There are several ways to define what a champion is, concretely.
Often, it comes down to a track record, to an ability to reign over one's discipline, to statistics, to an influence on the game... But sometimes, the truth is (also) elsewhere, in a state of mind, in a hunger never satisfied with victories and titles, in the aura that emanates from a personality.
Nikola Karabatic has it all and more.
Certainly, evil tongues will joke, as if stuck in the past, that his career will remain forever tainted by the famous betting affair which dates back to May 2012. That is their right.
Just as there is the right to be ecstatic in front of this champion who has won everything, and even several times, but who still continues, at 39 years old, driven by his love of the game and his childhood dream, to raise the bar high. colors of this blue jersey that he cherishes so much.
A player who has been able to recover in recent years from several more or less serious physical problems, the worst going to phlebitis which kept him away from the field for five months.
Each time, doubts have accompanied his return to the courts, with “
declinologists
” eagerly awaiting this moment when the champion will be forced to come down from his pedestal, as was the case with other legends such as Roger Federer, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt… To these, this start of the Euro provides a clear and paradoxical answer: yes, Nikola Karabatic no longer has his 20-year-old legs and his ability to weigh down an entire match.
But no, number 13 of the Blues is not finished, far from it.
Ask the Germans and the Croats what they think of it, they who have just conceded 4 and 5 goals respectively from the arm of the French full-back, not to mention the decisive passes, the seven-meter throws provoked and this confidence, tinged of serenity, which he infuses into his partners.
What Nedim Remili, perhaps his biggest fan, summed up before the start of the Euro: “
When you have Niko by your side, everything is different and seems easier.
»
A record under maternal pressure
His last personal goal against Croatia on Thursday evening, a shot from his own side into the opponent's empty goal, will not remain in his personal Top 10, except for its symbolic value: it was his 289th in a Euro, record of the Icelandic Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson broken.
What he welcomed with the hindsight and simplicity that characterizes him: “
My mother put pressure on me two days ago, she called me telling me that I absolutely had to beat the record and that I only had 8 goals left to score.
I told her I was doing a lot of other stuff on the pitch, passing and defending, but she insisted I had to beat him.
Afterwards, it happened and it's so much the better, especially since she was in the stands with my children.
But above all I remember our victory, the fact that we pulled ourselves away to go and get it together.
This season I'm really trying to enjoy every moment because I know not everything will last.
So records are cool, I've been chasing this kind of thing all my life, but tonight, it's a bit anecdotal.
Especially since I know that one day or another, someone will end up beating him.
»
When you see the number of Euros he has already played, the number of Euro matches, it's inhuman.
Guillaume Gille
An opinion corroborated by his brother, Luka: “
I’m very proud of him, it’s huge
,” said the pivot in the columns of L’Équipe.
“
But Niko doesn’t play for records.
5 goals, zero goals... a defense, a withdrawal, that's what interests us and him too.
He is always at the service of the group.
Mentality that he has always had and will have until the end.
» If the Paris SG player has managed to build the most impressive track record in French team sport – three Olympic titles, four world crowns, three European crowns, three Champions League successes, 21 national champion titles won between France (15 ), Germany (4) and Spain (2) – he did it while always keeping in mind the collective aspect of his discipline.
“
Nikola wrote his name at the top of all the lists
,” recalled Guillaume Gille.
“
But when we stop at it, when we realize the number of Euros he has already played, the number of Euro matches, it’s inhuman.
»
Playing time to manage, and therefore to optimize
Now, even if his last two performances in this Euro give the impression that time, and age, have no influence on him, we should not be mistaken.
Nikola Karabatic is indeed 39 years old, and Guillaume Gille is aware of the need to manage his playing time with a pinch of salt.
Hence the interest for the Blues to dominate Iceland this Saturday (3:30 p.m.) to get a little closer to qualifying for the last four, which could allow the coach to manage the use of the left back against Austria on Monday and even more against Hungary on Wednesday, if by chance France had managed to validate its ticket for the semi-finals.
Even if the main person concerned is far from his considerations.
“
It’s nice to play matches like that.
It’s a treat to experience this for my last Euro.
I am happy like a child living his dream.
»