had it in mind” from her first squad-building meetings with her sports director. “Latifah was on the first org chart! “, he said.

But he did not know, at that time, that Pichon had already reached an agreement with the player. Needless to say, he was “pleasantly surprised” when he found out.

“We see her as a center forward, but we also know that she can occupy the space of a winger,” believes Rositoiu. Depending on the different animations that we plan and continue to build, it could sometimes be on the side, sometimes in front. »

Abdu has been selected for just one Canadian national team camp, in December 2023. She played 27 minutes in a 5-0 win over Australia.

“She has the ability to come back under the lights of the Canadian team if we put her in the conditions to perform,” says Marinette Pichon. She’s a local girl. It’s important to bring them back. »

“It’s the reason for being of this club,” adds Robert Rositoiu.