Launched into the professional world by Jean-Louis Gasset, Mahdi Camara will not forget it.
“Jean-Louis Gasset, he was a very good person, a very great character in French football, a great coach. He was the one who launched me into the professional world, who made me play my first minutes in the first team. I came on in January 2018 during a Coupe de France match that we lost on penalties in Troyes. Even if I didn’t play much under him, he taught me professional football. I don’t forget not that it was him who made me make this big jump between the reserve and the pro group.
He behaved very well with the young player I was at the time. He taught me the requirements of professional football. He got along very well with the elders but he was also behind the young people. He was fair. Jean-Louis Gasset made me play the preparation matches in the summer of 2018. I remember the training course at Le Touquet, when he made me come on against Amiens: I made a mistake which cost us the equalizer, so he took me out. After the match, I said to myself: “I screwed up, he’s probably going to send me back to reserve”.
We didn’t talk about the evening, we came back from training and the next day, Jean-Louis Gasset took me aside and he said to me: “kid, it doesn’t matter! I took you out because I’m teaching you football. If I get you into Geoffroy-Guichard and you make this mistake, I’ll grill you. But you know that I appreciate you, that I love you. You’re going to continue to be there and you’re going to continue to progress.” This episode really struck me. I understood that he did it for my own good, even if it’s never pleasant to be substituted 20 minutes after coming on.
Coach Gasset told me: “I’m teaching you football, don’t give up!” The following week, I remember that Ole Selnaes was ill and I started for the last match of the summer preparation. It was against Nice, we won 3-0 and I had a great match. The following weekend, I made my first appearance in Ligue 1, my first match at Geoffroy-Guichard. I came on in place of Kévin Monnet-Paquet just after the second goal of our victory against Guingamp on the first day of the championship.
I continued to be part of the pro group for a few months but I remained on the bench. The team was very efficient, especially in midfield with Yann M’Vila, Ole Selnaes, Rémy Cabella… I continued to work in training, I tried to prove. I needed playing time, the coach was aware of this and he told me that it was a good thing that I was going on loan to Stade Lavallois to learn my skills and then return to AS Saint-Etienne to establish myself in my training club.
When I returned to Sainté, Jean-Louis Gasset had left the club and it was his faithful assistant Ghislain Printant who took over the team for a few months. I had the opportunity to meet Jean-Louis Gasset again two or three times, notably when I defended the colors of Stade Brestois. Last season, we met again at Mosson shortly after he was appointed to try to keep the MHSC in the elite. We had also lost 3-1. On the sidelines of the meeting, we chatted a little. He told me he was proud of me, of the player I had become. His words touched me. He’s really a very good character who has just left us…”
Thanks to Mahdi for his availability
