2023-08-09 10:23:00
Before the World Cup quarter-final against the host country (Saturday August 12, 9 a.m., live on France 2), the Les Bleues midfielder looks back on her club and youth selection careers which led her to be on the trip to Australia.
MONTPELLIER, A LIFE
“I really enjoyed my years in Montpellier, both footballing and personally. I had my family on the side, it was really important, especially at the beginning. Montpellier HSC is a very family club and I was very well received by the president at the time, Loulou (Louis) Nicollin. He was really close to us, which Laurent kept (his son) when he took over. It gave the whole club the feeling that everyone was together and pulling in the same direction. And that is a great chance to start a career. I arrived quite early, I really grew humanly and also sportingly. Great years. It was there that I won my first two French U19 championship titles. (2011 et 2012), we had an extraordinary group with which I lived fabulous moments even before signing my pro contract. It has been ten very rich years, rubbing shoulders with great players. I was given my chance and I gave everything in return”.
THE DEPARTURE IN SPAIN
“The MHSC still offered me a new contract but I wanted to see something else, to get out of my comfort zone. I really liked the Spanish game and I played with Virginia Torecilla in Montpellier who talked to me a lot about her championship. So, I got interested in it to get an idea and at that moment I was contacted by the director and the coach of UD Levante. There was immediately a good feeling, the project was ambitious and interesting with a desire to do things well. So, I took the leap. The adaptation was a bit difficult, of course, I didn’t speak the language and there were very few French speakers in the team. But I hung on. In the end, I had a very good first season, we managed to qualify for the Champions League where I made enormous progress, in particular thanks to the personalized video work with coach Maria Pry. She made me rediscover my position and my role on the pitch”.
I had opportunities to return to France or continue in Spain. When Real Madrid showed up, it tickled me.
THE REAL MADRID
“After two great seasons at Levante, I had opportunities to return to France or continue in Spain, I was leaning more towards this option. When Real Madrid showed up, with its fledgling young women’s section (created in 2020), this tickled me. It’s a huge club that is doing everything to catch up as quickly as possible, there too I had a good feeling. It’s been a good season overall, we finish second behind the Barçasynonymous with qualifying for the Champions League, and we lost in the Queen’s Cup final against Atlético Madrid (2-2 and 3 shots on goal to 1), which was infuriating and difficult to live with. We have to learn from our mistakes to progress and bring back the first titles to this women’s section”.
The card of Sandie Toletti
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Sandie Toletti has 42 caps with Les Bleues, for 3 goals.
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All selections combined, she has worn the blue jersey 107 times since 2010 (for 28 goals).
Sandie Toletti, here with Eve Périsset, won her starting stripes in the tricolor midfield (photo Simon MORCEL / FFF).
ITS POSITION
“With the youngsters, I played in number 10 but I fell back during my time in the pros, first as number 8 then then as sentinel, number 6, where I currently play. I appreciate this position more and more because I see the game a lot, I like recovering balls and being in balance with the team. I’ve always had examples in that position, players I enjoy watching like Rodri at Manchester City this season or Casemiro and Busquets. They are key players in key positions, I try to take inspiration from what they do and offer”.
A VERY RICH YOUTH SELECTION CAREER
“I had the chance to win a lot with the youth teams, it’s true. If I had to remember just one thing? The 94-95 generation, or even some 96, with Kadi in particular (Diana)Aissa (Tounkara)Griedge (Mbock-Bathy) … We had an absolutely incredible team, we followed each other from selection to selection to live extraordinary human adventures with the bonus of the success that goes with it. Of course I’m happy to have won these trophies with them, but the most important, the most precious, quite honestly, are all these moments shared together. More than any title. People are bound to remember these, but I think that by asking each of the girls who made up this group, they will say like me. We have experienced exceptional human adventures, which surely explains all these trophies garnered (2012 Women’s U17 World Cup, 2013 Women’s Euro U19) ».
There was no continuity for me, I got hurt a lot. I always kept Les Bleues in my head as a goal,
THE BLUES, A WINDING PATH
“While we were in selection (U19 in 2013) with the girls, coach Gilles Eyquem came to see us, Griedge, Kadi and me, to tell us that we were perhaps going to integrate the A (1st selection, France-Poland, 6-0, October 25, 2013). We were excited (laughs). It seemed distant to us and to end up with Les Bleues suddenly, it was crazy. We were very well received, which allowed us to learn directly from our teammates and to adapt as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there was no continuity for me, I was quite injured in Montpellier which stopped my progress in selection, of course, but made me progress humanly and mentally. I always kept Les Bleues in my head as a goal, and being able to come back and play Euro 2022 last summer was wonderful. But we are competitors and stopping in the semi-finals does not suit us. We want more! »
The Mondial smiles at Toletti
After the U17 2012 (won) and U20 2014 (3rd place) World Cups, Sandie Toletti is preparing to play a third World Cup, the first with the French Women’s A team. With a new medal at stake? “I live in the moment, I don’t think about what we have won in the past. I’m just enjoying living such a competition with girlfriends that I’ve had for so many years. All the lights are green, it will obviously be difficult, but we have the means to do something”.
Sandie Toletti, captain of the France U17 women’s team crowned world champion on October 13, 2012 against North Korea in Baku. We recognize, standing, Griedge Mbock-Bathy, Kadidiatou Diani and Aïssatou Tounkara, as well as Delphine Cascarino in the front row (photo Archives FFF).
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