Kevin Gameiro almost carried the Olympique de Marseille jersey. Invited this Thursday in the show
RMC Mercatobroadcast on the Twitch Channel of RMC Sport, the former Strasbourg striker, recently retired at 38, said behind the scenes of his summer 2021, just after his departure from Valencia.
At that time, the former French international (13 selections, 3 goals) was very close to engaging with OM.
“Pablo Longoria tried to bring me, he failed (smile)”says Gameiro. “He failed because at that time, I leave a shitty year in Valence. I wanted to find a club with passion. »»
Seduced by the Marseille club, Gameiro has long hesitated. He evokes an attractive project led by Longoria and Jorge Sampaoli, whom he had known in Seville: “I had a club in Türkiye which gave me a lot of money but which did not make me dream. And I had OM, a very large French club, with a very well paid salary. (…) I had this self-confidence, beyond the club, which almost made me change my mind. »»
“Never in life I will wear this jersey”
But his Parisian past has cooled his ardor. The attacker, passed by PSG between 2011 and 2013, took time to respond to Marseille requests. “I dragged things. They were waiting for a response from me, but it was complicated for me, because I was not hot, at 34, to arrive in a club like that. Given my Parisian liabilities, I was not very hot ”he explains.
The click will come from an unexpected family exchange. As he still hesitates, Gameiro confides in his 12 -year -old son.
“Righting, I said to him: 'You know we may be signing in Marseille. You will have to wear the Marseille jersey to the signature. ' And there he looks at me and he said to me: 'Dad, never in life I will wear this jersey'. I said, 'Ok, okay, I understood'. »» The striker then calls Pablo Longoria to decline the offer, explaining: “I know I'm not going to be good. I don't want to make you miss. »»
