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Gaddy Zagano
Gaddy Zagano. A very original French name and one that will stick in the mind of fans after his performance against Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League. Born in Chambery, a city in the department of Savoie, to a carpenter father and a musician mother, Gaddy had a love for football from before he could walk. He would watch it with his dad who is an avid Olympique Lyonnais fan but could never get tickets to a live match.
Growing up he would dribble a football to school and spend hours after school playing with his friends in the park. He would then hang back a little bit longer and practice his shooting skills, all just at the young age of 8. At home though his mum pushed him to study. She never believed a little boy from such a humble family would get anywhere in the football world. He aced his classes and was the top scorer in his school team for 4 years.
It was at the age of 12 that his life began to change. He had a growth spurt and he was bossing the football pitch. Opposition players couldn’t handle him, even in the years above. His parents would watch him every game he played in and decided it would be a good idea to take him to Stade Olympique de Chambery Football trials. The youth team here is not well known but it gave Gaddy a chance to impose himself in a more challenging setting, which he managed to do almost instantaneously. This was an opportunity to get some real coaching and find out the hard work that goes in to playing at a higher level but he took it all on in his stride.
Time passed and he stepped up to the u15s’s. During a match Gaddy was playing some of the best football he’s ever played. He was holding up the ball brilliantly, he scored the perfect hat trick (left foot, right foot, header) and defensively worked hard, pressing the opposition when Chambery didn’t have the ball and there were whispers spreading around the thin crowd that there was a scout present. Turns out there were 2: one from Lyon and one from Paris Saint Germain. They were both scribbling like mad and were constantly on the phone to their bosses. This kid was something special and two of the best French teams wanted him.
Olympique Lyonnais had just appointed a new manager in Remi Garde and the Chief Scout was rumoured to be in deep discussions with Remi over meeting this youngster. Remi had a look at the game tape and the notes prepared and decided he would contact Gaddy personally. Remi flew to Chambery in the club’s private plane and invited Gaddy to meet him on the plane. They flew back to Lyon and Remi took Gaddy on a private tour of the training ground, Stade de Gerland and the city. They didn’t talk about him joining Lyon once but about their love of football, Gaddy’s family and his aims in ilfe. Once the day was over, Remi took Gaddy to his office and explained what the purpose of the day was. Gaddy was overwhelmed that the manager of his favourite team took this much effort to show they were really interested in signing him and he agreed a deal to join the team after phoning home to let his father know. PSG called him a week after this day to say they wanted to sign him but he told them too late and he would never join a club like PSG. Harsh words from such a youngster but he knew where he was headed. He joined in 2012 and in August 2014 he was elevated from the Under-19’s to the senior squad. Remi was sure he would be able to handle it but also made him available for the reserves, ensuring vital game time while learning from the best coaches at the club.
Tuesday 9th December 2014. The date Gaddy pulled on his first team jersey for his first ever start in the senior team and in the Champions League. It was a dead match but he knew this opportunity was that of a lifetime and played excellent football, scoring twice on his debut. The future looks bright for this fantastic prospect.