Jordan Amavi: “Football and nothing else”
Childhood
I was lucky to start kicking my first football very early. My father used to be a coach at the Toulon Var Sporting football club, where I played until I was 17. He trained me from a very young age, and it’s only when started playing 11-a-side football that I met other coaches. But it was my father who shared his passion. We were talking about some memories with him the other day: when he would take my Playstation away, I could not care less, but when he told me I could not play football, that was real punishment!
I must confess I was not an easy kid. I would do stupid things, especially at school. I used to hide my bad marks and only show him the good ones. So when we would receive the term report he would have a completely different perception of my work at school. I can only laugh about it now…
Football really helped me focus on something positive. I remember when I was 13 or 15 years old, at the end the matches on Sunday afternoons, I would continue playing with my friends! Football made me feel good about myself.
My dad was always pushing me, especially at school, which is perfectly normal. I did my best, but to be honest I never really liked school. My life was just about football, football again and always more football!... I did not quit working at school, I did try to be a good kid and have good marks, but for me, it was football first and foremost. Pretty early in my life, it was clear it would become my life.
The Nice Academy
At 17 years old, I joined the Nice Academy. The players my age had already been there for a year. You could say that I was a bit late already, even if one can still make it in football when they are older. Nice was not my only option: I had offers from the Girondins of Bordeaux, who told me that if they were really interested, they would give me a contract right away. It bothered me a bit because it was a chance to move up fast in football. My father remained patient though and when I was 16 or 17 years old, OGC Nice made me an offer. I had contacts with AS Cannes and Monaco a bit later.
The first months in Nice were difficult, very difficult. It was a higher level, much harder than what I had been used to as an amateur. The game was much faster, and all the players my age had already been playing at this level for a year. They were all much superior to me.
My father told me that the first four months would be the most difficult ones. He told me to hang in there though, and it is only thanks to him that I kept going, working hard, and became the player I am today.
As for the relationship with other players, it was fun. I'm actually still in touch with practically everyone. I was happy, but the football level was really high, it was much faster than I had expected. It was really had work.
In Nice, one of the most influential people I met was Manu Pires. I learned so much from everybody at the Nice Academy. I cannot explain it but they taught us to improve and grow from kids to men. Manu Pires always took care of me, always pushed me, always asked for the best of me. I was listened carefully and I was determined to move forward. It served me well and it sort of defined me. He had faith in me and it paid off. I'm still in touch with him, actually, we talk sometimes and catch up.
At Nice, they moved me to left back. I already played in that position in Toulon, where a coach had predicted: “You are a natural left back." I answered “No, I want to play up-front, I want to score goals and to lead the attack." But when you reach the Academy level, you work so hard, so when the coach comes and tells you: “How about you play left back?", you do not respond "No, I want to score goals!". You just say: “Sure, no problem!"
I became a professional player thanks to Claude Puel. Originally I was supposed to play in the Amateur league, but if I recall correctly, the match got canceled and I found myself starting a match in the Third Division against Lyon! We won 4-2, I think, with me scoring twice: on a free kick, not the greatest since it was deflected but it sill counts! I scored the second goal after rushing through the defense.
Coach Puel made me study videos, many of them, to learn how to improve my positioning, make the right decisions, and to understand my new role in defense. I used to meet him in his office to watch videos to help me focus on the positives and the negatives. After every single game! He did not give up on me, as Manu Pirès or other coaches hadn’t done before. And that helped me improve drastically.
Claude Puel came to talk to me one day at the end of the training with the pros: “As you know, we want you to play left back. We think you have the qualities for it: you run fast, you jump high, you do not tire easily, you are very fit. We think it can be good for you for the future.” He asked me for my opinion, and I said: "No worries, I am just happy to be here".
Nice moments
A new start
That new position was a new beginning. I told myself that there must be good reasons for people to think I have what it takes to succeed in that role. Coach Puel is known to have propelled a lot of players to international success. He knows what he's doing, and I should trust him. I wanted to become a professional footballer in attack. If that wasn’t possible and I needed to adapt to a new position, then I would work hard to achieve my dreams, even if it was different to what I had in mind originally.
Today, I take great pleasure in defending and I love intercepting the ball. That is what I prefer now: defending over attacking.
Trust from the coach
The one thing that can change the life of a footballer is to know that the coach has faith in you. It really changes everything. Personally, even if my coach did not always believe in me, every time he would play me, I would give everything to earn his trust. I do it, for me, for my team-mates and for the club. When the coach trusts you, everything feels easier, your mind is free.
I had a very good relationship with Claude Puel. In Nice, back then, some players would call him my “father”! It was going very well, I was listening to all his advice, he was happy with me. I was trying to give him back his trust on the pitch by being at the top of abilities.
A coach can be everything for you: your boss, your friend, your teacher and even your second dad! For a coach, it's important to have a good relationship on and off the pitch with your players. He will tell you if something is not right, he will also encourage you when you do something right. He will always be there and make sure that everything is going well for you.
Two years at Aston Villa
I arrived to Aston Villa in special circumstances because I was just coming back from injury (ligament rupture). Di Mattéo was our coach, he would push me like: "Come on, Jo, hard work, always hard work! ". I had the impression that he was expecting a lot from me, he wanted me to give my best, he wanted to trust me. But as I was just recovering from an injury, I did not feel so good. Back then, we would lose games because of lack of focus: we would lead 1-0 and in the final few minutes, we would concede two goals! With the club’s ambition to return to the Premier League, the coach left and Steve Bruce was appointed to Aston Villa.
When he arrived, I was in the starting line-up. We started having good results and we were feeling good. We were undefeated in his first seven games as a manager. I was doing well even if I was coming back from injury. But in the Championship, you play every three days and after a while, coming back from a serious injury like mine, it got really tough. I played matches on Saturday, then on Monday … Aston Villa also had another player at my position, Aly Cissokho. And to be fair, I did not feel like I was irreplaceable.
One day, the manager called me to his office. He thought that something was going on in my personal life. I told him, with my broken English(!), that everything was fine, and the only problem was coming back from my recent injury. I had stopped playing football for 9 months. I knew I had to perform, but it was so hard to play every single match with little recuperation. My desire was there but my body could not follow, which I think was fair. I did not feel that the coach was honest with me…
Then a new left-back player arrived at the club. If I recall correctly, he was unwell on his first match and he could not come to an away match in Nottingham. On the bus, some players told me that I would certainly play. We arrived at the stadium for the tactical meeting, and there the manager changed the formation to a 3-5-2 … I did not play. I did not talk to him, since I honestly did not know how I was supposed to take it …
Here is another example: we played a game on Saturday and on the next match, he told me that I had been the best player on the team but he was not playing me today because he wanted to try new tactics. It was seriously difficult to understand…
Then after, as we had a few injuries in the team, I started playing left winger. Sadly for them but fortunately for me, because of my injury the club had to play me, and that season I played a total of 34 games. I played as a winger and little by little I became more confident and got back to my top level. Occasionally he would play me again as a left back, but I was unlucky and would make costly mistakes, conceding goals …
When I was playing in defence, I had to react really quickly and get used to it again quickly. In midfield, when I had the ball, I would try and find the right pass to go forward, but in defence, if the ball was intercepted, we could quickly concede a goal. Sometimes, honestly, I gave him reasons not to play me. But overall, I played a lot of matches as a winger and it allowed me to get back into good form. This was when OM called. They wanted to bring me in during the winter break, but I declined the offer, because I needed more time to come back to the top. I could not come to a club like OM and not be at my best!
I really loved playing in England, even in the Championship. The club, the stadia, the fans … it all felt so good. Even though we got relegated to the Second Division, I only have good memories from those years. I wish only the best for Aston Villa in the future.
Who could say ‘no’ to OM at 22 years old?!
When OM called, Aston Villa coach Steve Bruce told me he needed me and he was counting on me to continue. But that is not what made me stay. Even without his nice speech, I would have stayed longer anyway because I needed more playing time. In the Championship, there are 46 regular games, and I knew that, after a while, I was going to play. I could not come to a club like OM, with the objective of competing in every single competition, when I was just coming back from a 9-month long injury and I was not at 100 per cent. Whatever the circumstances, I would have stayed at Aston Villa. It was a personal choice, and I was convinced I was going to play. I needed playing time…
The worst-case scenario would be that I stayed at Villa to regain my top level and secured my place in the team. And only after this, I might have considered changing clubs. It was a personal choice that had nothing to do with the coach's strategy. I did well because I played a lot of games. I believe that, had I come to OM at that time, things would have been different: it would have been very tough, and with the pressure to stand out, the competitive environment, the expectations of the club and of the fans, things would have been different because I was not at my top level. Today, I can meet everyone’s expectations because I am at 100 per cent.
Sense of humour
There is a time and place for fun and one for work. If one gets to combine business and pleasure, like you can do in Marseille, it's magic! Arriving at OM, I honestly did not think it was going to be like that: we laugh a lot but we work really hard too. We manage to combine good humour and hard work and it works perfectly. To perform well on the pitch, the morale of the group is very important.
For example, the "tunnel" initiated by André Villas-Boas is a good thing for having fun in the team. I did it for my birthday. These are the small things that make the morale of the group so good. It is important in a team to have fun with your team-mates and not to take yourself too seriously.
Football and nothing else…
Not too long ago, I was wondering what would have happened if I had not become a professional footballer. One morning, I woke up at my grandmother's house asking myself: "how would my life be without football?" My parents had always told me to work hard at school. I was not yet at the football academy, and yet, in my head, I couldn’t think about anything other than football. I did not see myself pursuing any other career. That is what I wanted to do. Fortunately, that is what I am doing today, and I pledge to do everything I can to make it last as long as possible. It is an amazing job, that is what I love above anything else. When I go to train, I am happy. Think about it: I get up and I go play football! Saying that, there are good and bad times, of course. But apart from football, I cannot see what else I could have done in my life.
