After the first steps, the first words. After arriving at Le Gym on 28 January and playing three days later in the last 15 minutes at the Parc des Princes, Billal Brahimi took the time to settle down this Friday, after a fast-paced first few days on the Côte d'Azur. Sitting between Jean-Pierre Rivère (President of OGC Nice) and Julien Fournier (Director of Football), the new Aiglon presented himself, his career and his ambitions.

"I'm proud and honoured," said Billal Brahimi as he began to express how he feels since his arrival in Nice. "I hope to bring my touch, to bring something to a team that is doing very well," he said after having already showed his qualities with his impact at the Parc des Princes (0-0, 6-5). “We had a great performance and the team welcomed me very well. I was immediately made to feel at ease. I was very proud and happy for a first win in the cup and in Paris.”

A dream debut for the new number 14 of Le Gym, in his hometown. A city from which he began, five years ago, a journey that he describes as "atypical". "I was in Portugal, in the second division (at Leixões SC). Agents had spotted me and I passed a test. Then I played two years in England (at Middlesbrough) and then I joined Reims. I've never been at an academy. I am proud today to arrive at a club like Nice, it's an achievement.”

After the Champagne region, and before Angers, Brahimi was loaned to Le Mans - "a very good season", he recalls, where his performances (34 games, 12 goals, 10 assists) caught the eye of Le Gym. "We saw him at Le Mans and were impressed by his performances," explained Julien Fournier. "This summer we looked at other players. I met Billal when we went to Cholet (0-1, 19 December). The idea took hold, we followed all his games and watched a lot of his footage. We found that each time he performed well and perfectly matched the profile that the team needed. We spent more time looking for the right profile rather than a name."

He has a profile of "a disruptor, capable of playing on the left and the right, but also up front, to play in behind", says the man himself, who spontaneously cites "Gareth Bale and Riyad Mahrez" as models. "We were missing a player who can play in behind in the squad", says Julien Fournier. “Billal has signed for several years. But we were faithful to our way of thinking. He is allowed to be successful immediately, of course, but it is planning for the years to come. These are rare profiles on the market, he has strong qualities in the position and I hope that they will be expressed as soon as possible but we know that it will take a little time.”

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