Passed by Colomiers, the Algerian international of West Ham Saïd Benrahma remembers where he comes from. On Sunday he gathered his former USC educators in his new London garden, where he beat Liverpool.
Bubbles in the sky and rising hairs. Sunday November 7, as the hymn resounded I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles in the London Stadium and as the West Ham players advanced on the lawn to challenge the red monster Liverpool, nine Columérins struggled to contain their heartbeat. The first wears the number 22, is indisputable holder among Londoners third in the Premier League, and continues to impress the Kingdom.
Saïd Benrahma, from Colomiers to West Ham
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His name is Saïd Benrahma, and if he is where he is today, it is a little thanks to the eight others. Invited this Sunday by the Algerian international, Jean-Pierre Filiol, Fabrice Dubois, Patrick and Bryan Marjoux, Mickaël Pialeport, Pascal Del Frari, Sébastien Salles and Lilian Tournié were all educators, between 2000 and 2012, at US Colomiers. Where it all started for Benrahma, in national U17 and U19 at the dawn of the 2010s and at the twilight of a particular history of USC, marked by the human adventure of this team of educators.
“The human, this is what Fabrice (Dubois, former coach of the 19 nationals and responsible for training editor’s note) was putting forward, and everyone adhered to it,” recalls Sébastien Salles, who notably coached the national U17s. . We had the chance to be all together in the same place at the same time, there was a great atmosphere, a permanent emulation. And we also had results, which proves that it worked. “
“We all saw each other again coaching him”
Almost 10 years later, the pleasure of being together is still intact, especially as the poster is beautiful. “A few years ago, we went to support Saïd who was playing with the Nice reserve against Monaco, he There must have been 100 people, laughs Bryan Marjoux. Sunday, there were 60,000. “
Everyone keeps the memory of Benrahma of this “humble and endearing” boy, as Jean-Piere Filiol underlines. “To see him on the lawn of the London Stadium, it was shivers. I attended European Cup finals, but there it was even stronger. This kid, who kept the same gestures as in Colomiers, the same dribbles. We all saw each other again coaching him. Finally, we all saw each other again in our role as educators, and this trip made us rejuvenate, ”says the dean of the group.
22 x 8
If this trip will also have been an opportunity to do a little sightseeing, in Buckingham or on the double-decker buses – “real tourists, all with the camera, they were the Tuches in London”, laughs Bryan Marjoux – the cake will have had two cherries: the victory of the Hammers (3-2) over Liverpool of Salah and Mané, defeated for the first time this season in the league, with a great match from Benrahma in the key.
Devant Buckingham Palace
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And above all, the eight flocked jerseys of number 22 which awaited its former educators. Benrahma himself, could only stay five minutes after the match, before jumping on a train to Paris and then joining the Algerian selection. His path continues, and there is no doubt that he will cross again that of the Colomiers gang.
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