It is the summer of 2025. Freshly crowned as the top scorer in Regional 1, Maxime Michaux was one of the most sought-after players in regional amateur football.
“I had several options,” the striker recalls. “There was Carqueiranne, but also FC Martigues, which offered me a good project in R1. But due to their relegation, it didn’t happen. In the end, I left Gémenos and joined Carnoux. The club offered me the best financial, sporting, and personal compromise since I could keep my job as an accountant.”
After terrorizing the regional level, Michaux was offered a golden opportunity to test himself higher up in the newly promoted N3 club. But he quickly became disillusioned.
“The start of the season went well, with a start and a goal off the bench. Then, there came a time when I wasn’t playing much. I think the coach had lost confidence in me, for reasons that were quite vague in my opinion, but it’s okay. Then, Mike Rodriguez, the coach of SMUC, called me. I knew him at Gémenos and get along very well with him, so I agreed to join him to help him out and finish my season enjoying myself on the field.”
Step back to leap better
Although not being a professional at Carnoux, Maxime Michaux still found himself in a very demanding environment. The transition to the more amateur world of SMUC, which plays 2 divisions lower, was quite special.
“It was a bit strange at first. In N3, we trained 4 times a week, often at high intensity. There was a lot of quality in training. I don’t want to belittle the R2 level, but when you drop down 2 divisions, there’s inevitably less quality at that level. There are fewer training sessions per week and also less physical work. At first, it felt strange, but you get used to it little by little, especially knowing the players.
Now, it’s not uncommon to see him score a brace, or even a hat-trick every Sunday, “everything is going well. Even if we step back, we must not demotivate ourselves and stay focused on our goals. And mine were to have fun and finish my season well.”
An effective recipe. Since his arrival in November, the native of Roquevaire has led the attack for SMUC and has already scored 18 goals in Regional 2, including 10 in the last 4 matches (2 braces and 2 hat-tricks).
Happy on the field, Maxime Michaux is also happy off the field, as his relationship with the coach and the rest of the team is excellent.
“SMUC trusts me”
Even though he knows his player is coveted, Mike Rodriguez declared a few weeks ago that he wants to “do everything to keep him and build the team around him next season.”
A speech that was heard by the 23-year-old striker, who does not rule out an extension.
“I’ve had discussions, but I don’t see myself leaving SMUC for now, unless it’s an impossible offer to refuse (laughs). We have an agreement with Mike, I have to finish the season, and then see. Just changing a level, or gaining financially but not enjoying it on the field doesn’t interest me.”
For now, he is more than ever black and white. “I prefer to stay at SMUC and continue to have fun. The club trusts me and has given me responsibilities. I have the coach’s complete trust on all matters. For now, nothing is certain, but SMUC is in a good position.”
