Aurélien Tchouaméni: Meet the French soccer star everyone is talking about!
Last month, we published an article about the amazing adventures and unique talent of Aurélien Tchouaméni, a French soccer player of over twenty years who is currently a professional player for the French club FC Lorient in Ligue 1.
The same article also featured the results from his latest campaign in an international club competition: the U-14 European Championship for Youth Football, which he won with France. This article will focus on what Aurélien Tchouaméni has been up to since we published the first one.
First of all, how did you first enter the world of soccer? Did you play? Was this your first experience in “football without balls”?
Aurélien Tchouaméni: I first started playing in my fifth year in high school. Actually, I started playing soccer quite early. In my third year of high school, I was already playing with some friends. When I was 12, I signed my first professional contract with one of the best teams in France and I had a good season, I won the league and I was the best scorer in national team selection.
But, there was a bit of a gap in between, and I did not play in the first French national team selection. I was not playing with friends, but as soon as possible I decided that I was going to play international football. I was part of the team from my fourth year to my sixth, and I got selected again in my seventh year, and then I got promoted in the second division, where I had played for five years.
My first year in the second division, our team got relegated and I had to play in the third division. I wanted to play with my international team mates, but I had to wait until I was 17 to