50 years of the MHSC: he unearthed Laurent Blanc and Younès Belhanda… Serge Delmas, the eternal seeker of nuggets

Serge Delmas était à La Mosson le 16 novembre dernier avec les anciens joueurs du club honorés pour les 50 ans. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

A player from the very first era alongside Ouattara and Di Nallo, Serge Delmas then became an outstanding trainer, director of the training center until 2009 and still responsible for detecting young talents.

A Midi Libre 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 edition on the 50th anniversary of the MHSC. Available on newsstands for just €5, this glossy magazine will take you back to the great moments in the history of the Montpellier club through our “50” who made the MHSC. Players, coaches and builders, 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 A special edition packed with anecdotes and unpublished photos with an exclusive interview with Olivier Giroud.

An 84-page magazine on newsstands. Midi Libre

You found Laurent Blanc in Alès and Younès Belhanda in Avignon. Which of the two generations was the most talented? ?

Serge Delmas: Laurent Blanc's generation had a dream midfield, with Franck and Gérald Passi. There were also the Baills, Ferhaoui, Guédé… The 1990 generation, which was nicknamed the “Galactics” wrote the club's most beautiful page. But these are kids who have been playing together since they were 14.

Also read: 50 years of MHSC: how Laurent Blanc stepped back to the libero position with Montpellier, a prelude to an extraordinary destiny

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Laurent Blanc, discovered by Serge Delmas near Alès, almost signed in Monaco. Midi Libre – Midi Libre

You have to have an eye to avoid making a mistake?

Above all, I realize how lucky I was to find, work alongside and support all these players. The credit goes to the entire technical staff at the training center. It's all well and good to discover a player at 13 or 14, the photo is beautiful at the time but what will it be like at 18 or 20 years old? It's a team effort and the blossoming of all our youngsters has been closely linked to the quality of a training staff.

Read also: 50 years of MHSC: “When we started, we mainly thought about having a laugh”… Robert Nouzaret's memories

Also in terms of education ?

Absolutely. We were very invested. As a manager, I insisted with the educators that they invest themselves beyond the two hours per day spent on the field. It is necessary to monitor education, schooling. We must start from the principle that we take children very early to, in a way, replace the parents. We had teams that totally adhered to that. These generations did not hatch by chance. When you manage to bring 7, 8 or 9 players to the highest level, it's because there has been work done.

Younès Belhanda, trained in Montpellier and leader of the team that won the title in 2012. Serge Delmas went to snatch him from Saint-Etienne. Midi Libre – FRANCK VALENTIN

You are still working on detecting young people?

I was director of the center until 2009, the year we won our last Gambardella. Then, when Jean-François Domergue took over the center, Laurent Nicollin asked me to stay on to join a recruitment unit. And it's still going on since then.

Also read: 50 years of MHSC: Louis Nicollin, the incredible saga of a pack leader who became a triumphant patriarch

The club has often been in difficulty, like currently, when fewer players were coming out at the highest level…

In fact, clubs often remember that they have a good training melting pot and draw heavily on it when they have financial or sporting problems. Nantes did it, Montpellier too. It's an eternal restart.

Also read: 50 years of the MHSC: Mama Ouattara, spearhead of Africa who became a trainer of young talents

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