50 years of MHSC: Souleymane Camara, shy in life, killer on the field

Souleymane Camara est devenu une légende du MHSC. Midi Libre – FRANCK VALENTIN

C’est le joueur qui a porté le plus de fois le maillot de la Paillade. Une fidélité qui lui vaut d’être encore au club comme recruteur.

 

A special issue of 84 pages

Condensing half a century of history into 84 pages. This is the challenge taken up by the sports editorial team at Midi Libre in this special issue on the 50th anniversary of the MHSC. Available on newsstands on December 11 for just 5 euros, this glossy magazine will allow you to relive the great moments in the history of the Montpellier club through our “50” who made the MHSC. Players, coaches and builders, of course, starting with this “Nicollin Saga”, told by Laurent and Colette, the wife of the late Loulou. A special edition packed with anecdotes and unpublished photos with an exclusive interview with Olivier Giroud.

A special issue available on newsstands

“Camaradona”, “supersub”. So many nicknames given by Montpellier supporters who express the gratitude and admiration they have for him. Because Souleymane Camara has become an emblem of Montpellier Hérault due to his loyalty to the club with thirteen seasons spent in the Pailladine colours but also his goals which make him the second highest scorer in history (79 goals).

Some of which contribute to his legend, notably the one in Toulouse in 2009 with a left-footed volley that is reminiscent of Marco Van Basten's goal in the Euro 1988 final. There are also goals that remain in history, since the one scored during a defeat against Lyon (3-2) in 2019 allows him to be the first player in the 21st century to score at least one goal in fifteen successive seasons. There is also Montpellier's first goal in the Champions League. “I hear a lot about the one in Toulouse, but as I say, a goal is beautiful as long as it hits the net”, assures the Senegalese by birth.

He thinks more collectively than individually

A desire not to put himself forward and to remain discreet which has been and still is his trademark while given his statistics and his track record, he could put himself forward more. But “Souley”, as everyone calls him, is above all a team player who thinks collectively more than individually. An above-average state of mind that allowed him to accept his status as a substitute, at least in appearance.

“Any player, if you ask him, wants to play and be a starter. We're all like that, human beings are like that. But for me, in my head, it was to also make things difficult for the coach. That is to say, every time, instead of getting worked up, sulking or something like that. Yes, I sulk, but on the field. When I come on, I show that I should be the starter. Whether in training or in every match, I gave my all to perform.”

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

He even used this position on the bench. “Even if I wasn't happy, it's true, I watched a lot how the defenders positioned themselves, especially on set pieces. I watched that a lot. I tried to ask myself questions where I could find a gap to score or have someone score.”

 

Many goals but also collective successes, this is how Souleymane Camara, before the 2012 title, prefers to highlight the rise to Ligue 1 in 2009. “For me, it was a first to experience this kind of thing. My children showed me the images of the match against Strasbourg, it was really great. When you see the crowd on the pitch and coach Courbis struggling among the supporters, it was really great.” A good memory for him who was trained at Monaco (2000-2004) and had stints at Guingamp (2004-2005) and Nice (2005-2008) without making his mark. “There are two clubs that will remain forever engraved in my heart. It's Monaco, because it's my first club. When I arrived in France, I didn't know anything. I learned a lot of things there. Montpellier is my family.”

He adopted the club's values

And the club that allowed him to be champion of France. “It's exceptional. Nobody expected us. Everyone saw us as losers.
I remember a match in Paris where we drew (2-2) and when I arrived at the hotel, I turned on the TV, there were people who said that Montpellier was going to crack at some point. Many people saw us cracking. In our heads, little by little, we started to say to ourselves why not go all the way.”

What Montpellier Hérault did with an assist from the striker during the title match in Auxerre (1-2)… Good times that don't make him forget the bad ones, which says a lot about his personality. As if you had to go through with that to be entitled to happiness. “During my first year, we narrowly missed out on promotion… In Ligue 1, there were also complicated years when we were playing for survival.” Not to mention a defeat in the League Cup final in 2011.

But at MHSC, he learned resilience and adopted the club's values ​​of never giving up. “We see it especially in difficult times when we stick together. The president, whether it was Loulou before or Laurent after, sent us messages to tell us that he supported us and was behind us. I haven't experienced that anywhere else.”

An iron fist in a velvet glove, that would sum up the management at La Pailladine, especially from Louis Nicollin, who some players said to tease Souleymane was his father. “He was a personality who, when he had something to tell you, he didn't hesitate. That's what I appreciated about him, especially since there was always respect. Every time he saw me, he had a little word that would cheer you up a little. He would ask about your family, so that means he considered you.”

Like Laurent, today, who allowed him to stay at the club and continue his career at Montpellier Hérault. “In a club, when you arrive, you have to feel good. When you feel good, you are more comfortable expressing yourself, showing what you can do. The club gave me this opportunity. I am someone who is reserved, shy and straight away, the club, the players who were there at the time, the managers showed me that here, we are a family. They made me feel comfortable”, don't forget “Souley”. Whose family feels good in Hérault and didn't want to know anything else.

He therefore works today at 41, still for the club as a matter of course, like many former players with the approval of Laurent Nicollin. “I wanted to stay in football because that's all I know. I work in the recruitment unit and I also train the U14 and U15 forwards twice a week.”

We can't take a better example than Souleymane Camara for everything he embodies. So much for his discretion and modesty.