“Hello, it's Alexandre Blonz…” If on his player file he is marked Alexander, it is by speaking his first name that he shows up on the phone. And it is not by chance. Born in Clamart in the Hauts-de-Seine in 2000 to a French father and a Norwegian mother, he left for the Far North two years later. The number 71 of the Norwegian national team (27 selections) returns to Paris this Saturday (5:15 pm) at the Coubertin stadium with his team from Elverum to face PSG in the Champions League. He will find part of his family there.
In a hesitant but perfectly understandable Frenchman, Alexandre says: “When I was younger, my mother and aunt traveled a lot, mainly in Cameroon and France. And then my parents met in Paris when they were students. I was born not long after. If the aunt, also married to a Frenchman, stayed in Thonon-les-Bains, Alexander's parents left to settle in Stavanger, a large port city in south-western Norway.
At home, we don't speak French and it is only from the age of five that little Alexandre learns the language of Molière at school. Her parents, both consultants, divorced the following year. "Even before, we never spoke French at home," said the player. It was only with the cousins on my father's side, with also some English to understand each other better. "
One of the best hopes of his country
Despite the separation of his parents, little Alex, who has meanwhile discovered handball, spends each summer period with his maternal grandfather who is retiring in the Gers: "It was another world, and above all, it was hot, unlike Norway where it is rarely the case, even in summer. Thanks to him, I love foie gras and duck breast! He also appreciates Toulouse, where his paternal grandfather lives.
Over the years, Alex Blonz has also become one of the best prospects in his country, and even if he is not yet an indisputable holder, he already has a silver medal at the World Championships past and one bronze at the last European Championships. “Having grown up in the Norwegian system, I never asked myself the question of playing for France, explains the left winger. I hope my two countries will emerge victorious from the Olympic qualifiers, but I don't want a final in between. France has too much experience of major tournaments… ”
Since the death of his ancestor in 2016, the Viking left winger has returned only twice, and only through hand, in his country of birth: in Strasbourg at the end of last summer to prepare for the season, and in Metz with his national team in early January for the Golden League. It is therefore with a slight impatience that he returns to the capital, where it all started for him. He will find two of his cousins there, who have taken their place for the match for a long time.