Sneijder Reflects on โUnhappy Stint in Ligue 1โ with โNice
during a studio โคappearance on Ziggo Sport while analyzing the Olympique Marseille – Ajax match, former Dutch international Wesley Sneijder, 41, candidly discussed his โคbrief and disappointing time with Olympique Nice towardsโฃ the end of his career. A period he admitted he’d “rather forget.”
The conversation arose when presenter Hรฉlรจne Hendriks referenced the often-derisive nickname “Farmers League“โ applied to Ligueโข 1. Hendriks asked Sneijder for his assessment of theโข French league.
“I played thereโ for six months. Not much. โฃI was with Nice – their big โrivals are Olympique Marseille.โ But Iโ thought it was terrible. Itโ was mostly about strength,” Sneijder stated, clearly indicating he doesn’t harbor fond memories of his time in France.
While acknowledging improvements in the league, with teams like Marseille and Paris Saint-germain now showcasing more attacking football, Sneijder described the Ligue 1 he experienced as heavily reliantโค on physicality and tactical battles. “It’s been a few years ago. And Marseille is now playing โfantastic footballโฆ But when I was there, it was moreโ based on strength and duels. Really tactical.”
Sneijder explained a notable contributing factor to his unhappiness wasโ being deployed out of position. “That was very challenging for me. In โa 4-4-2 formationโ Iโ played as one of the two strikers. And I soon discovered that is not my position. Andโ then I made the choiceโ together with theโฃ trainer: don’t do that.โค Because he didn’t want to adjust his system. And I don’t play as โone of those two strikers.”
The move proved to be short-lived. Sneijder played a total of 846 minutes across eight matchesโค for Nice between August 2017 โand โฃJanuary 2018. โ”It was a short marriage. โI wouldn’t know how many games Iโ played there. I was happy that I was gone,” he emphasized.
Despite his struggles on the pitch, Sneijder did find enjoyment inโ his life offโ it. “I did enjoy the area. I lived wonderfully in Cannes. I was enjoying myself, at home,” he concluded with a smile.