Jean-Pierre has walked the pitch of the AS Tournefeuille club for more than six decades. Almost 73 years old, this enthusiast continues to play football on the veteran team. And he has no intention of stopping. Portrait.
The smallest action is scrutinized. On the synthetic pitch of AS Tournefeuille there is no room for error. A little awkwardness is automatically punished with teasing. Sitting on the sidelines, the substitutes have as much fun as the eleven players who lined up on the pitch. “Hasn’t he had a bit of a slump?”, mocks the coach, pointing to his right wing. “It’s not just the stomach. Look at his bald spot, it’s hollow on the top of his head,” adds another player who will be warming up.
In this team of veterans from AS Tournefeuille, laughter and jokes are just as important as assists, small bridges or goals. From the changing rooms to the final signal, the good atmosphere and camaraderie prevail. And the guarantor of this good-natured climate is the elder Jean-Pierre, nicknamed “The President”.
The diamond wedding with AS Tournefeuille
Officially, the Septuagenarian is the head of the Veterans Section, but above all, he embodies the soul of this group. “The President” wouldn’t miss games, practice or his famous third innings for anything in the world. “And they’re beautiful, that’s also part of the sport. Sometimes we finish at four in the morning,” smiles Jean-Pierre, who looks ten years younger than his age.
In the AS Tournefeuille club, the “President” is an example of longevity. “It is more than sixty years since I started playing football in Tournefeuille. And at least I’ve always played for the same club!”, he smiles in front of some of his much younger teammates. “I never betrayed the club, I didn’t go and play for other teams like anybody,” teases the 72-year-old footballer as he puts on his crampons in the AST locker room.
Jean-Pierre’s miracle recipe for staying in shape is cycling and also looking after his grandchildren. “It takes energy, it’s good!”, he advises. In addition, plenty of warming cream is smeared on the legs before matches and a slightly longer warm-up. “The President” wouldn’t leave the veteran team for anything in the world. For him, this passion is as intense as his love for Stade Toulousein.
A little warming cream and that’s it!
“As long as I can still gallop, I’ll keep going. It’s good, it gets me away from home. Football is part of my life. Although I have been a stadium subscriber for 35 years, he admits. On the lawn, the former owner of a tobacco shop who also sold La Dépêche du Midi for decades, still having fun. Although sometimes the body is a bit rusty.
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The man no longer has the legs of youth. “I especially have a stomach,” jokes Jean-Pierre. I have the rucksack, but no stomach,” he exclaims to his laughing teammates. The “president” does not have his tongue in his pocket. At the slightest opportunity, he spoofs. He likes to entertain the gallery. “The young people need him as much as he needs them. He is a person who lives for this kind of moment, explains Albert, one of the friends and former teammates of the septuagenarian who is still active in football. Jean-Pierre has only one goal: to still be able to be on the pitch for the club’s 100th anniversary in 2026.
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