“Sorry for the delay, I had forgotten that Paris was world champion of corks…” At 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, in a parade and a broad smile, Edouard Mendy, the Senegalese goalkeeper of Chelsea, pocketed the large Faces of the World room in Cergy, jam-packed for the first evening of the Bruno Martini Trophies organized by the AEGB, the young French association of professional goalkeeper coaches.
Massed by the dozens in the high places, the boys and girls in their blue tracksuits from Cergy-Pontoise FC, one of the biggest clubs in France with 1,300 members, were quick to chant the name of the former Rennais , goalkeeper of the outgoing European champion club and last bastion of Senegal during the historic coronation of the Teranga Lions at the CAN in February.
After which, Marie Martini, the widow of Bruno who died in October 2020, declared the ceremony open and the former Rennais was the first to be awarded a Trophy of Honor.
“It has a particular flavor to be recognized by his peers, declared Mendy, the kid from Le Havre whose atypical and bumpy career led him to the firmament of world football. It’s the recognition of people who live like you, feel football like you every day. That your work and your performance are validated by goalkeeper coaches, who have been in the game for years and have seen some very great ones pass, there is no better distinction…”
The 2022 winners include D1 goalkeepers Christiane Endler (OL) and Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, revelation), L1 goalkeepers Matz Sels (Strasbourg) and Gauthier Gallon (Troyes, revelation), as well as L2 goalkeepers Benjamin Leroy (AC Ajaccio) and Lucas Chevalier (Valenciennes, on loan from Lille, revelation).
The AEGB was born in early 2021 on the initiative of Christophe Revel, the current Lille goalkeeping coach, with the complicity of Christophe Lollichon, who has just ended a 15-year lease at the bedside of Chelsea goalkeepers, as well as their colleagues Stéphane Cassard and Nicolas Dehon.
“This followed the death of Bruno Martini who was one of the first specific coaches, testifies Revel. He left his mark on football and, above all, was a pioneer in our profession. I received a lot of reactions from coaches wishing to pool exchanges, experiences, share content and develop their network.
“We are creating a laboratory of ideas”
In more than a year of existence, the AEGB already has 70 members out of the 130 professional goalkeeper coaches listed in France. “We are passionate about the job, explains Lollichon. The message is to bring together as many enthusiasts as possible. We are creating a laboratory of ideas, a platform, before welcoming amateur coaches in a second phase.
On Tuesday morning, the AEGB began a two-day seminar in Cergy, with the Trophies ceremony (hosted by BeIN journalist Darren Tulett) taking place at half-time of the two days.
In addition to Mendy, a number of technicians and French football personalities are present, such as active goalkeepers Benoît Costil (Bordeaux) and Ludovic Butelle (Red Star). The goalkeeping coaches of the France A teams, Franck Raviot (men) and Gilles Fouache (women) are also taking part. Raymond Domenech, as president of the French coaches union (UNECATEF), attended the ceremony.