This is the little story of the day with Liverpool supporters. Hugo Ekitike will land with the Reds, recruited for nearly 100 million euros from Frankfurt, the attacker who was launched for the first time in the selection of young people, in the French U20 team, by a certain … Bernard Diomède! The latter was the second French player in the history of the Liverpool FC, in 2000, two years after Jean-Michel Ferri, captain of the FC Nantes champion of France 1995.
World champion 98 with the French team, holder until the round of 16 against Paraguay, Diomedes was first retained by Guy Roux at AJ Auxerre for two years. The left -handed winger was then less efficient than during the title of 1996 French champion with Sabri Lamouchi, Corentin Martins and Lilian Laslandes. And his arrival at the residents of Anfield, against 4 million euros, was a disaster despite Gérard Houllier at the helm.
If he has no longer replayed with the world champions and winners of Euro 2000 (Sylvain Wiltord, Johan Micoud or Nicolas Anelka have strengthened the attacking sector led by Zinedine Zidane), Bernard Diomède asked for advice from Aimé Jacquet. And the former tricolor coach proposed to “Little Bonhomme”as he nicknamed it in selection (we see it in Eyes in the Blues), to choose Liverpool. The walk was far too high for the 26 -year -old, who only played 5 small matches in two and a half years.
Jacquet sends Diomède to Liverpool
“I had a discussion with loved, I wanted to go to Spain, loved to me: 'Liverpool, it's still good, it's a magic club'I said to myself: 'You cannot not go to Liverpool with a French coach, ”said Diomède to France Bleu. “Gérard appreciated me, but at equal level, he put an Englishman. It was difficult because I stayed because I thought I was better than some. I had Carragher at the marking, I manage to give him misery, I tell myself that if I am good in training, there are chances that I play ”he adds.
However Bernard Diomède never managed to shine in the Liverpuldian team, preceded by Jari Litmanen, Vladimir Smicer, Patrik Berger or Nick Barmy in order to feed Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Robbie Fowler. Diomède made a cross on its first season in the northwest of England due to an injury to a meniscus and, the following exercise, only played in a preliminary champions League against FC Haka, a Finnish club. Aimé Jacquet's advice did not help him.
