Hong Kong, Brussels, Los Angeles… Expat life in big cities holds no secrets for Romuald Turci. Regarding football, however, everything brings the fifty-year-old back to the village of Giraumont. When he was a resident of the FC Metz training center, the teenager went every summer to the town of Pays de Briey, known for having provided a profusion of great players in the French championship. Among them are his father Jean-Pierre Turci, former central back (Lens, Boulogne-sur-Mer), his uncles by marriage Serge Zénier and Bruno Rodzik (21 in blue) as well as his cousin Bernard Zénier, also international.
At the Turci table, we ate football morning, noon and evening. “Even when my cousin was 30 years old and had just finished top scorer in D1, his father told him after each match what he needed to improve in his game.” Between pasta and a nap, family life was punctuated by sports. “My entry into the Metz training center surprised no one. On the other hand, the fact that I did not become a professional surprised everyone. “After a serious injury, Romuald Turci decided for a time to give up the idea of living from football. He nevertheless played several seasons in the French amateur championship in the Center region. At 25, having become an executive at Saint-Gobain, he left football aside and flew to Hong Kong.
But at the dawn of his forties, the passion for sport reminds him. Returning to Europe, Romuald Turci passed his UEFA coaching diploma. “During my training, I really became aware of the football IQ that we had in the family. I remembered all the tips my uncle Bruno Rodzik gave me. In 2016, Romuald Turci moved with his family to California. Across the Atlantic, “Coach Rom” first took the reins of the 15-16 year olds of Culver City FC then those of the 11-12 year olds of the Los Angeles Breakers FC in the National Elite League (ECNL). In the club’s workforce is Maximilian, the eldest son of a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic, then a player for the Los Angeles Galaxy. “At that time, Maximilian was thinking about quitting football, he didn’t really want to play anymore. Romuald Turci decides to align him sometimes with the A team, sometimes with the B and replaces the attacker in the midfield position. “I’ve never been in cuddle therapy but my decision had nothing to do with zeal. I just wanted him to find pleasure in playing again.” The choice of “Coach Rom” surprises Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “He told me that no coach had ever put his son on the reserve team, but he quickly understood that I had an idea in mind and he trusted me. “ Romuald Turci assures him: the Swedish striker is anything but arrogant. “Beyond being a huge player, he is a loyal and very simple man. He is a thousand leagues from the image we attribute to him. »
A quality that Romuald Turci also possesses… thanks to his father: “My father, a former iron miner, was passionate about football. After his professional career, he played in the Division d’Honneur until he was 42 years old. He always remained humble. On April 8, the Californian will travel to the United States to celebrate Giraumont players during a tribute day organized by the Grand Est League and the City.
