Axel Villière, the brother of Ardennes – France – CS Sedan Ardennes

“Axel reconciles me with today’s football, full of money and ambition, it’s good to have guys like that”warns Thibault, omnipresent supporter of the Wild Boars. Having become the voice of the CSSA for two years via his Facebook page, the apprentice sports commentator adds: “Before the demotion, he was the reserve captain, no one knew him. When all the players left the ship, I called him. If he stayed, being captain, it could motivate the others. » At the other end of the phone, Thibault discovers a young adult who is surprisingly calm, straight, “far from being stupid and gives off a natural aura”and above all a sincere lover of the CSSA: “He called me back a few days later to tell me he was staying. I feel close to him in relation to that, to his choice to stand together with the CSSA at the hardest time. »

The Varane of the Ardennes

A year and a half later, everyone knows the name of Axel Villière in the Ardennes, even though this slender blond doesn’t really have the look of a star, with his baby face and his tidy crew cut. . This new fame does not yet prevent the latter from going out for a walk at the foot of the largest fortified castle in Europe, even if it has “changed his life” : “I am recognized in the street, I receive a lot of messages on the networks. It’s very rewarding, it’s exceptional to experience these things in R2 (CSSA was promoted at the end of last season, Editor’s note)like playing in a 25,000-seat stadium with a kop at each match, and seeing our matches broadcast…”

In this Ardennes drama, Axel Villière has, despite himself, become a symbol of Sedan’s resilience in the summer of 2023: “Sedan has been let down. When we see the fate of Sochaux, Nancy, we say to ourselves that in Sedan, we were not helped in the same way. » Especially since the local Boar quickly put on the captain’s armband, to lead his troops onto the lawn of Louis-Dugauguez, whose stands he knows by heart. “I’ve seen so many matches in the kop, it’s crazy to be on this pitch”appreciates the one who had never played or made the bench with the first team, before the demotion from N1 to R3 in the summer of 2023, and who refused offers from local teams out of loyalty to the CSSA: “I did some training with the N1, nothing more. It’s special, because I’m making my dream come true because of the club’s nightmares…”

Because before being the captain of the new story of Sedan, Axel Villière is above all a good ball player. “On the field, I am calm, I like to take care of my raises. Swinging long balls in front is not my thing”explains the one who never says no to a good tampon. “The kind of player I like: human, who sometimes makes mistakes, but who works a lotsays Thibault. He doesn’t look super muscular under his jersey, but when he makes contact, he hurts very, very badly. He is a very authoritarian defender, an eternal dissatisfied. » Sometimes shifted to the left lane to help out, Axel Villière has always been a defender, since his debut at CS Sedan Ardennes at six years old, under the eyes of Jean-Pierre Vautier, historic leader of the Sedan football school since 1972. “Axel is an excellent player, with a well-made head and a great recovery. He’s a very good captain who cheers everyone up at half-time. He is more discreet off the field, but on the pitch, he makes himself heard”depicts the educator who experienced everything with Sedan, from workers’ football to the European Cup, including the years in Ligue 1. He adds: “He is a pure Ardennese who has Sedan in his blood and who has always remained loyal to the club, even when he lived far away. He always did everything to play with the CSSA. » When his studies made him move to the rival city of Reims, 98 kilometers to the south, the STAPS student made the journey three times a week to train. Same thing during his first assignment to a college in Seine-et-Marne.

Bussaglia, Fourniret & neighbors’ party

Since then, National Education has repatriated him to Charleville-Mézières, which spares his car, but not his ego. “Some students follow the matches on the networks. On Monday, they come and talk to me about it, especially if I mess up. I also have several colleagues who followed Sedan in the good years and who have returned to it since my arrival. We talk about CSSA in the teachers’ room”smiles the captain, who however does not see a jersey with his name in the gymnasium: “In class, I see more jerseys from PSG, OM, or foreign clubs like Real Madrid. There is no Rémois, that’s okay. In any case, I do not accept a student in class if he has a Reims jersey. »

As a true Sedanais, Villière despises the City of Coronations, even though he studied there: “No one there knew I played for Sedan, so I didn’t have any problems. In any case, I definitely wasn’t going to see a match at Delaune! » Rather the type to walk in the countryside around his house in Issancourt-et-Rumel (a town of 391 inhabitants made infamous by the Fourniret couple) or to go to the cinema, Axel Villière also enjoys his life as a PE teacher For “vary the pleasures” and prefer “to introduce sports other than football” to his students. He even assures that his career helps him to know his body better, and to better approach “the psychological dimension of a match, especially when you have to speak in the locker room, or to the referee. »

Calmness, the Sedan captain and his troops need it anyway, they who play in front of 1,000 people on average at home, and who attract all eyes with their coach, Elise Bussaglia (192 caps with the Blue), and their new owner, Kalidou Koulibaly. “I haven’t seen him yet, but since his arrival, the club has worked a lot to restructure itselfappreciates Axel Villière. It’s invisible work, we don’t have a hot tub in the locker room for example! » However, if this context was not enough, the Sedanais spend their time playing in the Reims suburbs outside. “At each match, we have a prefectural decree to prohibit our supporters from coming, in R2! »regrets the one who sometimes hums the chants of supporters during downtime on the pitch. A permanent hostility which contrasts with last season, in R3, spent facing neighboring towns against teams all supporting CSSA. “In R3, we played against guys who had come to encourage us the week before, with whom we played as youngsters in Sedan. It was funny. But there weren’t any gifts.”summarizes the Wild Boar pack leader. This context does not prevent the CSSA from taking the lead in its group, to obtain a second rise in rank. Axel Villière’s objective, even if the latter knows that after a certain level, he will have to give up his armband. “I want to stay as long as possible at the club, but too bad if the club goes up very quickly and I lose my place, I will have done my job and I will return to the reserves”promises the defender. But according to Jean-Pierre Vautier, the captain still has time to see it coming, since he detects in him “the potential of an N3, or even N2 player”. Which leaves, at the very least, three more seasons for Axel Villière before giving up the apron.

Despite a power outage, Sedan continues its crazy series in Dugauguez