"I was happy to see his smile this morning": AS Monaco's training center director shares his emotion and relief after Samuel Nibombé's illness

Sébastien, Samuel is doing well and we imagine you are relieved...

I was happy to see his smile this morning, with his big white teeth. I spent the night by his side, in a small armchair, to monitor his breathing. There's only one thing to say: Samuel is fine. He has his memories, his bearings, and he's conscious. He's being very well cared for by the staff in Rennes, very well supported by the experts at the hospital where he'll undergo new tests.

Without entering into medical confidentiality, what will the next few days be like for him?

We need to find the causes of this discomfort, try to understand. But I'm not a doctor and I don't want to speak too quickly. Drawing conclusions is not my role. Once again, today, I keep his big smile. I got into the fire engine with him and I was already very happy to see that he was well when we arrived here (at the hospital, where the player was taken after being revived) .

"What happened is extraordinary (...). The union of experts from Rennes and Monaco helped save a life."

He was quickly taken care of by the medical staff of both clubs, which probably saved his life...

What happened was extraordinary. There are several things to highlight. Rennes provided a wonderful welcome and there was great collaboration with the French Football Federation. This started the day before the match. We were able to train at the Piverdière facility, Rennes' training center. I would like to thank the Rennes president (Arnaud Pouille) and Denis Arnaud, the director of the training center, for everything they did before, during, and are still doing to support us in this event. It's a great example of what football should be, of the value of pooling forces. They went above and beyond to serve football. The union of experts from Rennes and Monaco helped save a life, and that's great to see.

What did Samuel tell you this morning?

We've been inundated with messages since last night. He told me: "Sébastien, I'll never be able to answer everyone. Aurélien Tchouameni even liked my Instagram post. Everyone is thinking of me." What's happening has a wonderful side. If there's a big thank you for Rennes, it's also valid for Monaco. Thank you to the president (Dmitry Rybolovlev) and the general manager (Thiago Scuro) for their exemplary solidarity and support. I also highlight the quality of the AS Monaco staff and group during this period. There was real solidarity and expertise from the staff. Everyone hoped for long minutes... (Moved) . Sam sends messages to his teammates and it feels good. I'm still emotional, it's not easy.

"I told him: 'My dear, you're going to have to make a video to reassure your friends.'"

On Thursday, the meeting was definitively interrupted. How did your young people experience those moments of anguish and the aftermath?

It will be our responsibility to organize it. We already gathered them in the locker room after the match so they could verbalize their emotions and put words to what they felt. Jeannette Lyonnet, the mental coach at the training center, and the staff did a lot of work on verbalizing them so that there were communication networks. This morning (read this Thursday), at breakfast, this was the case again, and there will also be support at the Diagonale, with a psychological unit to put words to it. The players will be returning any minute. You know, I'm 49 years old and I still have trouble doing this work of verbalizing, so at 18, when you see your friend on the ground, it's not easy. I handle this with enormous importance, and the way the players handled it is a source of pride.

In a video posted on his account, Samuel thanks those who have sent him messages of support. He also indicated that the road ahead may be long for him to avoid all risks... How will you support him?

You know, I'm going to refrain from talking about football for a few days. ''Big Sam'', because that's what we call him, made the video on the first try. I told him: "My dear, you're still going to have to make a video to reassure your friends." I was ready to do fifteen takes but he succeeded on the first try. I told him: "Well done". Now, I'm going to leave him but Sam took his shower, he got up (moved) . He called his mother, his father. He wrote to his friends in our WhatsApp group. He is well supervised, the doctors in Monaco are in contact with those in Rennes. What I remember is that a big thing of 1.97m is on his two feet (moved) .