“Speak well of him, he deserves it, he is a beautiful person.
The shock has been immense since this Saturday noon.
Like this message from a former French international who knew Federico Martin Aramburu well on the side of Biarritz Olympique, the rugby family learned with amazement of the death by bullets of the former Pumas player.
Targeted by gunfire at the exit of a night bar in the sixth arrondissement of the capital, after an altercation with two men a few minutes earlier, Federico Martin Aramburu succumbed to his injuries at the age of 42 years old.
A sudden disappearance for this player attached to the Basque Country and who had returned to settle in Biarritz after spending five years in the French Championship.
We learn of the death of Federico Martín Aramburú in tragic circumstances.
The entire BOPB sends its deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, and assures them of its full support.
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— BOPBweb (@BOPBweb) March 19, 2022
Trained in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, at the San Isidro club, this three-quarter center or three-quarter wing has notably made the good times of Biarritz Olympique.
Two seasons and therefore two shields of Brennus alongside a golden generation (Harinordoquy, Traille, Betsen, Brusque, Lievremont and others).
Before heading to Perpignan (2006-2008), Dax (2008-2010), going into exile in Scotland (Glasgow Warriors, from 2010 to 2012) then hanging up at home in Argentina.
There too, he was also a known and appreciated smile, from the top of his 40 selections and eight tries.
Revealed at VII, he first dazzled his world by beating the All Blacks in a match on the world circuit in 2004 in Los Angeles.
Three years later, he took part in the 2007 World Cup, in France, with the XV sky and white.
The peak of his career, like this superb try during the small final against the Habs.
Executioner of the Blues that evening, he has always maintained a special link with France.
And for good reason, as he confided to Sud-Ouest in 2013, he discovered after genealogical research that one of his ancestors was from Bayonne.
In 1850, his grandfather would have chosen to cross the Atlantic towards the country of Albiceleste.
Anything but a surprise, therefore, to see this rock with its full character return in 2012.
At the head of a group travel company, notably bridging Argentinian and Basque cultures, Federico Martin Aramburu also participated in the life of Biarritz Olympique by taking the presidency of the Socios from 2015 to 2018.
Yachvili salutes the memory of his "friend"
"I think he discovered a family here, after leaving his native country," says Biarrot David Couzinet, with whom he experienced the 2005-2006 double.
“He really loved rugby, he had such a joy of life.
There were never any problems with him, only solutions;
always the banana, always a big smile despite the injuries and the vagaries of life (…) On the ground too, he had an enormous temperament.
It was not necessarily the one with the most resources, but he never let go, he represented these Pumas well, ”adds the one who is now president of the amateur structure in Aguiléra.
This Saturday evening, this husband and father of three children was to sit in the bays of the Stade de France for the Crunch.
"It was supposed to be a day of celebration for French rugby but I lost a friend today," said his friend and former partner Dimitri Yachvili to Sud-Ouest.
Fédé
was always positive, lively, full of energy (…) He loved playing rugby, he loved the third half, he loved his friends and his family.
We lose a brother in play, someone who loved life.