Spearhead of the Marseille attack this season, Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick won, Monday May 13, 2024, the Marc-Vivien Foé Prize for the second time in his career, rewarding the best African player in the French championship. Behind the striker’s already busy career, between Saint-Etienne, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and even FC Barcelona, lies the small town of L’Huisserie, south of Laval, in the west of France. It was on the home field of the local club that little Pierre-Emerick sketched his dribbles, in contact with his first educator, Clarisse Guinoiseau who agreed to relive for RFI this period located in the mid-1990s, when Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang was just starting to play football.
The height of the grass and the significant presence of weeds testify to the wear and tear of the pitch, like the cages with decrepit paint. However, it was on this lawn that in 1995, a young boy kicked his first club balls. Walking with a determined step, her gaze fixed, Clarisse Guinoiseau remembers her arrival: “ He arrived when he was six years old “, she explains, black glasses fixed on her nose, before completing: “ He lived in L’Huisserie, because his dad played at Stade Lavallois. He went to school nearby, just 20 meters from here and so he enrolled in the football school. »
“ We are still in contact with Pierre »
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only stayed three years, between 1995 and 1998, in this small club with a family atmosphere, before joining the Laval youth team. A first chapter which is important for the Gabonese player, always linked directly or indirectly to his former club and to Clarisse Guinoiseau. “ We are still in contact with Pierre, even if the vagaries of life have meant that we see each other less, but there, we meet again since he plays with Olympique de Marseille, I went to see him recently for his match in Rennes [le 17 mars 2024, défaite de l’OM 2-0, NDLR]. »
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His transfer to the Marseille city allowed this rapprochement, which did not displease Freddy, Clarisse’s son and historic member of the Huisserie club. Dressed in the colors of his favorite club, Freddy was not associated with Aubameyang at youth level, but was able to observe him in his early days. One of the notable places of the Marseille player’s youth, the locker rooms. Located a few dozen meters behind the pitch, the white building, decorated with football frescoes on its facade, has not changed one bit: “ Pierre-Emerick often came to this locker room just after school without returning home. It was football, all the time », smiles Freddy, happy to show us the club’s infrastructure.
“ Even when he went to get the bread, Pierre entered with his ball on his foot »
A kid made for football and with qualities already obvious to Freddy: “ He was much too fast for the others. Despite the fact that he was above the rest, he already had an impeccable state of mind. He offered goals to his teammates. »
An extraordinary speed, which the child from L’Huisserie was able to work serenely not far from his home, a few hundred meters from the football club. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lived with his mother and grandparents in a small white house facing the road. Nearby, a vacant lot with games for children: “ Pierre only had about twenty meters to cross, there is a large plain, he used to play with his friends » confides Clarisse Guinoiseau who remembers the exact address of the Crespo family, last name of the Gabonese player’s mother. “ Even when he went to get the bread, Pierre would enter the bakery with his ball on his foot. He always had a ball with him. »
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The house is still officially owned by the player’s family, as indicated by the name “Crespo” on the mailbox. The former football school employee, leaning near the little white gate of the house, has very good memories of her family: “ His grandfather came to all the training sessions, he was a loyal supporter. Her grandmother came, her mother too. His dad was there a few times as well. He was well supported by his family. »
“ He hasn’t changed, he’s the same with his broad smile and his simplicity »
Clarisse Guinoiseau and her son Freddy spare no effort when it comes to highlighting their favorite’s childhood. The educator now lives in Brittany, but does not hesitate to return to L’Huisserie from time to time to testify: “ It’s for Pierre that I do it », she explains with a certain emotion in her voice. “ He hasn’t changed, he’s the same with his broad smile and his simplicity. It’s a lot of emotion, because he could have lived his life on his own. He is so attached to Mayenne, L’Huisserie and Laval that he comes back often. Honestly, it’s just happiness! », concludes Clarisse Guinoiseau, her eyes shining.
Unmissable when he arrives in town with his car “ which is out of the ordinary and which makes a lot of noise » jokes Freddy, all smiles, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is fully involved at the local level. Godfather of the Laval futsal team, reigning French champions, the Gabonese can boast of having a gymnasium named in his name since 2017. On the Huisserie side, the OM striker recently sent a signed jersey for the club’s annual raffle. Maybe waiting for more? “ He is a legend of our club, all the young and old know him. It would be nice for him to play with the children », imagines Freddy, looking in the direction of his mother. “ We’re still here, the club hasn’t changed so if he comes to say hello to us, that will really make us happy! »