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Kevin’s little museum

31 mai 2020, 15h51

On 20 April 1997, at the Stade Francis le Basser, Bruno Valencony could lift his hands to the sky. The goalkeeper had left the Lavallois forwards with absolutely no chance. Winning by smallest of margins, it was Le Gym that would experience and win the final Coupe de France final at the Parc des Princes (against Guingamp, 1-1, 4-3 penalties). 23 years later, Nice fans are rediscovering the shirt worn by their final line of defence that day. "The logos, the colours, the sponsors, the material which brings back memories of another era”, explains Kévin, 43 years old. This huge OGC Nice fan collects shirts, scarves and tickets that have formed part of the history of the club of his heart. Making the most of the lockdown, he took note of his collection of shirts and shared them with other Nice supporters on social media. Valencony’s shirt is the first of around one hundred items that he shares on Twitter on a daily basis. “It’s nice, the other fans comment, some tell stories about the match or player in question” delighted the family man, who picked up the phone to tell us about his little museum.

His favourite:

“The shirt that I am most proud of is the one that was worn by Jules Bocandé in the second leg of the quarter finals of the Coupe de France in 1987-88 in Lille (0-1 victory). It’s a really rare item, with the "Calberson" sponsor which was the same for all teams.”

“I am also very happy with the Bocandé’ "Tony Boy" shirt, with the badly printed sponsor, but at that time it wasn’t important (laughs). He is a legendary player. I also have one of Lloris’ first shirts at Le Gym.”

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The most attractive is the red one:

“I like the shirts that were entIrely red, like the one worn by Baysse in 2016-17 or even Jallet, during the victory at Lyon (0-1 in 2018-19). Baysse, I think he wore it at Angers, but I have a slight doubt about the sponsor on the sleeve. Guaranteeing the traceability is a lot work! You need to learn how to differentiate shirts from the shop with those that have actually been worn, when it’s possible. There are some slight differences at times: a note on the tag, a material that didn’t exist on the replica. You also need to check that it is in concordance with the player’s size...”

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Camouflage, Agali: the most unlikely 

“In terms of design, the least likely is definitely the camouflage shirt, the one we wore when we pulled one back against Monaco with that goal from Laslandes (1-1). If I had it, I would a also have mentioned the Scottish design too. In terms of the most unlikely player, I have a shirt worn by Agali during a pre-season friendly. He was a player that made his name in Nice history in just one game. I am happy to think about it again when I see his shirt. I also have the shirt worn by Genevois against Limassol (Europa League play-offs).”

Looking for Coq Sportif 

“There are lots of shirts that I would like to have. Balotelli, Plea, Dante, Benitez... I have nearly all of the goalkeepers before him, I would love to get one. When you are a collector, you never want to stop. But I am looking for some older ones. I dream about finding a "Coq sportif" shirt from the 70s with the team with Molitor, Jouve, Guillou… My other wish: a shirt from the Cup final in 1978 against Nancy, but that one will be very hard to find.”

A shirt that doesn’t have its place?

“By definition, I love all players that have played in our colours. Even Moussilou (laughs). Balotelli, although it ended badly, he remains an incredible player whose time at the club left its mark on me. In the other sense, Rool, I hated him before he joined us. But an OGC Nice shirt can’t be refused. I look after them previously. A few years ago, I had to refuse the request of a former Aiglon, Michel Joly. It was heartbreaking but I couldn’t: it was one of my best items.”

Check out Kévin’s full collection of items on his Twitter : @KoxyK.

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