Samuel Umtiti – The man who got Messi ahead of him

St. Petersburg When “Big Sam” was recently approached about his club colleague Lionel Messi, he went into raptures. Now, a few days later, the 24-year-old man marker from France has achieved what the 31-year-old football genius from Argentina has never done: Samual Umtiti personally shot his team in the final when he played for the first time, Messi was able to score four World Championships do not score a goal in a knockout round.

“We haven’t realized too much yet, but we know that we have already achieved great things,” said Umtiti after the 1-0 (0-0) against Belgium on Tuesday evening in St. Petersburg. “Now there is still a game so that we can achieve something really, really big.”

He and his central defender colleague Raphaël Varane have played a big part in what the young, highly talented team of coach Didier Deschamps has already achieved: Varane had given France the lead in their 2-0 win over Uruguay – like Umtiti against Belgium with a header . In addition, the duo signed off one after the other Messi, Luis Suárez and Romelu Lukaku.

Samuel Umtiti, born in November 1993 in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, grew up playing football at Olympique Lyon, and has been under contract with FC Barcelona for two years. 2016 was also the year of his international breakthrough, or better said it was the European Championships in France.

Varane, Umtiti’s current congenial partner, could not be at the home championship due to an injury, Jérémy Mathieu also had to pass. And then Adil Rami, who was seeded at the time, got the second yellow card in the 2-1 win against Ireland in the round of 16. The time for Umtiti had come. “A tough jump into the deep end of an international knockout game,” wrote “Le Parisien” at the time.

Two years later, the same newspaper raved about Umtiti and his side man Varane as the duo that “perhaps reflects the true identity of this French team: ready to tear itself apart to survive and win, while lovingly meeting the opponent”.

So he is very special, this 1.82 meter tall muscle man Umtiti. Uncompromising in the field, but not nasty. One who is tough but fair. And somehow always a little to cuddle. Recently Umtiti also put up with one of the typical jokes of his much more eccentric colleague Paul Pogba.

As Umtiti was taking a nap on the massage bench at the World Cup camp in Istra, Pogba pulled the towel from his head. But there was nothing more than a tired look at the eyes and a wrinkled face.

Umtiti is wide awake in the square. The British Independent once called it an “insurmountable rock”. So it is hardly surprising that FC Barcelona ensured clear contractual relationships even before the big World Cup stage in Russia. The contract of the 24-time national player and three-time goalscorer was prematurely extended for two more years until June 2023.