Sometimes a scout, then responsible for Data, video analyst for a short time during the dismissal of Sandro Salamone in February and responsible for recruitment before the arrival of Raymond Mommens last summer, Braillard has already completed a good number of boulevard functions in two years Zoe Drion. And gained importance in the organization chart to the point where Mehdi Bayat, although discreet about him, described him as “right arm” during his last interview given to DH. How was he able to gain so many stripes in such a short time when Charleroi has not managed any convincing transfer since he was there?
Intelligence and work force recognized by all
To answer this question, we must go back to the origins of his hiring. We are in the summer of 2022. After an attractive first year under Edward Still where Sporting finished 6th in the classic phase in playoffs 1 which only concerns 4 teams, the management wishes to continue to professionalize. She is looking for a recruitment coordinator. Who would not have direct contact with agents, a privileged domain of Bayat who wishes to maintain this exclusivity. Devoid of experience, Braillard manages to convince him without anyone knowing with certainty what happened behind the scenes.
“He showed up with the nerve, one evening of a match, in Mehdi’s box. He was convinced and Joseph first joined the club as a trainee,” believes a former employee of number 22 when another source, strangely very popular when we talk about Braillard, has a different version whose story collects its share of faithful. “Nobody knows where he came from. Still didn't choose him. Many people think he is the son of a friend of the Bayat family.”
gullMany people think he is the son of a friend of the Bayat family.
Who would be French with ties to Switzerland and who would have worked for a short time in a Swiss club before arriving in Charleroi. If Braillard divides within the club, two qualities are unanimously recognized: his intelligence and his hard work. “Intellectually, he is above the rest. He is a polyglot who speaks several languages and who spends his days from morning to evening in front of Wyscout watching matches from little-known foreign championships while analyzing the data of the players who interest him. It's Brad Pitt in the movie 'The Strategist'”says a person who knew him.
An influence that only grows
Like the American actor in this blockbuster, the young man stays behind his computer to unearth new gems. He never goes to the stadiums to observe the players in their real elements. Close to the group to the point of sitting on the bench during matches, he is almost all the time on the field during training sessions. Braillard is also extending his influence on the recruitment of U23s by banking on his French network even if it means blocking, among the Zebras Elites, elements trained at Marcinelle. The arrival of Flavio Da Silva (Lens) last year then those of Massamba Sow (Lorient) and José Capon (Rennes) this season bear their mark.
Last summer, the arrival of Raymond Mommens officially as scout leader, who is struggling to find his place in the organization chart, did not take away his responsibilities, quite the contrary. Behind the scenes, it is Braillard who gives the names of potential future recruits to Bayat. And who accompanies him in summit meetings like TransferRoom, the transfer fair, which takes place every year.
We would have liked to know more about him, so that he could tell his beautiful story and his astonishing journey, but management wants to protect him. And when we broached the subject with the managing director of the Zebras, he kicked in except once, timidly, in the corridors of the Kehrweg last April. “Everyone agrees that it is an exceptional element. I prefer to be discreet with him. When we have people who work well and do things properly, we don't need to highlight them. Otherwise others will be interested in them.”
For this, the club would still need to successfully complete a transfer window again. To reconnect with the recipes that worked, way too long ago now.
