One was expected at the World Cup, the other had planned to watch the event in front of the television, and yet… At the 58e minute of the Ligue 1 match between AS Monaco and Olympique de Marseille, Sunday November 13, at the Louis-II stadium, the Moroccan Amine Harit collapsed in pain at the time of a knee against knee shock with the French Axel Disassi.
Verdict for the attacking midfielder of OM: a sprain of the cruciate ligaments of the left knee, synonymous with withdrawal for Qatar. “If we have to hurt ourselves in the last game, it’s fate”said Amine Harit ironically before this last meeting preceding the big international meeting, where he was to play a main role with the Atlas Lions.
Conversely, the day after the match – won 3-2 by OM – Axel Disasi was pleasantly surprised to learn of his call-up to the France team. The central defender of AS Monaco was summoned at the last minute to the Blues to replace Presnel Kimpembe, out of injury.
No selection in the France team yet
Until today, the player of the Principality club had never been selected for the France A team or for the hopefuls – he only has three caps with the selection of the under 20s during the 2017 season – 2018. At 24, he will be among the Habs who will try to defend their title of world champion in Qatar, along with his club teammate, midfielder Youssouf Fofana (23).
A few years ago, such an ascent seemed unthinkable. The native of Gonesse (Val-d’Oise) has never taken the royal road to the training center of a professional club. At 17, he joined the Paris FC club in sports studies, then everything came together: outclassed in the under-19s, the Ile-de-France player got playing time in a handful of matches and scored a goal with the first team in Ligue 2.
” Everything happened really fast. I don’t think he expected it… neither did we. All the planets have aligned”, says Mathieu Lacan, one of his trainers. At the time, the training center of the second Parisian club did not yet have the approval of the French Football Federation, unlike the Stade de Reims, where Axel Disasi signed up for the 2016 off-season.
While the Champagne team climbed into Ligue 1 two years later, the central defender found himself barred by competition. He trains during the week with the pros, but comes down to the reserve team on weekends. Despite certain qualities, he must erase a tendency to lose his concentration too often. “When you are a central defender and you disconnect from the game, it does not forgive”notes his reserve coach Franck Chalençon.
He loves cinema and plays the piano
It was at this time that the big guy of one meter 90 evacuates his frustration in the practice of the piano. “I liked the sound and I shouldn’t think about football at home because it annoyed me”he confided in an interview at The Team a few weeks ago. In the city of Champagne, he also frequents dark rooms. “I have already done three sessions in a row on my own, after a defeat at 1 p.m.”continues the cinephile who will eventually burst the screen in Ligue 1.
During his fourth season in Reims, Axel Disasi seized his chance and reached a mental milestone. Franck Chalençon observed it: “Before he left for Monaco, he came back to train for a month in my group [en équipe réserve]. In the approach to his profession, in the communication with his teammates, I saw a transformed boy”, underlines his trainer. In the summer of 2020, head to AS Monaco. As soon as he arrived, coach Niko Kovac perceived his maturity. So much so that the player was named vice-captain of the team at the age of 22.
And if the Croatian coach is dismissed during the following season, Axel Disasi retains his status as an indestructible holder under the leadership of Belgian Philippe Clement. “It’s not in his nature to speak in front of the group on a daily basis. He’s a leader by example.”explains the technician contacted by The world.
At the end of last season, AS Monaco finished in third place in Ligue 1. And then, without any heralding selection for the France team, this invitation to the World Cup arose. Eight days before the first match of the Blues in Qatar, against Australia.
“A big surprise” for the person concerned, but not for his club coach. “This season, he is our most consistent defender, says Philippe Clement. He has improved a lot in recent months in the use of the ball. He is more serene. » It is now up to the pianist player to get in tune with the greatest international competition.