Sebastian Dalle: Today I can sleep without drinking.

You were born in Bourges in the1970s. How was your childhood in Chere? It was a pleasant childhood in a residential area. We looked forward to finishing school to gather at the bottom of the house and play football. I was born into a family of footballers: my father played in a semi-professional league, my older brothers also played. I have unforgettable memories of matches between neighborhoods. It was real madness, full of people. If you won, you were respected for a year. They no longer bullied you, but instead stole from others. I didn't have a bike... So I walked there, but left on a bike! (Laughter.)

In English response format

It was the club closest to Bourges. My parents divorced when I was eight, so at first it reassured my mother to see me with her. I spent a week in Toulouse and a week in Auch. In Toulouse they said they would call back, but they never did. In Auch, Guy Roux said he would continue to keep an eye on me.

**What differences have you noticed between life in Bourges and life in Orléans?

**"In Orleans, I stopped smoking weed. (Laughter.) Anyway, I no longer engaged in drug trafficking in Bourges. My older brother, who was two years older than me, was involved in that, and he pulled me into it. So when I came to Orleans, I completely devoted myself to football. And it became my life. I passed the exams in the third grade, I didn't even have a diploma. They asked me: "What will you do in the future?" I answered: "I will be a professional"."

Did you help your brother because it was necessary, or did you want to follow in his footsteps and earn some money?

Money didn't interest me at that time. It was more under the influence of my older brother. From a very young age, he befriended the wrong people. He was a very good football player, the captain of the national youth team, but he was unpredictable... Sometimes he would say, "Come on, let's buy a kilogram of weed, cut it into portions, and sell it." He made money and sometimes bought me clothes. I didn't need that because even with a small amount of money, our parents raised us well. They were workers, and they struggled with hardships all their lives. For me personally, it was important to have a ball, football boots, and the opportunity to go to training. I was happy.

On the football fields, you made your first appearances in the second division in 1991, at the age of 17. Do you remember your first match?

The coach told me that I'm included in the group for the trip to Dunkirk. Orleans-Dunkirk by bus, can you imagine how long that journey is... You smoke on the bus, play cards. The older guys sat down with me at the table and taught me how to play cards. I became a pro! I was a substitute during the match, we lost 1-0, and in the second half, the coach substituted me and said, "Play like you know how!" I had no stress. I went onto the field, made a support run, got the ball played to me in depth, saw the goalkeeper coming out, I rounded him and scored a goal. 1-1. We got back on the bus and continued playing cards.

The club went into liquidation, and you had to leave. What options were offered to you?

Gi Ru called me and said, "Do you remember, little Dalle, I told you I would keep an eye on you? Well, here I am. It's time to come to us!" I replied, "Mr. Gi Ru, no. You didn't want to take me, I'm not coming this year," and he hung up. The guy didn't want to take me? Fine by me. I'm not one to hold a grudge, but I shouldn't be bothered. After that, I received many offers from clubs all over France.

What other clubs were there?

Monaco or Marseille, I had both options. I've always loved Marseille. I had friends in the French youth national team who played in Monaco. When they came to meetings, I heard their accent and thought, "Damn, it must be great to be in the south!" My agent said, "Seb, I know you, the south isn't your place. We've been invited to a match in Lens." "I'm asking about Marseille or Monaco, and you're sending me to Lens? Penguins live there!" We went to the match, and in the end, I told my agent, "Where's my contract?

You're about to turn 18, and you're signing a contract with Lance. How have you felt about your life?

I had to start all over again and prove my worth to get into a professional team. I signed a contract in the middle of the season, as I was already playing in the second division, and I had to wait for the next season. I struggled in the reserve team until 1992, when I was finally given a chance. Sometimes I trained with the first team, and I felt that I had the level. The coach at that time (Arno dos Santos, editor's note) didn't want to hear about me. He thought I was a small troublemaker and that I needed to face difficulties. He sent me to the reserves and then to the youth team... I trained on a sandy field. Then I returned to the reserves. After a few matches, Patrice Berg (the coach of Lens from 1992 to 1996, editor's note) promoted me to the first team.

We would go out after home games, and that's where I got to know beer. I hadn't drunk before coming to Lens.

The next year you fully joined the team, played a lot of matches... I was no longer a young rookie, I started to become a key player. It was a memorable season. In 1991, the club returned to the first league, and four years later we finished in fifth place with an incredible team. Roger Boli was magnificent; he became the top scorer of the championship. I became a fan favorite. Even when I was on the bench, five minutes into the game the whole stadium would be calling for me. Good or bad, the most important thing is to get your shirt wet, to show that you’re fighting on the field like a beggar. We would go out after home matches, and that’s when I got to know beer. I hadn’t drunk before coming to Lens. God, how hard it is to keep up with beer in the north! (Laughter.)

After your loan in Guingamp, you return to Lens. What happened during this season in Brittany?

In the 1994-1995 season, I was in the army. I served in Joao Ville. It was a tough season, although there were some good moments. At the end of the season, I was sent to Guingamp, where I had a wonderful year. It was Guingamp's first year in the top league in the club's history. I had a great season, and Guingamp wanted to buy me, but Jervé Martel wanted me to return.

How did you get through the 1996-1997 season?

The coach changed, and so did the team... This year has been tough... Slavo Muslin became the coach, and new players came in for my position. I realized that this was bad. I showed that I could be very good, but when I returned to Lens, something broke. I played little, the team wasn't doing well... It was a difficult year. Eight rounds before the end of the season, the coach was fired, and Roger Lemere returned, someone I knew from the army. We didn't really get along there... Roger came in and said, "We have too many people in the locker room, so eight of you will go to the reserves." Of course, I was among them. That was the end; I needed to find another club.

In September 1996, Lance faced Lazio in the Round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. How did you prepare for this double confrontation?

You're in a suit at the airport, the scent of the European Cup, Lazio at the Olimpico, and I immediately get into the game... It was magical! I didn't play in the first match, and in the second, I replaced Toni Verel, who broke his ankle in the 20th minute. I tried to help the team as much as I could. We lost at home, and the return match ended 1-1. At the end of the match, Foé hit the post. We were out, and that's when you realize it's time to hang up the suit. It's all over.

The following year you moved to Sochaux. How did your arrival in Dub go?

I had a good impression of the club, but the problem was that Sochaux was in the second division. I remember the advice from the older players at Lens: "If you can stay in the first league, stay! When you drop to the second league, it's very hard to come back." Sochaux had just dropped to the...