Home » News » Handball / World-2021. The “faultless” of Vincent Gérard, the goalkeeper of the Blues

Handball / World-2021. The “faultless” of Vincent Gérard, the goalkeeper of the Blues

They have known each other “by heart” for twenty years … But Monday, at the World Cup in Egypt, Vincent Gérard still managed to impress Jean-Luc Kieffer. “He made three decisive, important stops in the money-time against Switzerland (25-24). Only the great goalkeepers have this ability to perform exploits at the right time, ”appreciates the Alsatian.

Coach of the goalkeepers of the France team, he found with the Blues a player he saw hatch in the early 2000s. “He was 14 when he arrived at the Pôle espoirs de Strasbourg. I provided all of his training for four and a half years. The technician remembers a kid “who was already working a lot”.

“I have always followed him”

With his 1.73 m, at the time (he measures 1.88 m today) , Vincent Gérard is considered too small to be a goalkeeper. But the Messin wins the confidence of his coaches at the Pole, thanks to his talent and his strong character. “He already had this fighting spirit, this scam of going ever higher. He was on all fronts, understood and learned very quickly. He was a player, a winner. He already had a lot of assets, ”recalls Jean-Luc Kieffer, 51 years old.

At 17, Vincent Gérard was launched in D2 by his father Eric, then trainer of Smec in Metz. He established himself there as one of the best goalkeepers in the division. The rest is logical, the career perfectly built. The revelation in Istres, the confirmation in Dunkirk. Designated best goalkeeper in D1 three times between 2010 and 2014, the Mosellan is spotted by the great Montpellier. “There, he took a step forward. »World champion at Bercy with the Blues in 2017, he won the Champions League the following year and was nominated for the title of best world handball player of the year. “He had an extraordinary journey. So far, it’s flawless. But he worked a lot for that ”, underlines the former goalkeeper of RC Strasbourg and Schutterwald (Bundesliga). “I always followed him, we called each other when things were not going so well, when he had problems,” he says.

For a little over a year, Jean-Luc Kieffer has found his protégé with the Blues. “Today, he is a goalkeeper who has accumulated a lot of experience. He has memorized a lot of things on many players. It is a very important library at this level ”. Vincent Gérard, 34, indisputable among the Blues, always advances with this determination that characterized him as a teenager. For their reunion at the end of 2019, the goalkeeper of the prestigious Paris Saint-Germain and his trainer make “an inventory, a global diagnosis” at the end of 2019, to make further progress together. “There is always something to review, to rework. Everything is moving so fast. Fifteen years ago, there was no talk of quick engagement. Today the goalkeepers put in goals, they almost become the first attacker. We have plenty of things to do. And I too have changed my method over the years. Vincent could be my son, I know him perfectly. And we both always work with the same passion, ”smiles Jean-Luc Kieffer.

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