Nîmes Olympique: the death of Hassan Akesbi, great scorer who “had everything of an Arab prince”

“In this team, I was the youngest, and now I am the oldest… The longer things go, the more my old teammates disappear…” Octogenarian Alain Garnier was saddened to learn of the death of Hassan Akesbi, who died on Saturday November 9 following a long illness at the age of 89. Information made public by the Mohammed VI Foundation of Sports Champions.

149 goals in 250 matches with NO, a record which “may never be broken” according to Michel Mézy

The striker was a legend of Moroccan Football. He is also, and will remain for a long time, the top scorer in the history of Nîmes Olympique (ahead of Rahis, Vergnes and Cubaynes, Editor's note). “He may never be beaten”predicts Michel Mézy, another big name from Gard joined this Sunday.

So how many goals did Akesbi score during his six seasons with NO, from 1955 to 1961? The figures differ… Jean-Charles Roux, author of the work “The Jean-Bouin stadium: the golden age of Nîmes Olympique” (Éditions Atelier Baie, 2021), did the math: 119 goals in 204 championship matches, and 149 in 250 matches in all competitions (Coupes de France, Drago, etc.).

“This team” that Alain Garnier evokes, it is that of the golden age of the crocodile club. The most beautiful period in its history, the most consistent, the most successful, with three runner-up places in France in Ligue 1 (1958, 1959, 1960) and two Coupe de France finals lost (1958, 1961).

When the Renaud Ripart of the time, carried around in all positions, joined the first team at the end of the 1950s, “Hassan Akesbi was already there. He didn't have a nickname, we called him Hassan. He was a very kind person, very distinguished in his speech. He had everything of an Arab prince! I I saw him for the last time during the inauguration of the Costières stadium, in 1989. We had a meal together, among old people. He then invited me to Morocco where he had retired, but I was quite tired. and I couldn't do it go He was in life as well as on the field. (Kader Firoud will call him “lord” on and outside the green rectangle, Editor’s note). He was a trickster from 16 meters, he was always on the lookout, he blocked small goals. In the area, it was tack, tack, goal. He didn't have a powerful strike, but he had a majestic kick.”

“Skibakesbi” goes down in history

Within NO's most prolific attack, his understanding with the Franco-German Henri Skiba worked wonders. The journalist of France Football Roger Chabaud invented the term “Skibakesbi” to describe it. “I remember it, says Michel Mézy. I was 10 years old and I went to see them play. And at the time, the players sometimes met at my parents' café in Grau-du-Roi: Akesbi, Skiba, Charles-Alfred, Bettache… I had Chimène's eyes for them. They were my idols. They are among those who imbued me with the love of this club. Akesbi was a real scorer, quite atypical, elusive. In the area, he was often where he was least expected. With an elegance… He was a stilt walker, a dancer, an artist, scrawny but aerial. In Nîmes, it was a total success.”

Kader Firoud signs him

During his six seasons at Nîmes, he finished… six times as the club's best director, scoring between 15 and 24 goals per exercise and celebrating them like few players before. It was Kader Firoud, who became coach of the Crocodiles in 1955, who signed him from FUS Rabat. “I was barely 19 when I started receiving offers from Spanish and French clubs, but I ended up choosing Nîmes Olympique. I will never forget my club Fussistes who let me leave without the slightest transfer compensation, nor any financial compensation. I signed in Nîmes for a salary of 6,500 French Francs (around €1,000, Editor's note), accompanied by a signing bonus of 5,000 Francs.then told the native of Tangier (in 1935) to Midi Libre.

Hassan Akesbi was staying with Mr. Réquier, a former NO player, route de Beaucaire. He loved spending his holidays at Grau-du-Roi with his wife and children. Legend has it that it was there that he learned that Nîmes had reached an agreement with Reims for his transfer to the biggest French club, in 1961. “The most talked about transfer is finally done”headlines the sports daily L’Équipe. Amount, record for the time: 55 million old francs (€1 million today taking into account inflation), including 10 for the Moroccan international.

A transfer to Reims that made noise

The former right successor to Just Fontaine in Champagne (where he was crowned French champion in 1962) declared, again in Free Midday : “I'm leaving Nîmes because my playing career forces me to: it's very short, and at 26 it's normal to make other choices. I've been here for six years. There are people in the club and in the team an atmosphere, a camaraderie that I will certainly not find elsewhere. I leave a lot of friends behind…” And great memories for Jean-Bouin alumni.