Executive of Olympique Lyonnais, French international Griedge Mbock is enthusiastically looking forward to an exciting year 2024. Open-hearted interview.
From his native Brittany to the stars won with Olympique Lyonnais, Griedge Mbock went through all the feelings. Often facing headwinds. The life of an athlete is not a long, quiet river. It took a lot of self-sacrifice to pursue a career as a footballer, it’s a virtue that we don’t always suspect.
It took a good dose, too, to recover from a second major injury in his career, when his knee failed one summer evening in 2022. But Griedge Mbock was already armed for that. Returning through the front door within a French team where her place is central, the Lyonnaise tells us her story.
Griedge, a year and a half ago, on August 6, 2022, you seriously injured your knee against Greece. How are you ?
I feel good. I’ve been playing matches for a few months now. I am regaining my feelings, little by little. I think I still have room for improvement but I’m on the right path.
You had already experienced a first serious injury (rupture of the Achilles tendon, editor’s note). From a mental point of view, did it help you deal with the apprehension you might have when you return to the field?
Yes and no. I had been injured before, but the fact that it was in the Achilles heel, in another area, was different. On the other hand, I was able to reuse tools for this injury, even though it’s not the same area. Until now, I don’t have too much apprehension. I’ve been working quite a bit trying to erase all of that.
“In the French team, everyone supported me a lot”
Even before signing your reunion with the Blues, we have the feeling that you never lost contact with the selection during this period?
I was injured in the selection and when I saw the reactions of my teammates, it was touching. I could see that it really affected everyone. They supported me a lot, a lot. I was also supported by the new staff. I had the doctor regularly,
And how did you experience the appointment of Hervé Renard, in your absence from the French team?
He contacted me quite quickly, even before taking up his position. He gave me his support, he checked in on me quite regularly, and we never cut off contact. Until I come back. They accompanied me and made me very welcome when I arrived in the group in September.
You vibrated for your teammates during the World Cup and you can now look forward to the Paris Olympics in 2024, with the Final Four of the Nations League in the meantime. Is this a pivotal year for you?
It’s true that I followed the players – on TV because it was quite complicated as this World Cup was taking place far away (Australia and New Zealand, editor’s note). I saw that within the group, they had created a strong cohesion, and that was able to spread throughout the staff. It was a joy for me to be able to join this group because there is a lot of communication and exchanges. And then the staff grew too. There are many more ways. And that will play a role in future competitions, that’s for sure. We will need all these tools to be efficient. There are the Olympics, and the Nations League before that, which we will use to work on this event. The match against Germany will be very important. Plus, it will be at Groupama Stadium, at home for me… They are always good matches against Germany, I can’t wait. The objective is to qualify for the final in order to be able to focus on the Olympics.
Tactically as well as in group harmony, do you feel, between you, that you are on the right track to do something great in the months to come?
We are working on it. Since Hervé Renard arrived, we have tried to create this osmosis within the group, to create strong cohesion, links between the players but also between the staff and the players. I think it was felt during the World Cup, where I felt that the girls were liberated even if they stopped prematurely. As the courses progress, something is created. I think it bodes well for the Olympics. You have to use it for this event.
“I don’t want to end up without a title in the French team”
You 28 years old, lots of experience. Do you take your role as relay between the two generations to heart?
Completely. I joined the selection 11 years ago now… I find it easier to communicate between the different generations. I get along well with everyone. The staff counts on me because I am part of the executives. It’s up to us to be able to properly integrate the news so that it can perform as quickly as possible.
Would a big victory with the France team be stronger than a Champions League with OL?
(Reflection) Personally, I’m always hungry for titles…no matter what titles. We’ve won a lot of titles with OL but we’re still hungry! We want to win as many as possible again this year. Afterwards, it’s true that a victory with the France team would be great because we’ve been chasing that for years. Our seniors didn’t have the chance to win a title with the Blues so it would be great! That would be significant too. This is one of the goals of my career. I don’t want to end up without a title in the French team. But I can’t put one title above the other…
“My models? Zidane, Messi… Nothing to do with my position! »
We were talking about your big injury, it’s a bit like a “reset”, right? Between the very busy schedule, the media pressure which is stronger than before in women’s football…
There are times when I ask myself that question. In fact, when I played, I had pain here and there, particularly because of my Achilles heel injury. I felt tired at one point… And it’s true that this break has already allowed me to work on everything that I can’t normally work on during the season, because of the schedule. But it also allowed me to get away from all that world. It was like a “reset”, yes. It brought me a certain freshness in the sense that there was perhaps a little fatigue.
The general public does not understand the extent to which high-level athletes need to break this bubble ?
No, people don’t necessarily realize it. In my situation, I was able to see something a little different, even if it took quite a long time. Seeing my family, for example, even though I’m not used to seeing them often, allowed me to come back with an even stronger desire.
You’ve already said that you already wanted to become a footballer when you were asked about the job you wanted to do when you were little. This was not common at that time.
There were small sheets for teachers to fill out (laughter). They asked what job we wanted to do and that’s what I always wrote, quite simply. I started playing football with my big brother. He needed a sparring partner, and I was there… And it never let me go. I never thought about doing anything else.
Did little Griedge also have a role model in her game?
What you need to know is that when I started playing football, I didn’t know that there was a French women’s team. I wanted to go to the French team, I wanted to be professional, but I thought it was with the boys. As I had never seen a women’s team on TV, for me it didn’t exist. And the more I progressed, the more I realized that there were female detections almost everywhere. Then, I experienced the regional selections, then the national cup which gave rise to the youth selections. And that’s when I started to understand that there was a French women’s team. But before that, I had no idea. So I didn’t necessarily have a female role model. On the other hand, obviously, I grew up with Zidane, Messi. They were my models… Nothing to do with my position (laughter).
“My mother is an example, she is the one I would like to be like”
You also explained that your mother had been your greatest source of inspiration. Can you tell us about your connection with her?
She has always been behind us. She raised us alone. There are three of us, and all three of us play football. There is my little brother (Hianga’a Mbock, editor’s note) who plays in Ligue 2 in Caen, who was loaned by Stade Brestois; my big brother who also plays at a good level, amateur. And she always supported us in everything we wanted to do, even if she was still uncompromising about studies. She wanted us to have at least one diploma, which is the baccalaureate. For me, she is a strong, independent woman. This is an example for me. As a woman, that’s who I would like to be like.
There is another person who played an important role in your career, it is Jean-Michel Aulas. How did you experience his departure?
Honestly, it was hard. When I saw the news, I even shed a few tears… It was someone who came to pick me up when I was in Guingamp. I remember our first exchanges were on Twitter at the time. He sent me a message, asking if I would like to come and play at his club. Obviously, I was very flattered that he was interested in me because OL was the best women’s team in the world. In fact, we still have a special bond with the president because he really loves the women’s section. He always accompanied us. He came to matches where there were few people at the stadium. He moved around a lot. He knew a lot about women’s football. He is someone who has always believed in his project and who still continues to fight in the Federation for us. What more can I say, other than thanking him? He was also there when I got injured. He was so present. He sent me messages, little gifts, his support… So he’s someone I really appreciate and who is in my heart today because he’s a great man, a good person . We will never forget everything he did for us.
“Young girls have the choice now, it’s an opportunity”
When you look back on how far you have come, what is your greatest pride?
(Long thought). I think it’s having gotten to where I am. To have been able to make a living from my passion. For believing in me. And above all, being able to share all this with my teammates, my family and my friends..
What advice would you give to a passionate young girl who wants to pursue a career as a footballer?
Simply believe in your dreams. Believe in her, no matter what anyone says to her. Bet on it and don’t let it happen, no matter what people say. I think young girls have a lot of role models today. They have a choice now. And that’s a chance.
Comments collected by Jean-Charles Danrée
