He was living a waking dream. 27 children and extra-curricular companions from Altdorf (Bass-Rhin) attended the PSG match at the Parc des Princes this Sunday, 13 November, personally invited by Kylian Mbappe. He even met his ideal. The story of a magical weekend.
For the 27 lucky people who get to travel, Paris is truly magical. After school in Altdorf, the children of Pomme de Pic and their guides are still bright-eyed four days after their incredible journey.
Assembled in their canteen room this Thursday, November 17, they are unwavering on the subject. Nolan is looking forward to it, he tells us about the weekend off the menu. Because not only did PSG star Kylian Mbappe invite him to a match against Auxerre at the Parc des Princes, but he also offered him two days in Paris with a hotel, private bus, trip to the Eiffel Tower and botanical gardens.
“When we got to the hotel, I said to myself, very nice, Kylian Mbappé is really nice to give us a hotel like this, it’s no joke”, the little boy smiled. The children, happy from their visit, are still looking forward to the match at the Parc des Princes.
When they finally walk through the door, “I saw the glow of the grass and I told myself that it really has nothing to do with the lawn at Altdorf Stadium”Axel is struggling to achieve. “The atmosphere was just awesome Dimitri adds, every time he scored (PSG won 5–0, editor’s note), There was loud music and the fans with their songs and big drums, it was crazy!”
Lena, she plays basketball but she also likes football. “I cried when I saw the lawn. Parc des Princes is not like SIG, in the end you have more voices and more ears”,
What they don’t know at the moment is that a big surprise awaits them at the end of the match. “I only found out at the last moment explains Pauline, animator and extracurricular partner. JayI was chatting with the staff so that the PSG striker would say hi to us and it happened. For them, obviously it’s magic, there are really no words, I was just afraid someone would pass away”She adds it with a radiant smile.
So after the match is over the stewards gather the small group, escorting them through the backstage to the star striker’s box. Who reaches in the end all smiles. “Was the trip good? Did you like the Eiffel Tower?”, he asks in front of the astonished children on the verge of tears.
Matthew confirms. “Suddenly there he was, I tightened my hat, couldn’t say a word, I was in shock but at least I can tell my children and my grandchildren!” Lena, she cried again. Happiness, of course.
Some were able to check in, were able to take selfies, were able to give all the gifts they had brought, an Alsatian specialty, needless to say. AND ALSO GET: Backpack, key rings, an autographed comic book. It’s enough to drive extracurricular conversations for long weeks.
An incredible adventure that started as a joke. Last year, amazed to see all these kids wearing Kylian Mbappe’s jersey, Pauline had the idea to write a letter to the Parisian player along with other animators. Without expecting anything in particular from an answer.
Which is slow in coming but which is coming in the form of phone calls. “At first, I thought it was a joke intro Dynamic young woman with her hair in a thick ponytail. And then I realised.”
Realizing how lucky this little piece of Alsace was. This is confirmed by the assistant of the world champion, who arranged everything. “He told us there was a 3-5 year delay in responses, that there were tons of bags full of unopened letters. So we were very lucky that our letter opened and it rained. He obviously touched them”Pauline explains again.
But once the offer came, everything happened very quickly. “I also heartily thank Opal 67, on whom our extracurricular depends, because they trusted us in such a short time, the children are under their responsibility, it is nothing.” “Actually, I spent a somewhat stressful weekendPierre Bosch, confirms the director, But for these kids, it gives them a really cool bracket, we can’t deny them.”
Like an early Christmas gift. Now it is the turn of FIFA World Cup. And given the chance of the calendar, the Racing Club of Strasbourg runs for the resumption of the championship at the Parc des Princes on 28 December, the hearts of these small supporters run the risk of swinging between two loves.