In all likelihood, the next FC Nantes goalkeeper will be called Anthony Lopes. The Olympique Lyonnais goalkeeper, downgraded within his training club, will commit until the end of the season with the Canaries, according to L’Equipe. And this signing of a short-term contract for an international goalkeeper reminded certain followers of a fairly famous episode in the history of the FCN: the tumultuous passage of Fabien Barthez on the banks of the Erdre.
The parallel is not perfect but it exists. Portuguese international, Anthony Lopes has not played since the start of the season in Lyon. World champion in 1998, Fabien Barthez was then at a more advanced stage of his (very great) career. He even announced his retirement in October 2006, a few months after his departure from OM. And two months later, here he is arriving in Nantes.
At the time, the Canaries were 17th out of 20, they had already changed coach once (Georges Eo had succeeded Serge Le Dizet), and used three goalkeepers, Vladimir Stojkovic, Vincent Briant and Tony Heurtebis. This season, the Nantes residents are 14th out of 18, with a small point ahead of the red zone. And if the identity of the coach ultimately remained the same (Antoine Kombouaré was kept in his position), the name of the starting goalkeeper has already changed (Patrick Carlgren in place of Alban Lafont).
Barthez in Nantes, the disaster
But let’s come back to Barthez. For his first Ligue 1 match with Nantes, the Canaries won against Nice (1-0) with a goal from the other winter recruit, Luigi Pieroni. But things quickly turned sour, with some nice slaps, like the one received at La Beaujoire against Valenciennes (2-5) in February, with a quadruple from Steve Savidan.
It was in April that Fabien Barthez and Nantes hit rock bottom. After a big mistake against Sedan (0-1), the former Manchester United player left the stadium even before the end of the match. After a setback against Rennes (0-2), the French international was heckled by disgruntled supporters in the Beaujoire parking lot. The next day, he announced his departure from the club.
What’s next? Fabien Barthez will no longer play football at the highest level. FC Nantes, for their part, will finish 20th and dead last, and will experience the very first relegation in its glorious history, after 44 seasons in a row in the elite of French football. For Anthony Lopes and the Canaries, this is the example not to follow.
