“We are still struggling to achieve.
Until the last moment, they believed it wasn't going to happen.
But when they received a call from the PSG Foundation on Sunday evening, the children of the Rouge et Bleu school in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines) sensed that a great event awaited them.
This Wednesday, at the Parc des Princes, they realized a children's dream by approaching the six-fold Golden Ball, Lionel Messi.
The one who panics the football planet had just held his first press conference in the skin of a PSG player.
Their educators were able to remain silent until the last minute, but on the family side, some children already suspected something.
"I knew it was going to be him, because I saw that he was going to sign for PSG," said Ali, 9 years old.
“The real difficulty is that we weren't allowed to talk to parents about it.
The same day, no one knew they were going to meet Messi, explains Anthony, an educator at the Foundation.
So it was a surprise for everyone.
"
“He told us:
¡Hola!
"
During the afternoon, the 30 minots of the district of Val-Fourré, had the privilege to see and approach the former striker of FC Barcelona, freshly recruited by the PSG since the day before. Even if they have been patient for a long time, taking advantage of the behind-the-scenes tour of the famous Porte Saint-Cloud enclosure which unveils all the trophies won by the club in the capital, as well as the jerseys of the stars of the past, the appearance of the new star of PSG has illuminated the faces of babies. Accompanied by his three children, Lionel Messi did not leave them indifferent.
“He told us:
¡Hola!
It was weird because we only see it on television and there we could see it with our own eyes, says 11-year-old Anas. I was all excited, I moved all over the place to go see him. The boy, who is living his last year at the Foundation, still can't believe it. Ditto for Soumaya, aged 10. "I'm still in shock," says the young girl who imagined the Argentinian taller. For Ali, 9, the emotion was too strong. “I was very impressed with him, I didn't know what to say…” Something nonetheless to make the friends envious. “They were a little jealous but at the same time proud of me,” Anas attests.
Anas, Soumaya and Ali, the children of the Rouge et Bleu school in Mantes-la-Jolie, had the chance to meet their idol Messi, at the Parc des Princes.
LP / Zahra Shower
"Barely returned from the exit, he turned on the television to see if he was going to go on the news," laughs Oumou, Ali's mother.
“We saw our son on the PSG Live channel
and we even recorded it all to show him, ”adds Brahim, Anas' father.
"We thank the parents for their responsiveness because the event was initially scheduled for Saturday, then was moved to Tuesday to finally be held on Wednesday," recalls educator Anthony.
Young people failing at school
PSG has been very involved in the Rouge et Bleu school in the heart of the Val-Fourré district since 2018. President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, players Adrien Rabiot (now at Juventus Turin) and Maxwell were present at its inauguration . Equipped with a city stadium, a reception building and a covered synthetic pitch, the school is the only structure of this type in Yvelines and the second in France with that of Paris, opened in 2016 in the XIXth arrondissement.
The establishment accommodates 112 children, aged 7 to 11, failing at school or likely to be. The latter participate, after school, in fun exercises as well as in sports and educational activities. The goal is to make them want to learn, share, and live well together. “It's a real springboard for our children,” says Apssatou, Soumaya's mother. Through sport and top level athletes, they realize the value of hard work and perseverance. Thanks to them, they benefit from opportunities that their parents did not have the chance to know. “The meeting with the new star of PSG was one that will remain etched in their memories.
