Virginius catapults himself into the limelight with his joker goal in Istanbul. Here, YB chief scout Stéphane Chapuisat reveals that he wanted to get the Frenchman years ago, but that he was still too expensive at the time.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- YB new signing Alan Virginius scores the only goal of the game on Tuesday evening after coming on as a substitute against Galatasaray Istanbul and becomes the match-winner.
- YB chief scout Stéphane Chapuisat tells blue Sport that he wanted to get the Frenchman years ago, but that he was still too expensive at the time.
- And what makes Virginius tick? "Reserved, quiet, almost a little shy," says Chapuisat. He stands out more on the pitch.
YB matchwinner in Istanbul? Alan Virginius, 21-year-old on loan from Lille. His ball reception is wonderful, the way he shakes off his opponent is wonderful, his finish is wonderful. Quick, fast, tricky and efficient.
Out of nowhere, he shot himself into the limelight on this Tuesday evening, sending YB into the Champions League with his goal. Having only arrived in Bern from France three weeks ago, the whirlwind was only known to the most hardened YB fans before the clash in Turkey.
His first appearance in a YB shirt was virtually unnoticed, even though the Frenchman scored three times. On August 17, YB faced the Valais amateurs of FC Printse-Nendaz in the Cup, where the final score was 10:0.
Chapuisat: "We wanted to get Virginius years ago"
Virginus has already scored 4 goals after 2 games in YB kit. How did the former French international come to YB? YB chief scout Stéphane Chapuisat told blue Sport: "I've known Alan for a long time. We already had him on our radar a few years ago when he was still playing for Sochaux." At the time, the Bernese side couldn't keep up financially and Virginius moved to Lille in the summer of 2022.
The situation has changed this summer. Virginius was barely in the squad at Lille last season and was loaned out to Clermont Foot 63 in the winter. Now he joined YB a few weeks ago. Chapuisat: "He wants to relaunch his career. It's great that it has now worked out."
And in the event that Virginius continues to score like this, YB has made provisions. They have negotiated a purchase option with Lille for the talented attacking player. And what makes the Istanbul goalscorer tick off the pitch? "Reserved, quiet, almost a little shy", says Chapuisat, "on the pitch he stands out more".
The way Chapuisat describes the new YB jewel is how the former world-class striker himself likes to be described ...
