Wickedly lost my nerve
Renato Sanches causes a huge scandal
01/17/2022, 3:10 p.m
French champions OSC Lille are stuck in mid-table this season. The attempt to catch up to the European Cup against Olympique Marseille also failed. In the end, Renato Sanches can no longer control himself in the heated atmosphere.
A win in this game would have been damn important for OSC Lille. Because with a win, the team of coach Jocelyn Gourvennec would have played within reach of the Champions League ranks in Ligue 1 again. But in the extremely heated duel with third-placed Olympique Marseille, the reigning champions, who had slipped down to tenth place, suffered another setback. In the 75th minute, Cengiz Ünder equalized the early OSC lead through central defender Sven Botmann (14th).
But after the final game of the 21st match day, the talk was less about the result and more about Renato Sanches. Because the top talent, who was once a stranger to FC Bayern, caused a mighty scandal after he was substituted in injury time. Because the 24-year-old showed the Olympique fans the middle finger on the way to the bench. The Portuguese had accumulated a lot of anger in the game.
In the heated atmosphere of the Vélodrome, he was aggressively attacked again and again by around 5,000 fans with boos and abuse. Incidentally, his gesture went unpunished during the game. Referee Amaury Delerue had not noticed anything about the action. Whether the midfielder will be punished for the action is still open.
Sanches was once again one of the best players on his team at the Vélodrome. In Lille, the former top talent has matured into an absolute regular player and top performer after his frustrating time with the German record champions. Moving to Ligue 1 was the best thing that could have happened to the 24-year-old. After his first season, then-Lille President Gerard Lopez spoke of having “received offers totaling more than 200 million euros” for Sanches. In his second year, the player and club sensationally dethroned the overwhelming luxury ensemble of Paris Saint-Germain as champions.
It is unclear how Sanches will continue in his third year at Olympique Sporting Club. The player is in demand. In December, rumors surfaced about a possible winter transfer to AC Milan or Arsenal. Already last summer there was almost a separation. FC Barcelona were very interested, but then Sanches injured his knee and had to have an operation. Apparently, that’s why the Catalans refrained from signing.