“98% of patients who had my disease died”, Pascal Nouma announces that he had cancer during his stay in Marseille

“Bad boy” of the French championship, legend on the Turkish side, Pascal Nouma has had a colorful career. Returning to France in 2001 after his successful stint at Besiktas, the former Parisian signed with OM, but his stint quickly turned into a nightmare. In an interview for Ouest-France, the winner of the European Cup Winners' Cup with PSG in 1996 said he played several matches with muscle cancer.

A cyst as big asgolf ball» is detected and his doctor diagnoses him with muscle cancer that he does not have “taken seriously. For eight months, I was at the Nice clinic. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy… I played 11 matches for OM with cancer! I always felt tired, I didn't understand because I was coming off a great season with Besiktas. declared Pascal Nouma. “Doctor Gaillaud told me: 'I don't know how you managed to play with cancer.' The club was not informed, medical confidentiality. The doc said I had a problem with my ankle… I learned of the seriousness of my cancer two years ago: I was told that 98% of people with my disease died.»

Except that his illness begins to become known and panic seizes the Olympian club, but also Besiktas which sees its supporters invade the club headquarters to bring the French striker back to Turkey. Nouma will eventually recover from his cancer and learn to play football again, something he compared to “swim across the Atlantic.»