The final of the French Football Cup will see RC Lens facing OGC Nice this Friday evening at 9 pm at the Stade de France. This match holds great significance for Florian Thauvin, the striker from RC Lens, who hails from Orleans and played in his youth for clubs in Ingre, St Jean-de-la-Ruelle, and US Orleans. Despite being a world champion, Thauvin, aged 33, has only one major club title to his name: a Ligue 2 championship with Bastia in 2012.
“A collective goal, but also an individual goal”
“It bothers me,” he confesses. “It’s an anomaly for me not to have won a major trophy at club level. So, it’s an additional motivation for me, with experience, winning a trophy is even more important to me because it leaves a mark, a legacy: beyond being a collective goal, winning this final is also a personal goal.”
A frustration to overcome
Up until now, Florian Thauvin has played in two finals with Marseille: in the French Cup against PSG (defeat 2-4 in 2016) and in the Europa League against Atletico Madrid (0-3 in 2018). “Two defeats, but we faced tough opponents, better than us, so it was tough to beat them.” The hurdle seems slightly lower this time, as the Lensois are favorites tonight against struggling Niçois who have yet to secure their place in Ligue 1. This trophy would be a nice consolation prize for Thauvin this season – especially since Lens finished in second place in the league and he was not selected by Didier Deschamps for the upcoming World Cup.
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