Far from the fields and its spectacular dribbles, Allan Saint-Maximin recently illustrated by his words. The former Newcastle player, now exiled in Saudi Arabia, caused a wave of online reactions after a very noticed passage in the program “Zack in a free wheel”. Filter without filter, the French winger held a discourse that divided, between a greeted franchise and cynicism denounced.
Asked about the reasons for his departure for Al-Ahli, Saint-Maximin did not dodge. He assumed to have accepted the Saudi offer for financial considerations. Better: he explained it without detour, evoking a proposal “A lifetime”. Going from 3 to 15 million euros net per season over three years, or 45 million net in total, seemed to him “Unreal”. Rare honesty in a world where speeches are often polite, but that has not failed to cringe.
On the networks, the criticisms were quick. Some denounce an overly materialist vision of football, others regret a form of sporting abandonment. But if the debate is raging, the sincerity of Saint-Maximin also deserves to be underlined. He did not try to hide the truth, nor to disguise his motivations behind diplomatic arguments. He said aloud what others prefer to silence.
Saint-Maximin, sincere … and it doesn't happen to everyone
His story, mixed with emotion and recognition, evokes his modest career and the radical transformation of his life: “I started with 300 euros per month”he recalls. “Today, I can offer my children a better life, my parents.”
In hollow, it is also a reflection of a system where European clubs sell without moods … and where players seize opportunities.
Saint-Maximin does not seek absolution. He delivers his truth, without artifices. And if it disturbs, it may be because it affects a sensitive point: money and football have always maintained a relationship as powerful as taboo.
