A celebration of football

A theatre of dreams for football lovers, the Stade de France was the setting for another incredible night on Tuesday. Les Herbiers, an amateur club from the west of France, took on Paris Saint-Germain, the most decorated club in the history of French football in the final of the Coupe de France 2018. It was a night that left its mark on everyone involved… a great celebration of football.

After the match, and despite the defeat, the Vendee squad was on cloud nine, and shared their joy with the numerous journalists wanting their reaction, starting with the captain Sébastien Flochon, who lifted the trophy with Thiago Silva: “It was unforgettable. It was a nice gesture by Thiago, he didn’t need to do that. More than just great players, they are great men as well.”

Les Herbiers president Michel Landreau was also over the moon with the day and delighted to have rubbed shoulders with Les Rouge et Bleu and be treated like equals: The Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi considered us like true professionals. The entire club, the players, the coaches, everyone at the club treated us with the utmost respect. I couldn’t be happier with how everything went.”

While many observers were expecting a one-sided score line, the amateurs produced a great performance and at the end of the game, the Paris squad made a guard of honour as they walked up to receive their finalists’ medals. On their way back from injury, Neymar Jr and Marco Verratti were both present to pay their tributes to the opponents.

Both on and off the pitch, the true winner of the 2018 Coupe de France was football itself, the communion of two worlds, the amateur game and the professional game, two worlds that share the same values and passion. It was truly a great night!