Manaudou, France’s devoted Olympian - VIP Interviews
 |
| FIFA.com |
Sunday’s French Ligue 1 meeting between Lyon and Marseille ended in a 1-1 draw that did little for either side, leaving them ninth and eight respectively in the table after 22 games. Nor was it a result that brought much joy to the clubs’ supporters, except perhaps for French swimmer Florent Manaudou. Born on the outskirts of Lyon but an adopted son of Marseille, the reigning world and Olympic 50m freestyle champion and world record holder at the same distance had good reason to be content with the stalemate.
“I was born in a suburb of Lyon and I grew up at a time when Olympique Lyonnais were winning everything. They’re the club I support,” replied the Villeurbanne-born star when asked by FIFA.com which of the two is closer to his heart.
He then added: “Having said that, I live in Marseille now and I love the city. It took me to its heart pretty quickly. I’m very, very grateful to the place. L’OM have a great history and a wonderful stadium, and it’s been an honour for me to go there and do the pre-match kick-off a few times. And I’m also proud to have been named the city’s ambassador for EURO 2016.”
It was in Marseille that France began their victorious campaign at the 1998 FIFA World Cup France™, where they beat South Africa 3-0 before a vibrant capacity crowd at the Stade Velodrome. The 25-year-old swimmer remembers the tournament well: “France’s win in the 98 World Cup is my happiest memory when it comes to football,” he recalled. “I was only a child but I remember it as if it were yesterday. That was when I really began to get excited about French sport in general.”
There is another very good reason why the city is so dear to Manaudou: it is the hometown of one of his idols, Zinedine Zidane, who had a very big hand to play in Les Bleus’ World Cup win all those years ago. “There are a few players who’ve thrilled me, starting with Zizou,” said Manaudou, who was nicknamed “The Zidane of the Pool” several years back by Philippe Lucas, the former coach of his sister Laure, herself a French swimming legend. “But there’s also Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo in particular. He’s without doubt the player that’s impressed me the most over the years. And I’m talking about the Brazilian one, not the Portuguese.”
Les Olympiques
Given Manaudou’s domination of his sport, it is tempting to compare him to the Real Madrid star or 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi. “That would be nice,” said the fastest swimmer in the world. “It’s obviously very flattering to be compared to someone who’s been so dominant in his sport.”
Asked if a swimming world record can be compared to the most prestigious individual award in football, Manaudou had this to say: “I don’t think so because there are a lot of different distances in swimming. To my mind someone who swims long distances and is the best in their sport deserves as much recognition as anyone who dominates over the short distances.”
He added: “That said, I do think that swimming and football share a lot of the same values, even if team sports are usually quite different to individual ones. At Marseille, for example, we train pretty much as a team. Like Les Bleus in football, the goal is to fly the flag for France. We work together as one to achieve that objective.”
A gold medallist in London four years ago, Manaudou will once again be among the France team’s brightest medal hopes at Rio 2016 this summer. As he has shown with his devotion to the Olympiques of Lyon and Marseille and his ongoing quest for excellence in the pool, the freestyling Frenchman is a true Olympian.