By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
After a busy summer during which he became Olympic rugby sevens champion, Antoine Dupont recently teased his return to the Top 14. However, until then, he plans to spend his last weeks of vacation in a very special way… and irritating for some fans.
If some still had doubts about his status as the best player in the world, he has taken it upon himself to dispel them in recent months. Champion of France and Europe with Stade Toulousain, Antoine Dupont also shone in the Blues jersey. Both on the rugby union fields, but also as a septist, he who won the gold medal in the discipline at the Paris Olympic Games.
Antoine Dupont’s new experience which goes badly
Author of a successful reconversion into rugby sevens, Dupont however had to give up his summer rest period in order to carry it out. Quite logically, he therefore did not take part in the first days of Top 14, he who is enjoying a well-deserved vacation. But while he recently declared that his comeback would not take longa photo that he published this Wednesday on social networks appealed to more than one:
Off we go 🇺🇸✈️ pic.twitter.com/RTJ4391okW
— 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗨𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗧 (@Dupont9A) September 25, 2024
Here we go 🇺🇸✈️
Read also
Titled in Paris, Antoine Dupont (85kg) cash on the cardboard beds of the Olympic village: “We have them…
At first glance, the French scrum-half seems to simply be packing his suitcase for a short stay in the United States. However, its on-site program would turn out to be much more extensive and surprising than it seems. So, Rugbynistère affirms that he is preparing to train across the Atlantic in the ranks… of an NFL franchise:
According to our information, the best player in the world of rugby will be available to the Los Angeles Chargers for the next three weeks.
The Toulouse native will train with the NFL team during this period, without participating in matches. (…) For Dupont, it will be an opportunity to discover a new sport, but also to seriously prepare physically.
It is therefore in this surprising environment that the Olympic champion will try to regain rhythm before his return to the Top 14. While waiting to know if he plans to join the NFL sooner or later as Welsh rugby player Louis Rees recently did -Zammit, Internet users are doubtful about his choice on X :
@BreizhRugby : He’s starting to scatter like a certain (Kylian) Mbappé le Antoine, that’s never a good sign… Surprising that his club, which is his employer, doesn’t restrict him more than that…
@Pioupiou0415 : I find it too personal. He is leaving for 3 weeks and when he returns, he will go to EDF. These privileges risk weighing on the group at one point…
Does Antoine Dupont dream of a future in the NFL, or does he simply want to take advantage of his vacation in the United States to get back into shape for his return to the Top 14? Regardless, his decision to train with the Chargers is widely debated online.