For those close to him, the news is still difficult to take. The sadness and worry that are impossible to erase. This Wednesday evening, while enjoying New Year’s Eve with friends, the young footballer from Metz Tahirys Dos Santos (19 years old) was seriously burned in the fatal fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana (Switzerland).
First transported to Sion hospital, the left side was transferred Thursday evening to Stuttgart, to a unit for serious burns. According to the latest information, 30% of his body was burned. Conscious but sedated so as not to suffer too much, he was however not placed on respiratory assistance, his lung capacity having “significantly improved since yesterday (Thursday) morning”.
“These are second-degree burns, on a large surface, it’s serious,” confirms his agent Christophe Hutteau. He is in a sterile room, he had to be transferred to a burn unit, so his condition is very serious. He will probably not be able to be transferred to France in the coming days. At one point, we were talking about a transplant, we have to see if it’s still relevant. »
“Tahirys is very popular in the locker room”
If his life is not in danger, the career and life of Tahirys Dos Santos could have taken a terrible turn. However, they were promising for Messin who had just experienced his first call-up with the professional group – without playing – in the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France. A small step into the big world, he who usually plays with the reserve team in National 3 and who has even worn the captain’s armband.
“We have a big thought for Tahirys and his family,” declared Metz coach Stéphane Le Mignan this Friday at a press conference. He is an exemplary player, he has great technical qualities with his left foot. Every time he comes with us to train, he’s up to it, he absorbs everything we say to him. »
“It’s a difficult situation, which makes us humble in relation to football,” said captain Gauthier Hein, spokesperson for an omnipresent club and in solidarity with the player’s loved ones. There is football but alongside it, there is life, and everything can happen very quickly. Tahirys is very appreciated in the locker room, he is a very good player and a good guy, he does not deserve what is happening to him. »
“He reminds me of Matthieu Udol”
The captain’s opinion is shared by Tahirys Dos Santos’ trainers, who are full of praise. “He is a boy who has great potential, who is very hardworking, humble, well surrounded, well supervised,” confirms Bertrand Antoine, one of his coaches during his training in Moselle. He reminds me a lot of Matthieu Udol, they have a bit of the same style on the left corridor, all discretion, hard work. He’s really a very nice boy. »
After training him during a tournament in Qatar in U10, the coach found Tahirys Dos Santos in U19, when he was only 16 years old. “At the end of the season, we played younger players in a few matches and we took him, it’s proof that he has real potential,” he emphasizes. He was knocking on the doors of the pros, he even had a taste of it in the Coupe de France, but it’s difficult to imagine the career he’s going to have, there are so many hazards. »
The young man, who had started football at ES Longuyon, near the Belgian border, was nevertheless determined to give everything to permanently join the professional group of Grenats. “At this level, what makes the difference is the mind, the apprehension of the profession, the healthy lifestyle, the invisible work. Tahirys understood this and he was on a constant progression,” assures Christophe Hutteau, who judges the fate “terrible” for a player “of great professionalism unanimously recognized” and who “never goes out.”
The next few months will undoubtedly be delicate. And if Tahirys Dos Santos will have to heal his wounds, he will also have to ease his mind. “I have no doubt about his mental strength,” promises the agent. He is 100% focused on football, he will fight. But without a more precise assessment, it is difficult to plan ahead. The objective is already for him to regain his physical integrity. Football, we’ll see later because his body has suffered. »
