Mbappé, Neymar and Messi just have to watch out… This Friday, they will find Gerzino Nyamsi, one of the great defenders of RC Strasbourg, on their way.
Arrived in relative anonymity last summer from Stade Rennais, the Franco-Cameroonian has since completely exploded.
“He's tough, solid, reliable… Everything the club haven't had for many seasons.
In addition, he exudes such a feeling of power!
“, Details the former player Cédric Kanté, admiring.
Who would have believed it at the start of the season?
Perhaps .
The Alsatian coach has done a lot to bring in a player he had already coached at a very young age at Stade Rennais.
" It was extraordinary.
Frankly beautiful.
“After his premiere at La Meinau in September, Gerzino Nyamsi could not hide his admiration for the atmosphere within the Alsatian stadium.
“I don't regret coming here, ever!
“Seven months later, no supporter of RC Strasbourg deplores the arrival of the defender either…
To say the least: there is no shortage of superlatives to describe the performance of the 25-year-old Franco-Cameroonian.
Impressive, incredible, overpowering… An indicator on this subject: it appears in 30th place in the ratings ranking of
L'Equipe
.
With an average of 5.55/10, Racing's No. 22 is even in the top 10 of the best defenders in Ligue 1.
Who would have believed it at the start of the season?
Maybe Julien Stephan.
The Alsatian coach has done a lot to bring in a player he had already coached at a very young age at Stade Rennais.
"I was not the only one at the initiative of his transfer here", nuances the technician, also arrived this summer on the banks of the Krimmeri.
“I had known him for seven to eight years and I knew he needed emancipation from his training club.
We had already talked about it together there.
And with Marc (Keller, the president) and Loïc (Désiré, the recruitment manager), we were convinced that Racing was the ideal place for him.
»
“He is sturdy, solid, reliable”
Gerzino Nyamsi has since largely proven them right.
Holder two weeks after initialing his four-year contract, he then never left the Alsatian team.
That's 30 games in a row at the heart of a three-man defense, most of the time with Alexander Djiku on his left and Lucas Perrin on his right.
“He is very complementary with the players around him, including with those in the corridors”, reacts one of his predecessors to the post (2006-2006), Cédric Kanté.
The current consultant for Canal + international does not hide his admiration for the native of Saint-Brieuc either.
“He's tough, solid, reliable… Everything the club haven't had for many seasons.
In addition, he exudes such a feeling of power!
A bit like Boumsong with whom I played: it's a force of nature that masters its power.
»
“We called it the wall”
Because to sum up Nyamsi to a Golgoth of 1.95 meters would be reductive.
"He has a sensitivity to the game, an ability to get the ball out," confirms his coach, certainly thinking of a few uphill balls.
“On some, opponents deviate,” laughs Cédric Kanté, who was able to see “Gerzi” up close against Lyon.
An evening when he had suffocated Moussa Dembélé, in particular on a return from 30 meters concluded by an authoritarian tackle.
Him, not fast?
The test against Kylian Mbappé and PSG this Friday evening should make it possible to see more clearly.
In the meantime, his qualities of passing, heading, anticipation and recovery are already obvious.
Much more than six or seven years ago… “In U19, he was already very tall but he took a lot of punches.
We could not necessarily have suspected that he would progress so much, ”recalls his former partner today in Chartres Maxime Fleury.
“It was with the reserve that he became very good.
We called it the wall.
“Nyamsi then made the pair behind with Joris Gnagnon (Saint-Etienne) and Ousmane Dembélé took care of the rest in front.
With a certain Julien Stéphan on the bench.
“But he wasn't his favorite, he believed in himself like the others!
", specifies the attacker, always in contact with " Tino ", one of the other nicknames of the rock " but I do not know why any more ".
Like many, he explains this late explosion in Strasbourg by the sequence of meetings.
“He was not often a starter at Rennes.
He needed confidence and now he has it.
“His coach almost always confirms.
“Several small injuries had stopped him.
There he was able to gain experience by playing a lot.
He's a very fine recruit for Racing and I know that he too is delighted to be here.
»
"A good guy"
Until when ?
Transferred against 1.5 million euros last summer, Gerzino Nyamsi would today be worth more than triple according to the specialized site transfermarkt.
A fairly low assessment… "He can take the club very high and can go very high too", still believes Cédric Kanté, who is still waiting for "confirmation".
“But if he's in his head, I'm not worried.
»
It is a priori the kind of man.
“He is very discreet.
A good guy, someone calm with a great thirst for learning, ”describes his teammate Kévin Gameiro.
“He was already like that when he was younger: serious and hardworking,” rebounds Maxime Fleury, who also hopes to see his former partner score.
Perhaps one of the rare weaknesses of Gerzino Nyamsi with such a size… “Now that he has broken all the prejudices, he no longer has any limits!
»
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