Before the Manchester City-Chelsea final – Mahrez, Kanté, Mendy: How did the L1 heavyweights pass?

When Leicester tried the Mahrez bet for 500,000 euros

For the former player from Quimper, spotted in 2010 by Johann Louvel, the former coach of the Le Havre reserve, it was first necessary to blend into the professional mold before seeing his dream come true. “Riyadh is first and foremost a very healthy boy who loves football and that’s a treat, recalls the technician who now heads the B team of OGC Nice. To go to the very high level, you need big strengths. This is what Riyadh had. That is to say, exceptional athleticism in terms of explosiveness, liveliness and endurance. Technically, he was already very good at one-on-one. Afterwards, he had to work more on the defensive aspect, especially when he did not have the ball, or on the replacement. He was asked to be efficient, not to dribble in order to dribble.” “I also made him realize that his technique would not be sufficient “, corroborates Erick Mombaerts, the first to have installed him as regular holder in pro.

In addition to his coaches, Riyad Mahrez did not leave his teammates indifferent when he wore the sky and navy jersey. “He was already breaking his kidneys at a very young age, continues Alexandre Bonnet. We quickly saw its potential. He had something different. He was already playing on the right and stepped on his left foot to curl in the opposite.” “He was very good with his famous hooks“, supports Benjamin Genton. Erick Mombaerts, who loved”its ability to create and eliminate“, remembers a pivotal match in Tours (2-1, April 2013) where”he had been unstoppable and proved that I was right to trust him“.

But for the native of Sarcelles, there is no question of being satisfied with the Stade de la Vallée du Cher to shine. “He was aiming for very big goals, underlines Alexandre Bonnet, still player of the club senior a decade later. Riyadh told us he would play the World Cup when we were all stuck in L2. At this level, you have to have a lot of certainty but he knew he had talent. He also spoke of FC Barcelona. He is also a little at Barça today with Pep Guardiola (laughs). “

His career took another turn when Leicester, then Championship leader, approached the HAC in January 2014. If Riyad Mahrez wonders, the leaders of the Le Havre locker room encourage him to take the big leap at 22 years old. “He didn’t want to leave at the start, says Benjamin Genton. He was fine with Erick Mombaerts. I remember that the oldest, Walid Mesloub, Yohann Rivière and I, told him: ‘But there Riyadh, you have an extraordinary opportunity‘”.

“At the time, I took over the management of the training center. He had come one afternoon to ask my opinion. But I think he had the answer in him, says Johann Louvel. Riyadh is a very emotional person therefore he needs an environment where he feels good and loved. This was the case in Le Havre. Leaving was the big leap into the unknown and getting out of your comfort zone. He had the opportunity to go to a championship demanding in terms of aggressiveness.”

The Foxes managed to get him to sign until June 2017 against compensation of 500,000 euros. A “daring bet for the time“, according to Alexandre Bonnet.”You could think he was going to join an L1 team at first, he adds. But looking at his qualities, it is perhaps a profile that we could have seen in La Liga. He had a bit of a weak physique and at the start it was not obvious that he was going to win in the Premier League.” “The French clubs were surely wrong, but it was more profitable for Riyadh to go face off in a championship as difficult as the Championship and then the Premier League. Maybe he needed this environment, with a different state of mind “, adds Erick Mombaerts.

When OM “lacked respect” to Kanté

“He reminded me of Claude Makélélé, indicates the former Norman sports director. But N’Golo is more complete because he can evolve in several positions in the midfield. It projects much more forward. This is also a point on which he has progressed“Alain Caveglia also tells how he convinced Patrice Garande, the former Caen coach, on this issue.”He had seen matches on video, but then National matches weren’t as accessible as they are today. I told him : ‘N’Golo will join your team and he will never leave.'”

For his first season in L2, which ended with a climb, N’Golo Kanté impresses his teammates with his generosity on and off the pitch. But the spotlight of the time is more directed towards Mathieu Duhamel, top scorer in L2 in 2014. “In fact, Ngolo always puts himself at the level of the division where he plays, but a cut above the rest. It was like that in National, in L2 then in L1 “, decrypts the former OL striker.

“Eventually N’Golo visited the Leicester facilities and after his decision was made, remembers Alain Caveglia. Still, I think his number one wish was to sign for Marseille. After the player was very shy at the time. Will leave at OM would have been a good choice for him at this point in his career? I’m not sure of it.”

When Le Havre refused Édouard Mendy as an understudy

Free after his Cherbourg adventure in National, then in N2 in 2013-14, the native of Montivilliers (Seine-Maritime) returns home to Le Havre to try to revive. “At the time, agents had led him a bit by boatremembers Michel Courel. He was quite disgusted with the situation. But he remained focused on his desire for success. He put all the trumps on his side for that. “The trainer welcomes him to the training sessions of the Le Havre reserve. But without a license, Edouard Mendy cannot play any game. However, the opportunity of L2 presented itself to him.

“When I was asked which goalkeepers I had in reserve, I specified that Edouard could be of interest to the first team, says Michel Courel. At that moment, the HAC A’s goalkeeper coach, who was looking for an understudy, came to observe him. He found her profile interesting. But after when we arrive in pro, we must find a balance between the holder (Fabien Farnolle during that season, Editor’s note) and the second and third guardians. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to take it. The opportunity was not at the HAC at the time. For the post of goalkeeper, you have to be there at the right time and take advantage of the right situation. You can have a very good profile, but it’s complicated if there is a very good number one in front of you.”

Yet the current Chelsea goalkeeper, passed number three in Marseille in 2015, was not lacking in qualities. “Like today, he was a lanky and very explosive boy, underlines the trainer from Le Havre. He had a great working spirit and great values“But his shyness at the time didn’t help him win.”Edward had to assert himself, he adds. Today, when we see him, we tell ourselves that he has worked well on this point. He is a calm, serene man and you can feel when he is there. Now he is able to stir everyone up. “His ability to be the boss in his area will be one of the keys to the C1 final.