A symbolic mark. On March 31, Marco Bizot invited himself, without fanfare, during a fierce derby in Lorient (1-0), within the elite circle of goalkeepers having defended the Brest goal 100 times or more in the elite after Daniel Bernard (117 matches 1979 1983) and Patrick Chaslerie (149 matches between 1983 and 1988).
When it comes time to host Monaco this Sunday, in a decisive confrontation for the distribution of prizes of excellence, the 33-year-old Dutchman has a better idea of how far he has come. “When I signed here, I didn’t imagine I would have an opportunity to finish so high. Brest, for me, is a team likely to compete for mid-table every year, but from there we have to experience what we experience,” he tells us.
With his head firmly anchored on broad shoulders, he refuses, however, to give in to any form of euphoria. “You must not think you have arrived,” he warns. If you reason by saying you are close to the goal, you are completely wrong. » In this sense, the cruel failure in Lyon, where his uncontrolled exit on Lacazette notably gave Les Gones the winning penalty (4-3), acts as a reminder.
When he decided, in the summer of 2021, to leave Alkmaar to take up the Breton challenge, local supporters initially welcomed this slender goalkeeper (1m93) trained at Ajax Amsterdam with a touch of mistrust. It is true that he enters into head-on competition with Gautier Larsonneur, the native of the country, the darling of the city of Ponant. At the origin of his arrival, Michel Der Zakarian, today in Montpellier, details, without putting on any gloves, his choice to install him in the shoes of the holder.
“It was a personal decision, I am paid to make it,” he recalls. If we went to find Marco, it was because he had other characteristics than those of Gautier, more experience, a different physique. We had supervised him and had enough guarantees about him. I quickly identified its full potential. It allowed us, in difficult times, to keep the boat afloat. »
“The day you stop being ambitious, you stop progressing”
If Brest is, today, the pawn of the best, Bizot, author of 11 “clean sheets”, is no stranger to it. His reading of the game, his explosiveness and his parades on the line contribute to the solidity of Ty Zef. “I don’t know if it’s the best season of my career, maybe, yes. The most successful of the three in Ligue 1 without doubt. The day you stop being ambitious, you stop progressing. I don’t want to fall asleep,” he tells us in very correct French. Humble, the one who dreamed of being an architect and is passionate about diving, praises the collective.
“The guys’ state of mind is impeccable. Everyone is ready to strip themselves for their friend, he says. No one seeks to place their situation above that of the group. With the staff and the supporters, we form a single entity. The star is the team. » The staff, in fact, are rave about him.
" He
arrives every morning with the banana, the joy of living. He's a positive person in a locker room. He radiates, welcomes coach Éric Roy. He is reassuring both on and off the field. He is reliable. It does not go below a certain level. With him there are never any bad surprises. He brought us many points, helped us win some matches and avoid losing others. »
Echoing this, Christophe Revel, in charge of the goalkeepers, agrees. “Marco is a calm, coherent and lucid guy. He has mastered the position by heart, observes the technician. He has a very sober, pragmatic style. He always favors efficient and fair action. He does not seek aesthetics or create stops. Sometimes he puts his foot or his body depending on the situation. We send him the video of each meeting. If I'm 24 hours late, he asks me to edit his actions. He really likes to watch. Understand what he does well in order to reproduce it or, on the contrary, correct things. »
“He likes to make jokes and has a taste for other people”
The recent recall to the Dutch selection (the Blues' opponent at the Euro), in March, of this great coffee consumer, after three years of absence, is therefore logical. “His success did not surprise me,” confides Thomas Buffel, the former Belgian international, his teammate at Genk between 2014 and 2017. “When you have size, good reflexes and you are comfortable on your feet, you can be very good. At Genk, he was probably a little too nice. A goalkeeper must talk a lot, and not hesitate to shout to assert himself. And he was a little shy. But he worked very hard.. And he was very young. He is more mature now. »
Romain Del Castillo, the Brest midfielder, extends. “To have a great season, it is necessary to rely on a great goalkeeper. We are lucky to have him with us. » Now in Mönchengladbach, Franck Honorat worked alongside Bizot for two years. “He takes up space in his goal and in one-on-one situations he gives the impression of loving the balls,” notes the striker.
Charismatic, if not talkative, Bizot, under contract until 2026, has built himself apart from his family unit. His parents, in fact, had different expectations of him. They idealized their son as a soccer superstar, a special kid under pressure that he refused to become. “I’m a normal person, like everyone else,” he likes to point out.
In love with his adopted region, he is in harmony with this peaceful environment. It leads to Relecq-Kerhuon, at the gates of Brest Harbour, an existence far from the glitterati. He also appreciates “magnificent” nature and the character of the premises, close to his own. “I feel at home here. With my family (he has two boys), we are sensitive to the kindness of people. Everyone is always ready to help. »
This empathy speaks to him. In the Netherlands, he was involved in an association helping refugees and had accompanied an Eritrean for a long time in his administrative procedures. “In the locker room, he spoke with everyone, someone always in an even mood. A happy, optimistic guy,” underlines Buffel.
“He was able to get adopted very quickly by making the effort to learn our language. He likes to make jokes and has a taste for other people,” recalls Franck Honorat about this atypical western Breton lighthouse with multiple tattoos. One of the latest features a croissant with a “hello” in a bubble on its bicep. A nod for his pronounced taste for pastries and the visible testimony of a fully successful integration.