As the recovery approaches on the side of FC Lorient, we made a phone call to our godfather Yoane Wissa to come back with him on his title of champion, the rise of FC Lorient in Ligue 1, his now legendary celebration and his opinion on FOOTBOKS. The Merlus striker answered us in his characteristic style: lively, hard-hitting but always poised. Exclusive interview for FOOTBOKS.

A zen type we told you

Hi Yoane, so how are you??

I'm very well, thank you ! The weather is nice, football has resumed, we are well, health is fine, family too, and that is the most important thing today.

You took over with the band?

There we have the medical tests until Friday with the docs, we are going to do the COVID test, the isokinetic test, the cardio test, we are going to see the physiotherapists, the physical preparation, and the dentist. The complete start-of-season follow-up. We will resume next week with the group, starting Monday 22.

Back on Monday so you feel good, you're ready?

Yes, I'm ready, I'm also in a hurry to start a new season with new goals now that we are in Ligue 1!

How did it feel to finish champion?

Frankly, I am very very proud even if we would have liked to celebrate it on the ground with our public and everyone in good health. Events meant that we had to stop, but I remain very proud to have made the supporters happy, and above all to allow the club to return to Ligue 1.

Can you tell me a word about the supporters this season?

Ah they were present, they did not let us go. It must be said that we did the work on the ground and that we also gave everything but in any case I am in a hurry to find them in Ligue 1.

How do you analyze the FC Lorient season??

It is obviously very positive on a collective level. We finished as Ligue 2 champions and we were on the podium 27 out of 28 days, so that's not nothing. But above all, we had a very good squad and I was very happy to evolve and manage to move up to Ligue 1 with this group.

What made this group so strong this season??

The recruitment was very smart, since the players who arrived were all captains, so to speak. By that I mean players who all knew Ligue 2 and that was what made the difference: the experience. This year we had a lot more and we were better at it. The coach also had this experience of climbs, even in difficult times he showed us that we always had to be there and respond.s.

You had a lot of offensive possibilities with you, Hamel, Bozok, Laurienté, Cabot, Kitala, Le Fée, Marvaux... it's a real offensive armada!

It's true that we had a very good squad and that offensively we had a good range with a great diversity of profiles. This is our strength. Even those who were on the bench like me at one point in a few games, we were keen to show the others and the coach that they could count on us.

You have just been elected in the 11 type of fans of Domino's Ligue 2, what did you do?

It made me proud, I was really happy. It is the supporters who are watching us all, it is a look apart. Being elected by supporters is not like other votes. Let's hope it continues on this dynamic.

Yann Kitala, Thomas Fontaine, Yoane Wissa and Armand Laurienté, the ZEN team. Photo FCL - Bruno Perrel

How do you judge your season?

She was positive. I am very happy with my performance because I played almost all the matches. Compared to last season, it's also a real personal revenge, I wanted to show the supporters that I was still there.

You still finished as the club's best passer last season...

Yes it is true, but it is in terms of efficiency that it is a revenge. Last season I got a lot of chances but I was not necessarily successful. This year, thanks to a lot of mental preparation and a desire to move forward, I managed to find this efficiency, so it's my revenge. What allows me to savor this year all the more is the rise in Ligue 1. I have stored up a lot of confidence, now I have to keep it and continue on this path.

What does Ligue 1 do to you??

It's a bit of a dream come true. I have always watched Ligue 1 since childhood, so being there is a source of enormous pride, for me, for my family, for my town of Epinay sous Sénart, and I am very happy to be there, especially with my route, coming from below.

Can you tell us about your Zen celebration?

I took it out in the first game we played at home against the PFC. I had returned, I had scored and I had this celebration which means calm, the calm side and the fact of always remaining focused despite everything you can hear.

How did it feel to see it taken over by a lot of players You plan to keep it for the coming season ?

The PSG players did it but it was more to wait, afterwards, to see that Haaland did it in the Champions League, it's nice to see. After that it's not MY celebration, it's not me who created it either, but I'm glad that people know about it and that it has spread a little. For next season I will keep her, she represents me well! I got like that through hard work so I'll keep doing it for sure!

THE Celebration of Yoane Wissa! Photo FCL - Bruno Perrel

When you look at your journey so far, what do you say to yourself??

I tell myself that I have matured a lot. I come from National, I then landed in Angers where I did not play too much, with a loan to Laval. Then I bounced back in Ajaccio and I made the choice to come to Lorient for a great challenge and I continue with this big leap towards Ligue 1!

What do you think of FOOTBOKS?

I like it a lot because it's scalable, it's not a FOOTBOKS and it's over, it's for the long term. There are always new things and it really helps in the search for performance. It helps me when I need to recover well or regain strength at specific times.

What does it bring you in the daily practice of high-level sport

It gives me performance, clearly, and that's what I'm looking for. What I want is to last over time, and spare myself the slightest glitch, physical or mental. It also allows me to readjust certain elements, especially when we feel that we have too much or not enough charge. It also allows me to recover better with the treatments, I do a little more on the invisible work.

It's something you control this invisible work

Yes, for me it has become very important, and I have really evolved from that since last season, whether in my daily lifestyle or even in training. And this season is proof that it works, it really paid off.

You have a favorite product?

I think this is thearnica cream, I like little massages, it has done me good this season because I have played a lot of matches. But I know that Thomas Fontaine, he is a fan ofcaffeinated chewing gum ! I did my shadow work in the locker room!

You have a message for those who would like to get into it

Go for it, try it and you will see the benefits it gives you. Me it brings me a lot in my search for performance, it's the little extra in my invisible work.