Pierre Lees-Melou fires a shot during City’s home defeat by Leicester
– Photo credit: Paul Chesterton / Focus Images Ltd
At the age of 21, Pierre Lees-Melou was working at a school and had few expectations of becoming a professional footballer after being fired from Bordeaux for being too small.
Today the French midfielder is preparing as Norwich City player for the Premier League action at Arsenal – and is about 6 feet tall.
« When I was younger, I played for Girondins de Bordeaux, a professional club, from 10 to 16 – and then told myself Bordeaux, that they didn’t want me, « Lees-Melou told us before City’s last practice session on Friday afternoon.
» The reason they told me was that I was too small. When I was younger I was 1.50 m tall, so I went back to my parents, went on with my life, went to school and played for my parents’ town (non-league club Langon).
« After that, when me When I was 18 or 19, I went to a school for toddlers, not as a teacher, but to look after the children when they don’t have school. They stayed with me and played soccer with me while their parents worked.
« That was until I was 22 and then Dijon saw me on the pitch and told me to try and play with them. »
Lees-Melou comes from the Gironde region in southwest France, where Bordeaux is the capital. In 2013, at the age of 20, he began to play semi-professionally for the coastal club Lège-Cap-Ferret in the fifth division.
It was only a little over six years ago that the opportunity arose to move across the country, to sign with Dijon, who soon became a regular for a second division team.
This promotion followed a growth spurt at the age of 17 and was unexpected after his release from Bordeaux.
« For me it was negative, but I didn’t cry, that’s life, « explained Lees-Melou. « I continued to play soccer with my friends afterwards, but at 15, 16 or 17 it wasn’t a goal for me to become a professional soccer player at that age.
» For me, I thought in my head that the level was for me is too high. However, after playing soccer just for fun, to see my friends score lots of goals, I didn’t think I’d sign my first professional contract.
Pierre Lees-Melou is congratulated by his City team-mates after scoring a goal in the pre-season
– Photo credit: Paul Chesterton / Focus Images Ltd
However, a rapid ascent was only just beginning and helped Dijon advance to the top division in 2016.
“Great memories,” he adds. « I was very lucky because we went to the top division in my first year as a professional, so perfect. »
After scoring seven goals and three assists in 32 games, just one point to survive in Ligue Un had contributed, the next step on the ladder followed.
OGC Nice called and Lees-Melou was signed by Lucien Favre before he returned to Germany a year later as coach of Borussia Dortmund.
Norwich midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou is pursued by Manchester City’s Ilkay Gündogan
– Photo credit: Paul Chesterton / Focus Images Ltd
Just two years after his professional career, he was in the starting line-up when he made his debut at a high profile event.
“It was a big change because I started qualifying for the Champions League right away « City’s summer newcomer continues, speaking via video call from his new home.
» So it was all new to me, but I kept adjusting and playing all the games, so it was good news for me.
« I was at Nice for four years and played all the time, so it was nice. »
Pierre Lees-Melou was booked during the Canaries’ home defeat against Leicester
– Photo credit: Paul Chesterton / Focus Images Ltd
The defeat against Napoli meant the Europa League in 2017/18, which finally ended in the first knockout round against Lokomotiv Moscow after qualifying from the group stage.
For Nice there would be four placements in the upper half, with Lees-Melou scoring 18 goals in 140 games before leaving France for Norfolk this summer and wearing the armband last season.
« When the opportunity came to Norwich, I said yes, I did want to go, I don’t want any other proposal or any other club, I want to go to Norwich.
Head coach Daniel Farke helped convince Pierre Lees-Melou to join Norwich
– Photo credit: Paul Chesterton / Focus Images Ltd
“I had Stuart (Webber) and the boss on the phone and the project worked so well for me. The Premier League and the club are like family – I love that.
Lees-Melou’s time in England has only just begun, but after establishing himself as a top player in France, it seems certain that the fans will of the Canary Islands don’t have to see what the deceased developer is really capable of.
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