He was promised to Clairefontaine, he could have gone to Le Havre or to Bordeaux. But Jérôme Phojo finally opted for the sun of Monaco, in 2011. The sun, and especially the pedigree of a club then seven times champion of France, and finalist of the Champions League, in 2004.
The native of Poissy was 11 years old when Didier Deschamps and his players dismissed Real Madrid or La Coruna to reach the final of the prestigious competition. Obviously, “it makes you want”.
premium Monaco de Phojo, the very high level
Banco. After discovering the facilities with his parents, Jérôme Phojo blends into a new world made up of many young people, like him, from the Paris region. And in particular Marcel Tisserand, born like him in 1993, passed through Wolfsburg and today in Fenerbahçe.
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“It matched direct, explains the right side. I had a lot of friends there, even with players from the south, and it went well for me ”. Aspiring then trainee pro, Jérôme Phojo rose through the ranks at a good pace. Sometimes outclassed, winner of the Gambardella Cup, it is also within the ASM that he knows his first convocations with the French team of U19 (9 selections), then U20 (one selection).
“Even in Ligue 2, it’s still a very big club. In terms of training, the requirements were the same “
But the transition to “the big ones” was more difficult. In addition to two League Cup matches, the defender only played one L2 match at the end of 2012 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, under the orders of a Marco Simone who will be replaced a few days later by Claudio Ranieri. . The season of the comeback in L1 is therefore revealing for Jérôme Phojo:
“I train all season with the group, I gain experience. I don’t play but I am involved. But Monaco was moving up to Ligue 1, and it seemed complicated for me. And when I saw the rookies, the Falcao, James Rodriguez, Kondogbia… The club changed when they returned to Ligue 1, and I knew it would be difficult to win my place ”.
The bosses of Clermont Foot “editors for a day” of La Montagne
Loaned to CA Bastia, he terminates his contract to then commit to Arles-Avignon, still in L2. But the Monegasque experience will at least have allowed Jérôme Phojo to forge a solid background within an institution of French football. “Even in Ligue 2, it’s still a very big club. In terms of training, the requirements were the same ”.
“I am a normal player”
Still away from the field after contracting mononucleosis at the end of 2019 and then phlebitis, Jérôme Phojo is now measuring his progress. His treatment ended, he was able to resume all of the group sessions. “I still have a few symptoms that prevent me from being competitive, especially since my time has been very long. But it’s progressing, I’m happy. I did not expect to come back so well and today I am a normal player ”. However, he does not set deadlines, precise objectives. He has done it too much in the past: “I had projected myself, and it hurt me to arrive on the date and to be in the wrong. So I just want to work, do my best to come back ”.
Laurent Calmut