Thibaud Briet.

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SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS / SIPA

  • This Thursday evening (8:45 p.m.), Thibaud Briet faces Barcelona with HBC Nantes in the group stage of the Champions League.

  • This 20-year-old left-back was still playing at Rouen in Nationale 3 two years ago.

Sometimes life turns upside down on a phone call.

Like that of Thibaud Briet, anonymous handball player from Rouen in N3 (fifth national division), to Gregory Cojean at the start of 2019. His candidacy not retained by the HBC Nantes training center, the 19-year-old left-back (at the time) takes the nerve - "sometimes you have to", he laughs today - to call the director of training to ask "a ticket for a test".

A year and a half later, Thibaud Briet is an integral part of the professional group.

In front of him, finished the Marolles, Puteaux and Villemonble, place in Veszprem, Kiel and again Barcelona (this Thursday at the H Arena at 8:45 p.m.).

“It's huge what happens to me when you think about it, recognizes, spontaneously, Thibaud Briet, who scored four goals in Kiel in the Champions League and five on Sunday against Ivry in the league.

It's pretty amazing, I play against guys that I was still watching on TV two years ago like Sagosen.

Dika Mem, I was very inspired by him… ”Thursday evening, the Barcelona idol will be in flesh and blood in front of him.

Thibaud Briet takes a lot of height on his supersonic trajectory.

His 2.03 m may contribute… “He amazes me because he seems to understand his new life well, this ability to change his life in two years, praises Greg Cojean, assistant to Alberto Entrerrios and ex-director of the center.

He has his head on his shoulders.

"

He has grown over 8 inches in three years

Already last season, for his first year at “H”, Thibaud spent most of his time with the grown-ups.

“Against PSG (29-29), I had playing time in February, but I was afraid of Hansen and Karabatic, says the one who recently obtained his IUT thermal engineering.

This year, I told myself that I was pro [he signed a three-year contract this summer] and that I didn't care about the opposing team.

I am no longer in the world of Care Bears.

I am there for the performance of the team.

“With the many absences on the base for a month, Thibaud takes a good bite out of the matches during which his playing time seems to increase over the weeks.

Despite its large size, its mobility works wonders on floors, just like its arm.

“He grew up very late, so he technically built himself as a smaller player, Cojean analyzes.

He is able to go both ways, he has good vision and he moves well.

It was not built only on long shots.

"Thibaud confirms:" At 17, I was a maximum of 1.80m, so I worked a lot on mobility because I was a little soft.

“So much so that the Norman never considered joining a training center during his youth.

“I was really too limited to claim that.

“Three years later, Thibaud is preparing to face Barça.

"It's funny, in April 2019, I was with my father in the stand for the last HBCN-Barcelona, ​​I had just known that I was taken to the club ..." Barely two years later, Thibaud will be on the parquet.

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  • Rouen

  • Nantes

  • Champions League

  • FC Barcelona

  • HBC Nantes

  • Handball

  • Sport