On Wednesday evening, Antoine Griezmann became the top scorer in the history of Atlético Madrid, scoring in Riyadh, during his team’s defeat against neighbor and rival Real in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup ( 3-5). Author of 174 pawns for the Colchoneros, “Grizou” never hid that overtaking the legendary Luis Aragones was part of his list of end-of-career tasks.
Almost six years earlier, on February 18, 2018, another Frenchman made history with a foreign club, as Thierry Henry at Arsenal or “Dédé” Gignac at Tigres de Monterrey also did. For the same reason, but discreetly. Moreover, Teddy Chevalier, then striker for KV Kortrijk, only learned of his exploit after giving victory to his team on the Lokeren pitch (0-1), in the Jupiler League.
“I didn’t even know that I had become the club’s top scorer, it was the journalists who told me about it,” recalls the native of Denain (North) who, at 36 years old, has just signed up. with RAEC Mons, in Belgian D2 (which corresponds to the 4th national level). It made me happy because it was the club where I exploded everything. Every season I played there, I scored goals and made assists. »
No party after the record
That day, Chevalier had surpassed the 41 goals of Belgian international Eddy Snelders in the 1980s. An event which did not give rise to any particular celebration, far from the exuberant festivities offered to Gignac by his Mexican club in August 2019 “And that’s very good,” assures the Northerner. I’m not someone who likes to show off a lot, I don’t chase honors. » In total, in three visits to the “Kerels” (2013-2015, January 2017 – 2019, January-August 2021), the former Gueugnonnais, Lensois and Valenciennois crashed 56 times.
“I marked the history of this club, it’s a source of pride,” he continues. I felt at home, I kept in touch there, especially with the managers, because the players have changed a lot. Supporters always send me messages. I hope that the record will not be broken immediately, so that we can talk about it later, so that I can tell the anecdote to my children… Of course, it is not at the level of a Messi or a a Cristiano Ronaldo [respectivement meilleurs buteurs du Barça et du Real Madrid avec 672 et 450 buts] but it’s nice. »
“I feel closer to the Belgian mentality”
Pleasure, it is especially across Quiévrain that the player trained at VA, also spent by the Netherlands (RKC Waalwiljk) and Turkey (Rizespor), has had it during his long career. “I feel closer to the Belgian mentality, which is more understanding, than to the French mentality,” explains the striker with a strong character. Here they live, they do not stop at prejudices. From the moment you are professional and the results follow, there is no problem. »
Chevalier sets no limits in his quest and savors his winter arrival at RAEC Mons, the sixth Belgian club he frequents, after Royal Boussu Dour Borinage, Zulte Waregem, KV Courtrai, Mouscron and Francs Borains. “It’s a very good club, with great facilities and a plan to move up to D1 B [la deuxième division]within two years to, in the future, find the elite [quittée en 2014, avant une faillite un an plus tard]. »
“In my head, I’m not 36, I don’t set an age, as long as I can play,” adds the Northerner, who has just signed up for a year and a half, with an option to one more season.
Only one regret
When he hangs up his time, on a date still undetermined, Chevalier will therefore remain in the history of KV Kortrijk for a good while, while keeping a single regret in mind. That of not having finished top scorer in the Jupiler League – after having been the “pichichi” of the regular season – during the 2017-2018 financial year, undoubtedly the most successful of his career.
With 21 pawns, he had “failed” one length behind the Tunisian from Zulte-Waregem Hamdi Harbaoui. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the trophy because my competitor had played two teams which had gone bankrupt and had sent young people. He twice scored four goals over ten days. Five days from the end, he’s at 14, me at 19, and I’m getting screwed like that. It’s a bit frustrating. »