Thirty years after the creation of his first football academy in Abidjan, Jean-Marc Guillou is still there. At 78 years old, the former French international, legend of SCO Angers, still overflows with energy and passion for training future football champions.

Over the years, its academies have spread all over the world: in Algeria, Vietnam, Mali, Madagascar, Ghana... All have applied its precepts to the letter: detection at an early age based on on weight, barefoot learning, emphasis on technical mastery and team play. From the ranks of his academies came the Touré brothers, Kolo and Yaya, Ramy Bensebaini, Youcef Atal and even Yves Bissouma and Hamari Traoré.

Also read our report: Bare feet, juggling and total football: the Guillou academy, a training center like no other

The trainer does not hesitate to deliver his anecdotes and analyzes in long interviews, even if it means relying on his daughter Stéphanie, to find a name or a detail. The interview that this enthusiast gave to France 24 in his home in Abidjan lasted a little over an hour. Selected pieces.

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On the creation of the first Academy in Ivory Coast in 1994

“I wanted to do an academy in France too. But in France, it’s impossible. It’s impossible because there are so many rules and laws.

So I said to myself: 'The best place to do an academy is the Ivory Coast'. When I went there, I saw a lot of talent that was playing but we didn't know about.

When I first came, I surrounded myself with locals, including Lambert Amuah. Unfortunately he died not long ago.

We started recruiting. I explained to him, I told him: 'We're going with four blocks and two balls. We're going to do Treichville, we're going to do Marcory, we're going to do Koumassi' [districts of Abidjan, NLDR]... There are places where there were many more good players than others.

We recruited seven or eight players straight away. We reached 15-16 players and so we started work.

I made a database and wrote everything down. Which allowed me to see the progress of each player or the sick leave… everything was noted. After that, we made a method out of it."

• On the Guillou method and the importance of mastering juggling

“We had three degrees, there are still three degrees. All that remained because it is the basis of our methodology.

When we started with the youngest, they started with juggling. They had to juggle with the left foot, with the right foot, with the shoulder, both shoulders, with the head, with the knees. And then we associated, for example: knee, feet, head then knee. We combined so that they did a certain number [of juggles]. And if they didn't make the number, they had to work again during the week and present it at the end of the week.

Afterwards, I did these exercises in a dynamic way, that is to say while running. The principle of juggling is that you have to control the ball. We have to be in control of the ball and that’s really important in the game.”

• On the importance of learning to play barefoot

"Already, there was never any injury. Afterwards, all the movements we do barefoot, we are not bothered by the weight of a shoe or by the weight of a shin guard, which are not not very heavy, but still annoying. This means that the speed of execution in a control gesture, for example, is much better done barefoot than with shoes. 

Not playing barefoot for a kid means losing a lot of time in his progress."

• On the universality of his method 

"It is universal, that's why I defend it. We saw it in Vietnam, our manager became coach of the youth teams at one point. He had selected almost only academicians and this team played academically and she won.

But above all, what she won was the hearts of the supporters because this team, when it played, there were 50,000 spectators and it was they who gathered the most spectators because the team played well . Everything that succeeded in Abidjan, succeeded in Vietnam, even though physically, we are not at all on the same players."

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The Jean-Marc Guillou academy in Ivory Coast © France24

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On the links he maintains with his former students 

"It's them who keep the link because they travel while we don't move. In a way, I was their father for quite a while. I did with them as I would have done with my children.

We maintain links and the best proof is that I had to finance the Mali academy. I was coming back from Belgium at the time, I had a little money and so I was able to finance it initially. But afterwards, I looked for shareholders to help us. And where did I look for the shareholders? Among academicians. Many said yes but did not follow through. Three of them followed."

• On his experience in Algeria

"This experience came to me. It's not me who chooses the place and the club. It's Paradou. Paradou asked us to come and do an academy. I'm not going to criticize the people with whom I worked but often, these people don't see football the way we do

On the other hand, we really had very, very good players and we were very well perceived by the people, by the supporters. We were close to 10,000 spectators and it was crazy, whereas Paradou was a bit of an exclusive place. 

More and more people came. They wanted to see only football, because the players played barefoot. In Algeria, as soon as a child does something a little technical, everyone screams, it's fun! After a while, the municipality banned us from playing because it caused too many problems...

The team attracted lots of people and it was a phenomenon. They toured Spain. They played against Barcelona and they did to Barça what Barça did to other teams. They tossed them around.”

• On the proliferation of football academies in Africa 

“I am happy that my idea is being taken up. Even here in Ivory Coast! I think we should create an association of academies to be stronger vis-à-vis the Federation.

Also read: Dakar Sacré-Cœur: “Senegal has extraordinary sporting potential”

This is a recurring problem in Africa and it is very annoying. There are only guys who don't know football, who arrive because they are more people who know the country, the politicians, the ministers...

So they arrive [at the helm] without knowing what football is.”

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On Didier Drogba's place in Ivorian football

“He left his mark on football, just as Yaya [Touré] marked his period. He is a player who had a great career, we cannot deny that.

I would have liked him to be the president of the [Ivorian football] federation. I would have liked it to be, because it’s the future of football. The future of football is people who understand it. And not presidents who arrive, who have other companies that they take care of.

Read alsoCAN 2024: Didier Drogba, an intact aura in Ivory Coast and in his native district

No. The future of football is to put quality former players at the head of federations, who have brains that don't work too badly. And then they choose coaches or competent people. This is the future of football in Africa. Otherwise, Africa will never win a World Cup."

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