Nicolas Anelka, the ex-enfant terrible of French football, has never done anything like the others.
As evidenced by his rebound in football, where no one expected.
The former international will become sports director of… Hyères in Nationale 2 (4th division).
The information was revealed by Var-Matin, and we are able to confirm it.
Anelka will soon be leaving Dubai, where he resides year round, to take up his post.
It is not for the pleasure of living in the south of France that Anelka has accepted.
In fact, he was seduced by the project of a man, Mourad Boudjellal.
The charismatic former boss of the Toulon rugby club has dreamed for several years of becoming the manager of a football club.
He was to take over Sporting Toulon before being seduced last June by the whims of a Franco-Tunisian businessman, Mohamed Ayachi Ajroudi, convinced that he was going to force Frank McCourt, the owner of OM, to him sell the Marseille club.
Dropping the Toulon prey for the shadow of Marseille, Boudjellal lost on both counts: Marseille never wanted him and Toulon, annoyed by his change of course, also closed its doors to him.
The desire to share his experience
But Boudjellal persisted and will therefore soon become president of Hyères.
Through common acquaintances, he has forged a relationship with Anelka for some time.
The latter has never hidden his desire to invest in a football club.
"I am passing my coaching diplomas and I am giving myself one or two years to enter this new role", he confided to us this summer during a documentary on him broadcast by Netflix, "The Incomprehended", which had a good audience on the American platform.
He explained then that he wanted to share his experience: “I already do this when I am asked for advice.
Young people know my background and it interests them.
I like to talk to them.
They know my mental strength and question me about it.
“It is the Var players who will soon be able to question him.