Alphonse Areola was suddenly pushed towards the exit by PSG in the final days of the summer transfer window in 2019.
Finding himself displaced following the arrival of Keylor Navas as the new starting goalkeeper, Areola had little time to secure a new club. At the eleventh hour, Real Madrid agreed to take him on loan, with Zinedine Zidane, then the manager of the club, playing a pivotal role.
Marion Areola, Alphonse’s wife, revealed the behind-the-scenes drama in an interview with Le Parisien. “We were having dinner with friends when Alphonse received a call from his agent, Mino Raiola at the time, telling him: ‘You’re going to Real.’ Paris had just bought Navas.
We found out 48 hours before the end of the transfer window, leaving him little time to find another club,” she said. Marion expressed gratitude to Zidane for extending a lifeline to the French international during this uncertain time.
“Real Madrid saved him because he was really down,” she continued. “The club made it clear they would do everything to find another goalkeeper if he didn’t move to Real. We had a sleepless night weighing the options, but then, there was Real Madrid! Who says no to Real? The next day, he received a call from Zidane, which was incredibly gratifying. It lit up Alphonse’s face. Real saved him because he was in a really tough spot.”
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