Long tipped to succeed President Jean-Michel Aulas, Tony Parker has been active behind the scenes for Olympique Lyonnais. The former basketball player has indeed tried to retain defender Pierre Kalulu before signing for AC Milan in 2020.
Olympique Lyonnais still have to bite their fingers. Trained at the Rhone club, Pierre Kalulu is now the delight of AC Milan. The versatile defender, able to play both centrally and on the right side, has made a name for himself in the Italian league. So much so that the French international Espoirs is one of the potential surprises on the next list of coach Didier Deschamps.
Suffice to say that the Lyon leaders would not be delighted, they who had tried everything to convince him to sign his first professional contract. Close to the management, Tony Parker had even taken the time to contact Pierre Kalulu, who is not about to forget their conversation. ” I was in the reserve team in Lyon, and at that time, AC Milan sporting director Paolo Maldini gave me lots of compliments on my style of play. flatteredtold the Milanese to La Repubblica. They told me during this call that they were ready to wait six months, a year, a year and a half to sign me. »
Tony Parker couldn’t do anything
“ That’s when Tony Parker called me for 45 minutes. He was in the United States and I really thought I was hallucinatingremembered Pierre Kalulu. We were on a video call for 45 minutes. He simply told me: “I believe in your talent, and it’s up to you to make your choice”. I have Tony Parker’s number in my phone book, and it’s not something anyone can say. I’m proud to have been stronger than people imagined. “At the time, the former Lyonnais was barred by the competition represented in particular by Kenny Tete and Rafael.