Fabinho, Gignac’s former teammate in France, tells how the French striker ended up signing with one of the greats of Brazilian football
Andre Pierre Gignac is the big star of Tigers, rival al Palmeiras in the semifinals of the Club World Cup, this Sunday at 12:00 in Mexico City.
Author of the two goals that qualified the MX League team, the French striker has a long-term relationship with Brazil.
He was a partner early in his career in Toulouse (between 2006 and 2008) from Fabinho. Former midfielder of Corinthians, Santos and Cruzeiro remember that he was impressed when he met the French striker.
“He was very young and always took his job very seriously. He really wanted to train and play. At first he had a small problem, because he was the owner. [delantero] Swedish Elmander, “he said.
According to the Brazilian, the personality of the attacker is one of the main reasons why he had a successful career.
“He argued and asked the coach. You see this in the trained players, not in a boy. He has a lot of presence in the area and he fights a lot for the ball. He has a lot of physical imposition,” he said.
Off the field, the striker is seen as polite and a good teammate. “Gignac really enjoyed playing with people to get everyone involved,” he said.
Corinthians
In 2018, Fabinho he was the technician’s assistant coach Fábio Carille in Corinthians and thought of bringing the striker after his sale Jo at Nagoya Grampus in Japan.
“The CIFUT [Centro de Inteligencia de Futbol], responsible for performance analysis, looked for players and the names of Gignac and two other strikers appeared. When I saw his name, I said, “Master, you can sign it with your eyes closed,” he recalls.
“He would be the face of Corinthians. He is a tough player, he even plays injured. He always fights for the ball … He is very competitive,” he analyzed.
Despite the name discussed, the employment did not materialize. “I didn’t even offer him a proposal, because his salary at Tigres is surreal,” he said.
Gignac receives around 4 million euros a year. The Frenchman became the top scorer in the history of the royal team. In turn, 15 years after they played together, Fabinho still maintains contact with the Frenchman through a WhatsApp group.
I joked, “And what about Palmeiras?” I said that if necessary, I would send him some comments from the team. They have a lot of quality. “Everyone, because it’s an opportunity they’ve been waiting for a long time. Get ready because it will be difficult for everyone, because it’s an opportunity they’ve been waiting for a long time.
Fabinho He warns the Brazilian team not to stop following his former teammate.
“Palmeiras has to worry about the whole team, but he is the reference. He is a striker who scores goals, a champion with the French team and he is a landmark. Palmeiras needs to be vigilant, “he said.