His voice and pen Didier Roustan “went out” for good in the early hours of Wednesday (11/9). A month before turning 67, the popular French journalist and presenter passed away after succumbing to cancer after a short battle of a few weeks.
Born on October 10, 1957 in Brazzaville, present-day Congo, to a journalist mother who was an envoy of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) and an economist father with an international government position, he grew up after the age of 3 in Cannes and had a strong love for football from a young age.
His dream was to become a footballer and he joined the academies of the local team. But he quickly devoted himself to journalism, because at 17 he had a fight with his coach at the time, and from the mid-70s he started working professionally in the press.
Bible of football and Che Guevara
He was called the “Bible of football” in his homeland, he stood out for the unique way he commented on the happenings on and off the pitches. A free and creative and cultured spirit, he was never confined to journalistic manners. Nor was he self-censoring, arguing with his bosses about the way he covered events and overall making his mark as an unconventional journalist full of passion for his work.
Their agents were snubbed, as are modern statistics. He worked more with experience, what he had seen with his own eyes and sometimes with developed instinct. Or inspiration.
He also carried the nickname Che Guevara, because he was constantly distrustful of the role of money in sports. He was one of those romantics who reminisced over the years about old football heroes like Pele, Cruyff, Socrates, Maradona and Cantona. The last two he had helped both in consulting and financially in the establishment of the International Union of Professional Footballers.
Didier Roustan, one of the last romantics of football, who managed to bring together the few last romantics of football.
Rest in peace sir. pic.twitter.com/y4c7qySfdm
— Jason Burne (@Monty_Brogan69) September 11, 2024
“I have always been against all forms of injustice and against those who exploit others” he had said describing himself. He had many times organized and “run” campaigns against racism and violence in the stadiums.
He admired the stadium and atmosphere of the Bobonera.
The beginning and the end of Didier Roustan
The general public began to love him (or even hate him at times) from 1986 when he was the central figure of Téléfoot, before jumping to Canal+ in 1989 and then working for large organizations or in personal works that he created alone.
Of course, he had first appeared in the glass at the age of 21.
Didier Roustan’s first appearance on television in 1978 at the age of 21pic.twitter.com/g8pLnGW8xk
— A FOOTBALL THING (@untrucdefoot) September 11, 2024
Since 1984 he has been successively present at all major football events, offering his own perspective on things.
His last assignment was to broadcast for Equipe Channel Argentina-Canada 2-0 for Copa America 2024. It was the opening game of the tournament and his own “swan song” in journalism. He had already been diagnosed with terminal cancer and within a few weeks he lost his short battle to stay alive.
An unequal battle in this case, one that was impossible to win. “A friend once told me I was a rebel. Because in the word there is the dream, the development and the air. I need some air too.” On September 11, 2024 Roustan became air.
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