Euro 2024: “I had tears in my eyes during the Marseillaise”, says a Frontignan resident watching the Blues

Gaëtan and Théo went to Germany for a week to support the Blues DR – DR

Gaëtan and Théo met eight years ago on the same football team. For Gaëtan's 23rd birthday, Théo offered him tickets for the French team's matches at Euro 2024. The young Frontignan native Gaëtan looks back on this daydream he experienced.

Which matches did you attend and what was your reaction when you heard the news?

We saw France-Austria (1-0) in Düsseldorf on June 17 and France-Netherlands (0-0) in Leipzig on June 21. Originally, we were supposed to see France-Poland in Dortmund but we couldn't because Théo had his dissertation defense and I had my retakes for my master's degree.

For the news, I was like crazy. I had never seen a French team match. It was a surprise. Théo registered on the website of the French Football Federation. There was a draw and he got the places.

How did your trip go??

We left by train from Avignon to Mainz and stayed for a week with his girlfriend. The first match we went there by train. As soon as we arrived, we immediately felt that it was the Euro. We met Scottish people in kilts at the station. Then, we went to the « casa bleue », a house where all the French supporters met before the match. There were nearly 2,000 supporters. There was music, beer pong tables, and quite a few French people with whom we chatted. There is even the president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, who came to thank us for being there.

What was the atmosphere in the stadiums?

You get the emotions right away, I was like a kid. I had tears in my eyes during the Marseillaise. Just seeing the players warming up tells you that it’s a competitive match. There is a bit of a special atmosphere, half of the stadium was blue. And there it was singing loudly and you felt like everyone around you was your friend.

There are French players who impressed you from the stands ?

I'm a goalkeeper, so Mike Maignan. He is incredibly calm, even when warming up. But afterwards, when he touches the ball, Kylian Mbappé, it’s something. Antoine Griezmann is a favorite. When you ask in the "casa bleue" your favorite player, 95% of people answer: Griezmann.

I subscribe to read more