Great qualities of speed and technique, an almost similar age (one year apart), early performance, youth in Seine-Saint-Denis… Nelson Lutin, 23, the winger of the team of France, which starts this Tuesday evening against Georgia (7 pm, Hall Carpentier, Paris XII e) qualifying for Euro 2022, is not nicknamed for nothing “the Mbappé of futsal”.
“It’s flattering to have such a nickname but I have to forge my own path,” reacts the ACCS player Asnières-Villeneuve 92, who has already faced the prodigy of the Blues and PSG on a lawn and not on a parquet floor . With FC Villepinte, he challenged AS Bondy de Mbappé and Ikoné in a quarter-final of the Seine-Saint-Denis Cup among the youngest. “We were motivated because we had learned that the final was taking place at the Stade de France,” recalls the person concerned. Mbappé was outclassed and he already had incredible qualities. “
Hand, football and … fracture
Nelson Lutin, for his part, took a course that was atypical to say the least. He first practiced handball, discovered through his father, player then coach at the national level. Passionate about football, he then played with his friends in the Arpents district after training and handball matches. Gifted and quick on the ball, he decided to give up handball to sign a license with FC Villepinte. The pocket player even skips the first selection rounds to rally Clairefontaine. But a fracture of the malleolus stops its progression.
“I gained many pounds during my unavailability and on my return, I had lost my efficiency in front of goal, he remembers. I had to suffer the teasing of my teammates and I preferred to stop. “
At 13, Nelson then decided to back down by returning to handball within the Tremblay club. But the passion for the round ball is still present. By chance, one day he enrolled in a futsal tournament organized by Artistes Futsal, the Villepinte club, which operates at the regional level. The leaders immediately detect his aptitudes and offer to hire him. “Even though I was already 16, I knew straight away that I only wanted to do futsal. “
His little brother plays at the Reims training center
This is the beginning of the rise of the phenomenon. Spotted in 2016 by ACCS Asnières-Villeneuve 92 then in D2, he will quickly win there and then honor his first selection with the Blues two years later against Sweden. “I am living a daydream! exclaims Rayan’s big brother, who plays at the Stade de Reims training center (L 1). A few years ago, I used to watch videos of my teammates on the Internet and now I work alongside them. It’s incredible ! “
At just 23 years old (he celebrated them this Saturday), the international winger (22 caps, 7 goals), who has a pro contract with his club, is very ambitious. “My goal is to provide maximum media coverage of this sport and that goes through great performances in the club and with the French team. (Editor’s note: she is currently 22nd in the world). I want to grow futsal. “” He has a quality of speed and dribbling quite extraordinary, as well as a formidable efficiency in the finish even if he still has to work on the defensive register, indicates Pierre Jacky, the coach of the Blues. There is still significant room for improvement. Nelson perfectly embodies the renewal of the France team. “
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
