Nîmes Olympique: Marowane Khalid, the dream come true

New pro Marowane Khalid in action and scorer in a friendly against Agde, July 31 (5-3). Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

National/2nd day/NO – Châteauroux, Friday August 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Antonins. The native of Nîmes signed his first French pro contract at the age of 25.

His career

A child of the Rising Sun, where he started playing football at the age of 6, Marowane Khalid joined Nîmes Olympique in the U12s, after the head of pre-training for the Crocodiles, Thierry Lorenzo, pushed his father. He would stay there until the U17 national team, playing as a number 8, number 10 or left winger with Bernard Blaquart as coach.

“He was above the rest in the youth team”, assures Dominique Sablier, coach of the U13s. “At the beginning, with him, we won everything”, the player recalls with delight. But the first chapter with NO will end badly. Blaquart is called to the bedside of the pros, and Khalid does not have the confidence of Christian Mattiello, new boss of the training center and the U17s.

He gets a trial at OM and Sochaux – "one of their recruiters came to see me at the Bastide" – but Nîmes does not release him even though he is neither an aspirant nor a trainee, only under contract.

Here he goes: to Arles, to Vila Real (Portuguese D3), to Paris FC (N3), first return to Nîmes in reserve (N3), first professional contract in Tlemcen (relegated to Algerian D2) in 2022, then second return to Gard after six months, because “I wasn't paid there”.

The third crocodile chapter will be the right one. "Adil Hermach contacted me for the reserve team, telling me that he was putting together a good team for R1, that it wasn't my level but that with him, I would quickly move up. I trusted him. And last season, I almost always trained with the pros."

His historic goal

Until this entry into Chasselay and this golden goal against Goal FC (Ouest Lyon), on May 3. An exceptional goal which will remain in the history of Nîmes Olympique as that of remaining in National, while the club has never known lower.

"When he brings me in, Adil whispers in my ear: “If you have to bring something, it’ rsquo;is now”. I threw myself into his arms, I owed him that, to return the trust he gave me. This is the goal that had to be set. By its importance, its timing and its beauty, it will remain in the archives", he smiles.

His signature

At the end of May, the Larcier (DS)-Hermach duo offered him a one-year professional contract. Marowane Khalid will have to wait two more months to initial it, but at 25 years old, he was no longer close to that.

“I had the word of the DS and the coach. In my head, it was as if it was signed. I realized my first dream, to sign pro in my city. My second will be to extend the adventure at the end of the season and to go and get a second contract! In any case, it shows that work and seriousness pay off. I don't envy those who signed pro at 19. I had a few problems, I didn't take the highway but the National, I broke down, I restarted… Everyone has their own future, their own destiny."

The delivery driver, who was still working with his father last year after his training at La Bastide, has arrived at his destination.

His qualities

Highest VMA of the squad (maximum aerobic speed, 24 levels, 20 km/h), flashed by the GPS at 34 km/h in National, dribbler, crosser, good shot… the Gardois runs fast and long, and therefore does not lack qualities. Which he will try to exploit on the left wing, “ even if I can also play in 8-10 and on the right wing”. The dream has truly come true.

Transfer window: Osei signs, Ngakoutou loaned

FIGHTERS Without a club and on trial for ten days, center forward Derick Osei (1.87m, 25 years old) has signed a year with Nîmes. A conclusive trial, therefore: “Behavior, investment, form, integration into the group, athletic and footballing qualities, he was ready, estimated the sporting director Sébastien Larcier. We suffered too much from the lack of offensive rotations last season to deprive ourselves of it. We are still talking with Badu (l who was also interesting in the recent test but who got injured, Editor's note)".

Osei, trained in Toulouse, is "very excited and very happy to return to France after my experiences abroad (England, Scotland). The Nîmes project, the leaders and the team convinced me”, confided the former French U20 international.

An official arrival, and another departure: after Thoumin, Ngakoutou is loaned to N2, to Goal FC (Ouest Lyon).

I subscribe to read the rest