This Charming Man: Yoann Gourcuff

The tortured artist of the number 10 shirt is a so-what tired cliché at this point in the 21^st century. The image projected by these magical players has changed dramatically since the days of the solitary artists of bygone years. The likes of Iniesta, Ozil and David Silva are no doubt the playmakers of their sides but the idea of them being luxury players has all but evaporated. That myth of inner turmoil for these creative players also seems to have been lost during the transition to the ‘modern playmaker’. One remnant, one throwback may well still grace the football pitches of France. A man once heralded as the future of French football, a man with movie-star good looks and so much potential that his sheer existence as footballer may well be his own downfall. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Yoann Gourcuff.

It must be said that Gourcuff is neither the first nor the last Frenchman to have the hopes of a nation placed upon his shoulders at a young age; there’s a hunger and a desire to find an heir to Zidane’s throne, vacated several years ago. What maybe makes Gourcuff’s case so unique is the microscopic examination he undergoes. His move to Milan ended with questions over the youngster’s mental state, success at Bordeaux was rounded off with arguments and a bundle of blame from within Les Bleus. and his move to Lyon has simply failed to develop into more than an allround unhappy experience. The question then; is this castigation self-inflicted, or simply a case of wrong man, wrong situation over and over again?

The anti-Gourcuff camp will point to the recurring theme of lack of integration. It was reported the 26-year-old chose not to attend OL manager Remi Garde’s birthday recently, raising questions over his desire to be included in the current fight for a Champions League spot. An outburst by club president Jean-Michel Aulas who proclaimed Gourcuff as ‘his biggest industrial accident, economic disaster, his biggest mistake ever’ certainly hints at a fractured relationship between club and player. On the pitch it’s true to say that injury has dogged the playmaker this year, but when fit he has unquestionably struggled for form. His body language hasn’t been that of a player enjoying his football or his social life. So are OL right to be disgruntled with Gourcuff? Well of course. Aulas is a business man and as such sees football as a business. Right now, Gourcuff is not ‘doing the business’ and is in turn costing the club and Aulas money. His performances on the pitch must also frustrate Garde, who is in desperate need of the sort of creativity the Breton-born player possesses.

The argument from the other side seems to be that if you want the best from your assets, then treat them like a human being first and foremost.

There is no doubt that Gourcuff played his best football under the tutelage of Laurent Blanc while gracing the pitch at the Stade Chaban-Delmas. The former World Cup winner identified Gourcuff as a young man in need of an arm around his shoulder and a quiet word of encouragement. Following his personal nightmare at Milan, Blanc and Bordeaux were perfect for Gourcuff to unleash his ability and in some cases his frustrations. His simply magical goal against Paris Saint-Germain during the 08/09 season was both breathtaking and a statement. That statement was most certainly aimed at Milan and Ancelotti , forged into the shape of middle finger salute. During that season Gourcuff was brilliant – he played with a swagger and a confidence that had been missing for some time. Also, he seemed happy and dare I suggest settled. Everything must come to an end, however, and the loss of Blanc to the national side signified the end of happier times for the midfielder. The rest, as they say, is history.

A feeling of sadness still lingers for me personally when it comes to Gourcuff. On the one hand I fear for this young man’s wellbeing, blessed with natural gifts but surrounded by wolves biting and scratching at him at every turn.  “I feel like we’re trying to bring a wolf into the sheep pen”, Blanc proclaimed after the media questioned the reintroduction of Gourcuff to the national squad before Euro 2012. “Don’t make him out to be a wolf, because he isn’t one”. Lamb to the slaughter he may be, but he’s no wolf in sheep’s clothing – there were certainly others in that squad who had sharper fangs than Yoann’s. On the other hand, this is football, a game and career where you’re expected to have unbreakable amounts of self-confidence and internal strength. The above words would never be written about say a Wayne Roooney or a Cristiano Ronaldo, men of ‘real’ footballing talent. Is the talent worth the hard work, or is natural ability nothing without the mental strength to go with it?

I’m always reminded of The Smiths lyric from their hit single ‘This Charming Man’ when speaking about Gourcuff – “It’s gruesome that someone so handsome should care “. Here is a man with everything in life: money, good looks, success and exceptional talent. Yet he is forever affected by outside influences to the point where he becomes introverted. He is the perfect example of a playmaker of yesteryear, the tortured genius.

While discussing Gourcuff’s future recently on RMC, Laurent Blanc’s former right hand man at Bordeaux, Jean-Louis Gasset, a man who knows the 26-year-old better than most, may have summed it up:

“Yoann has character, but he’s a boy who needs to speak about things and be happy, he’s passionate about football. He could talk to you for hours about it. But if he feels he doesn’t have people’s confidence and he goes into himself, he doesn’t produce anything. He needs confidence.”