Alain Giresse on the death of Fernando Chalana: “We saw him as a star when he was just a nice guy”

Alain Giresse: “We knew he was sick, but it’s sad. He had been brilliant with Portugal against us in Marseille, in the semi-finals of Euro 84, but once he arrived in Bordeaux, he had difficulty expressing himself due to his numerous injuries. It was a very big transfer, at the time, and I think there were too many expectations around him. We saw him as a star when he was just a nice guy. He didn’t look like he was short, and not muscular, but he was lively, and it was easy to play with him. »

Bernard Lacombe: “He was a beautiful character, and a good comrade in the locker room, kindness itself. He was often injured in Bordeaux, and I remember that one day we tried to convince him that there was good fish here, that he could stop eating red meat. (smiles). With René Girard and Léonard Specht, who lived next door, we often picked him up to go to the airport on travel days. And his most famous goal with us is surely his shot on goal from the right in Dnepropetrovsk. At the end, in the locker room, I went to see him: “Fernando, why did you shoot straight? » He had just smiled saying that he had already done it with Benfica…”