Pascal Feindouno's attacking flair lit up Ligue 1 in the early noughties. Born in the capital of Guinea, he was introduced to French Football at the age of 16 with a trial at RC Lens. The Haut-De-France weather didn't appeal to the West African so the trial ended after just three weeks. It would be in July 1998 when Feindouno would find a more permanent solution. At the age of 18, he left his home town club of Hirondelles De Conakry for FC Girondins de Bordeaux. He became the youngest player in a relatively youthful squad during what was a good time for the club.
After a fifth placed finish Bordeaux had qualified for the UEFA Cup and were an up and coming team. Talented attacking players like Sylvain Wiltord and Lilian Laslandes complimented a squad built on togetherness and pragmatism by Manager Elie Baup.
Feindouno's inexperience meant his first season in Girondes was largely spent with the youth team. He benefitted from extra training with Veteran striker Jean-Pierre Papin who'd keep him back after sessions to continuously cross balls in to him. The hard work paid off and Baup, keen to integrate the youngster, started including him on the bench. Feindouno would make three appearances for the first team with the last of those coming in the most dramatic of circumstances. Bordeaux were having a fine season, making it to the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup and pushing for the League Title. The Championship race went to the final day with Marseille the only other team in the hunt. Les Bordelais had to travel to the Parc Des Princes of all places, knowing nothing less than a win would guarantee the Ligue 1 trophy. Feindouno watched from the bench as his side twice took the lead only to be pegged back each time. The Guinean came on in the 83rd minute replacing midfielder Lassina Diabate. Six minutes later with time running out on Bordeaux's title hopes Feindouno latched on to a through ball from Laslandes and, without hesitation or panic, slotted the ball into the net.
Pandemonium ensued on the touchline where Baup was engulfed by his coaches and substitutes. At the 11th hour Feindouno's goal secured Le Championnat for Les Girondins, their first in twelve years and the fifth in their history. It was the most dramatic end to a competitive season that saw their rivals Marseille beaten by a single point. The Guinean teenager had announced himself to French Football in mighty fashion.
In his second season Feindouno progressed steadily with 17 first team appearances and one goal playing predominantly on the right wing. That single goal, scored in the Champions League at Willem II, showed the confidence he had in his own ability. He took several defenders on twisting and turning in the box before delicately lobbing the Keeper to win the game.
His progress continued the following season (21 appearances 3 goals) but it was a loan spell to Lorient that would really see the Winger blossom. The Breton Club were newly promoted from Ligue 2 and took Feindouno on a season long loan for 2001/02. In his first game for Les Merlus the Guinean scored a late winner against Metz. He scored again a few weeks later at Paris and would play regularly throughout the season. Feindouno expressed himself during that time, playing with freedom and skill. He had a unique playing style often flicking balls over oncoming players heads and was happy to play the ball in the air without resorting to route one football. He could kill a ball dead and would spray balls in every direction with the outside of his boot. Whatever the game he'd try flicks, feints and dummies. His final ball wasn't always accurate but he was always a threat and developed a good partnership with Striker Jean Claude Darcheville. Perhaps Feindouno's impact would have been even more impressive in a better team. Although Lorient struggled in Ligue 1 they had fantastic Cup runs getting the finals of both domestic competitions. In the Coupe de La Ligue they came undone to Feindouno's Parent Club Bordeaux (3-0), a game which he was surpisingly allowed to play in. The Coupe De France was won by a single goal from Darcheville over Bastia and Feindouno contributed playing the full 90 minutes.
Although Lorient finished that season bottom of the league, the Breton sojourn had given Feindouno full experience of playing in the top flight of French Football (39 appearances 8 goals) not to mention a Coupe De France winners medal.
With Lorient relegated it was back to Gironde for Feindouno, followed by Darcheville. Elie Baup clearly appreciated the partnership and made it permanent by signing the latter. The West African progressed again, becoming a mainstay of the side that would finish 4th in the league and semi finalists in the Coupe De France. He was certainly comfortable at European level. In a UEFA Cup tie at Swedish side Djurgardens, Feindouno scored the winner with a mazy run and finish. Coming off the right wing he used both feet to beat a defender, dribble in to the area and slot a low shot in to the net from a tight angle. Under the stewardship of Baup he would continue to grow, entertaining crowds every time he played.
A poor run of team form in 2003/04 would see Baup sacked as Manager. The Frenchman would take over at newly promoted Saint Etienne prior to the 2004/05 season and make his favourite Guinean one of his first signings. Feindouno's 4 seasons with Les Verts wouldn't bring trophies but it would bring goals, assists and entertainment.
On and off the field he seemed happy and relaxed. He played with the same nature that he lived his life with, a smiling, playful demeanour. You got the sense he didn't take things too seriously which left some to question what he may have achieved with a bit more intensity to his game. He was not averse to a night out. Writer Bernard Lions highlights this in his book "Behind the Green curtain". The day after a 2-1 home win over Nice in 2004 where the Attacker scored an early penalty and a late winner, he was late for training. He'd been celebrating in Saint Étienne after the match and got arrested for drink driving. After a night in jail he was escorted to training but arrived late in the clothes he wore the night before but missing his jewellery and shoe laces. On another occasion a teammate found him asleep on the training pitch. He seemed to be well handled by his Manager and "Spiritual Father" Élie Baup who understood the value of his attacker. Baup would discipline his star playmaker without humiliating or ostracizing him. Also highlighted in Lions' book is the esteem Feindouno was held in by his team mates. Midfielder Mickael Citony is quoted with the following "He is so far above us (in quality) that I see him playing at Real Madrid. He plays so relaxed, like great champions. He exudes this tranquility that he has within him. The crazy thing is that you never really feel he’s giving his maximum effort. He is always on hold. And when he wants, he makes you win."
This is echoed by former midfielder Nicolas Marin in an interview with the official Saint Etienne website www.asse.fr when asked who the best player he'd played with was: "At Saint Etienne, undoubtedly, Pascal Feindouno. A real Magician and a Super good Guy. He had everything ahead of him: the vision, the dribble, the quality of pass, an unbelievable faculty to unbalance an opponent with a feint, a change of direction" There were some tremendous goals scored including an audacious lob at Marseille, a fierce drive from outside the box against Ajaccio and a clinical volley against Troyes. He would create goals for Les Stéphanois strikers like Piquionne and Befetimbi Gomis.
It's a shame that Feindouno's Saint Étienne side didn't push for trophies as the squad clearly had talent. A fact that Feindouno would later highlight in an interview with poteaux-carres.com as due to the club not keeping certain players long enough "It's certain that I'd like to have lifted a Trophy with les Verts. We had a good team and sometimes we'd say, if we'd all stayed... I played with a lot of good players like Zoumana Camara, Didier Zokora, Blaise Matuidi, Dinitri Payet, Bafe Gomis etc... If everyone had stayed, we'd have made fire! We really had a good team. But as soon as you have two or three players standing out from the crowd, we sell them. It's difficult but it's football" There were successes. A fifth place finish meant Saint Etienne playing in Europe for the first time in 25 years, a Coupe De France Semi Final was reached and Feindouno would be Saint Etienne's top League scorer in his first two seasons.
In September of 2008 Feindouno's time with Les Verts abruptly came to an end. At just 27 he was sold to Qatari club Al-Saad in a deal that ignited a row between Saint Etienne and previous Club Bordeaux. If sold for over a certain amount Bordeaux were due a sell on fee. To get around this Saint Etienne tried selling the Guinean winger alongside defender Nolito. The latter had been a bit part player for Les Stéphanois but was to be sold for 5 M euros and Feindouno for 2.5 M despite clearly being the better player. Thus Saint Étienne receiving a transfer fee they were happy with but not having to pay Les Bordelais the sell on fee. Bordeaux President Jean-Louis Triaud would contest this fiercely and eventually receive a 1 M euro fee for his club. Anyone who saw Feindouno play in France must have been disappointed that he didn't leave for a more successful Club or League. It was a strange decision for Saint Etienne to let him go when he was arguably at his peak. Especially for such a low fee even with the sell on clause. The player has stated several times that there were problems for him at the Club without ever saying what. He's also stated that the Club needed to sell him becuase they were in debt. There is a persistent rumour that Saint Etienne had to sell him as he had slept with a team mates wife. This has been refuted by both Feindouno and his team mate Christophe Landrin. The suggestion that the Guinean Fathered a Child with the midfielders Wife seems absurd as Landrin's Daughter is White.
Pascal Feindouno would bounce around several Middle Eastern sides before returning to France in 2011 with Monaco. The move didn't work out with just 5 appearances and no goals. He would play Professionally for another five years as something of a Footballing Troubadour across Switzerland, Turkey and Lithuania. He played sparingly and never again hit the heights he had in Ligue 1. Although fans, Coaches and many of his ex teammates expected more from his career,Feindouno regrets nothing. He has often stated that he lived his life the way he wanted to and followed his path. He is Guinea's most capped player with 85 appearances and 30 goals but will never be forgotten by Bordeaux, Lorient or Saint Etienne fans.
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