"It's not just an armband story". As a starter, Wendie Renard sets the scene and does not mince words. On the occasion of the release of his autobiography My Star to appear Wednesday at Talent Editions, the former captain of the Blue returns to Europe 1 on its difficult relationship with the coach of the French team Corinne Deacon. A tumultuous story, marked by the withdrawal of this symbol worn proudly for four years, now entrusted to his teammate Amandine Henry, but also by other anecdotes that the defender delivers in his book. She particularly blames Corinne Deacon, "his way of communicating".
Lack of "trust" and "serenity"
"I've heard a lot about me, and it's not fair to me," says Wendie Renard. A statement from the selector shortly after her arrival summarizes the situation. "We wanted to see you in relation to the captain's armband because I think you are 40% of your abilities in the French team. In Lyon, you walk, the level is easy, in the European Cup too, but the international level, you have not yet crossed, "said Corinne Deacon in the pen of Wendie Renard. An episode that shocked the player.
Since things have not settled. At the World Cup in France in 2019, won by the United States who eliminated the Blue in the quarter-finals, Corinne Dacre finds that Wendie Renard did not make a great competition. "I was able to do a lot better, but you have to be confident for that, to have serenity and control," said the player from Lyon. "Individually, I questioned myself, I'm a pretty tough guy with myself," says the player from Martinique. "I know where I come from and I rarely make presents."
"I have never disrespected"
Will the two women be able to live together in these conditions for a long time? Yes, according to Wendie Renard. "What I'm saying is from the beginning, we've had several interviews, I've moved on to something else," says the defender who still says "to have been touched in her values, in the woman she is become today ". "I have always respected people, I have never disrespected," she slips, as a final tackle to her coach. If this "was a bit difficult", Wendie Renard relativizes today. "I love this country, I love this jersey, I have always defended it and I will continue to do it if I have the level," she finally concluded.