Tuesday evening, Colas Gilles will be in front of his TV to watch the most prestigious meeting in the history of Stade Brestois. Except that the heart of this Brestois, unlike his counterparts, will not lean exclusively towards Eric Roy's troop. “Honestly, I hope for a good match with goals. It will really be the only match where I won’t support anyone,” smiles the defender from Plabennec (N3).
At the FCBEscola of Barcelona for three years
If he prefers not to get wet, it's because the young footballer (18 years old) has a special history with the two clubs. Passed through SB29 during his childhood, then as a teenager, he also wore the Blaugrana colors from the age of 8 to 11. “We were in Brest with my family but my parents wanted a change of scenery. There had been detections for the football school at Barça where I was taken and we moved to Spain in 2014,” recalls the Finisterian by birth.
There, at the FCBEscola in Barcelona, he discovered a culture, a state of mind, a philosophy imagined by a certain Johan Cruyff, maintained since by an entire institution. “It’s not even a myth. It's really just technique, just play. We are taught to play collectively, together. At any age, anywhere, we are taught the same things, the same values, assures Colas Gilles. We had an international tournament against all the Barcelona football schools in the world. We played schools from Japan and Brazil. We could see all the cultures and how it played out in other countries. » “Més que un club” (More than a club), the Catalan motto, then takes on its full meaning.
A double at Camp Nou, a victory against Lamine Yamal
His Barcelona adventure even led him to play on the Camp Nou pitch. An unforgettable moment for the one who, after football school, almost joined the Masia in 2017, the largest training center in the world, where Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and even Xavi were trained.
“I didn’t really realize it. But now, with hindsight, when I think back that I wasn't that far from joining the Masia, I tell myself that it would certainly have changed my life. But out of 100 people, they will only take 5 or 10. La Masia is luxury. And if we're lucky enough to have access to it, it's because we really deserve it. It's not given to everyone. »
This tradition continues today. In Montjuïc (and not at Camp Nou), Stade Brestois will notably face several players from the current team (Gavi, Cubarsi, Balde, etc.) who studied in the Barcelona training center. It is also the case of Lamine Yamal*, recent European champion and winner of the Raymond Kopa trophy, rewarding the best hope in the world, whom Colas Gilles had the chance to face when he was younger. “At nine years old, he was already known in Spain where he was expected every weekend. It was really impressive, exceptional, he says. But I remember that with my team, we still won. » If it could give ideas to Brendan Chardonnet and his teammates…
* Hit in the ankle, Lamine Yamal is out of the Stade Brestois reception
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