It’s a real wave! For two days, the number of messages on the WhatsApp group reserved for investors and managers of Paris Volley has increased exponentially. Congratulatory messages, with emoticons and photos, for one person: Antoine Brizard. The smuggler of the France team, hero with the Blues this summer in Tokyo during the conquest of Olympic gold, was crowned best player in the world by the International Federation on Sunday. He is ahead in particular of Earvin Ngapeth (3rd), Jean Patry (4th), Jennia Grebennikov (5th) and Barthélémy Chinenyeze (10th).
“A great ambassador for the club”
A personal consecration that surprises him – “volleyball is the team sport par excellence, it’s difficult to bring out individualities” he assured on the France Info website – and which rebounds, by ricochets, on Paris Volleyball. After taking his first professional steps in the capital club from 2012 to 2015, Brizard has become one of the club’s investors for a few months. “It’s a club that brought me a lot, with which I vibrated and to which I am very attached, explained the 27-year-old player to us in September. Paris is my first pro club, it’s a city that means a lot to me because I met my wife and my best friends there. This is my second family here. »
The club has also congratulated the player from Piacenza (Italy) on its social networks and is preparing other surprises. “It’s a source of pride for the club and all of French volleyball”, savors Vlad Jelic, Parisian president. “I sent him a message as soon as I heard about it and I gave him a little room, laughs Dorian Rougeyron, the coach who has been a careful observer of the player’s development since his debut. It’s a nice reward but it’s the fruit of his work. He has a lot of talent but he is above all a real hard worker, a humble guy. Beyond the fact that he is a shareholder at the club, he is above all a guy for whom I have a lot of affection. »
“Useful for attracting partners” in this complicated period
Author of a diabolical and decisive first hand at 13-12 in the tie-break of the final of the Games against the Russians, Brizard changed the match and the destiny of the Blues in a fraction of a second. It is undoubtedly this gesture which prompted the voters to award him the title of best player in the world. “Without him, France might not have gone to the end of the Olympic adventure, believes Julien Lavagne, communication manager at Paris Volleyball. He takes risks but with him it’s always calculated. He amazes me. It must be remembered that at the start of the competition he was not a starter. It’s crazy ! He’s a great guy, humble, very close to people. He is a fine representative of French volleyball. »
And “a great ambassador for the club”. “It gives a good image of Paris Volley, continues Julien Lavagne. It is useful for attracting partners in a period that is not easy for anyone with the health situation. In Paris, Antoine Brizard is not content to be a simple investor. “He participates in all the discussions, he wants to bring his experience and his ideas so that the club develops, assures Lavagne. He learns about the players and has an eye on the formation. He also appreciates the fact that we are an eco-responsible club and that we pay attention to the environment. »