The Bayeux FC crest above the heart, Benjamin Renaux will feel this area pulsate, this Tuesday, January 13 for the 16th final of the Coupe de France between Petit Poucet Calvadosien and Olympique de Marseille. A “dream poster” for the Bayeux striker, a big OM fan. “My dad has been taking me to the stadium since I was little. Obviously, we are at the other end of France so we don’t go there every year but we go there as much as possible. It’s a historic club that represents French football,” sparkles the 31-year-old striker.
Overwhelmed by emotion during the draw experienced live by the entire club, Benjamin Renaux “counted the sleeps” before “this childhood dream, especially as a Marseillais”. A sporting dream, already, for this player forged by amateur football, who played several times with Bayeux FC. This Tuesday, he will set foot on the pitch at the Ornano stadium in Caen for the second time, once again thanks to the magic of the Coupe de France.
“I had the chance to play there in front of around 6,000 people for an 8th round with AG Caen against Guingamp (Ligue 2) in 2023. There, we will have 20,000! We will have stars in our eyes. » A little more in his side against his favorite team, Marseille, top of Ligue 1, engaged in the Champions League.
A source of inspiration for the Bayeusain, who readily cites his attacking models as “Greenwood, an exceptional player, but there are plenty of others. Mamadou Niang, Didier Drogba, Ben Arfa, players who stink of football. You can only see them in clubs like that. And there, we are not going to see them but to play against them! »
Benjamin Renaux took an active part in making his dream come true. To make its way here, his club has thwarted the hierarchy three times, notably taking the scalp of neighbor SM Caen (National 1, 3-2 on November 15) in the 7th round and beating Blois in the previous round (National 2, 2-1).
“During the match, we will be at war”
Two matches where the striker got the ball rolling, with his attacking comrade Romain Guillotte, also a Marseille supporter. “Being fans of him and I, it’s amazing to play against them. We will savor the pre-match but not the during because we will be at war on the pitch, slips the latter. With Benjamin, we played together among the youth in Bayeux. We know each other almost by heart. We can play with our eyes closed, we know each other’s movements. We will do as we always do, without complexes. »
Who, exactly, should the Olympian defense be wary of? “Marseille does not have a profile like Benjamin,” dares Normandy coach Éric Fouda. Ben is not a dribbler, he has speed. But he is also capable of guarding balls while being very clean. He is also a passer. He has a lot of things. »
The technician entrusts his chance to manage a player “who has the level to be a little above. It has already evolved. But he is with us. He is an atypical player, with a very palpable human dimension in the locker room.”
For his part, Benjamin Renaux does not forget to salute the work of his coach and invites the whole group to “follow his instructions” in a match where “we will quickly have to put the dream aside because it is another level. We have to think about the match.” Opposite him, “there will perhaps be Pavard, Balerdi or others, if they are filming. Even if we support OM, we will make sure to play a nasty trick on them.” And, in general, when Benjamin Renaux scores, Bayeux achieves a feat. For a waking childhood dream.
