“SC Bastia, the best choice I could make”, assures the Agenais Franck Magri

With 13 goals and 4 assists for your first full season in Ligue 2, how do you rate your performance?

It’s not bad, but I’m still a bit frustrated that I could only play 24 games due to several injuries and suspensions. I would have liked to have a season of 34 or 35 games. Besides, I’m not just a statistics player and I’m very attached to the content. When I look at my journey from Angers, where I completed my training, I measure the progress I have made. The notion of “progress” is, in my view, fundamental. And if I have progressed this season in contact with this Ligue 2, I hope to take another step next season.

What is your best memory this season?

There is the hat-trick that I achieved in Pau, my first in professional which is, of course, remarkable. But if I have to remember an even stronger moment, it’s the match against Sochaux at Furiani. We were in a very good period and Sochaux was just ahead of us in the standings. In case of victory, we really had a shot to play in the race for accession. We were down 2-1 and I equalized with a header. I felt the stadium explode and exult like never before. In the process, we take the advantage and the atmosphere was totally crazy. It’s my first real professional thrill in a stadium. To feel a whole crowd pushing behind you in a high-stakes game is really beautiful when you’re in the middle of the lawn.

Two red cards came to tarnish your record. How do you explain it?

It’s something that I actually have to erase and I’m working on it. On the field, contrary to what I am in everyday life, I am an impulsive person. I want to win and succeed so badly that I get fired up. I can easily get angry with the referee because I believe my team is being treated unfairly. I have to learn to channel myself and to better use this energy that I have on a lawn.

What are your goals for next season?

I will endeavor to confirm by trying to do as well, if not better. My first objective is to play as much as possible and bring the maximum to my team. By scoring goals, of course, but also by helping the collective, by keeping the ball and by having my partners play if I am kept in a high point role. At the team level, it will certainly be difficult for us to do as well as this year when we were not expected to be so well ranked. [4e, NDLR]but we have to remain ambitious to give back to our supporters what they give us every weekend.

You have one year left on your contract. How do you imagine your future?

I project myself in Bastia where I still have a lot to prove. I feel good here. I do not forget that the club asked me at a time when my future was blocked in Angers. I had other proposals but I immediately felt in the president’s speech that people would trust me here and that I could play in Ligue 2. This confidence is exactly what I needed to that time. Signing for Bastia was really the best choice I could make.

What would be the dream career plan for you?

All footballers grew up with childhood dreams. Mine, like many, is to reach the biggest European clubs. In absolute terms, playing in England would be a culmination. My journey has shown me that by working on a daily basis, we are always rewarded. What is important is to be effective and serious. When you’re a striker, you’re lucky to have greater visibility than in other positions. It’s up to me to continue to do what it takes to climb the ladder.