Olympique de Marseille can rejoice in seeing one of its biggest hopes honored. This Thursday evening, on the occasion of the second edition of the Trophée Espoir du Football organized at the Orange Vélodrome, Antoine Valero was named the best U19 National player as well as the best attacker in the category.
Having had a particularly remarkable season with the Olympian U19 team, the young striker trained at Burel scored 14 goals in 17 league matches. These performances also allowed him to make his debut in National 3 with the Marseille reserve team this season.
The emotion was even stronger for the young Olympian as his trophy was handed to him by none other than Dimitri Payet. Present at the Vélodrome for the event alongside former Marseille players like Alexis Romao, the former captain of OM left a lasting impression on a whole generation of young club supporters.
“It is a huge honor to receive this trophy from Dimitri Payet, knowing that I am from here,” Antoine Valero revealed. “I used to pick up balls for him when he played, it was me who gave him the balls.”
Another satisfaction for the Marseille training center, Ugo El Kadmiri was included in the U19 season’s best team. The Olympian forward, who recently made his debut in Ligue 1, also had a very successful season with 14 goals in 15 matches.
Despite these distinctions, some young Marseille talents like Milan Leccese and Samy Bedja were not recognized during this ceremony held at the Vélodrome.
According to La Provence, several figures of French football were present to salute the work of young talents in the league and highlight the new generation of French football.
