Latest news with #Amiens
Morocco World
6 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Newcastle and Liverpool Eye Moroccan Starlet Aït Boudlal
Moroccan defender Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal is attracting growing interest from top clubs across Europe after a solid loan spell at Amiens. According to Africa Foot, Premier League sides Newcastle United and Liverpool are both keen on the Rennes center-back. Newcastle are understood to have met with the player's camp, while Liverpool have reportedly tabled a formal offer. French clubs OGC Nice and Lille are also monitoring him closely, with two top-half La Liga teams joining the chase. Aït Boudlal joined Rennes from Morocco's Mohammed VI Academy in July 2024. He spent the first half of the 2024–25 season playing for Rennes II in Championnat National 3 before moving to Amiens on loan in February. Despite joining mid-season, Aït Boudlal quickly became a regular starter for Amiens, making nine league appearances – eight as a starter – and registering one assist in a 3–2 win over Guingamp. His physical presence, composure, and sharp positioning have been widely praised. Amiens finished the season mid-table, in 11th. At 1.90m tall, Aït Boudlal is a commanding figure in defense. He captained Morocco at U17 level, leading them to runners-up finishes in the 2022 Arab Cup and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored in the U17 AFCON final and earned a place in the Team of the Tournament. He also represented Morocco at the 2023 U17 World Cup. In October 2023, The Guardian named him among the 60 best young footballers in the world born in 2006. Still under contract with Rennes until 2028, Aït Boudlal faces a crucial summer. His next move could be a defining step in his career. Tags: Aït BoudlalAmiensLiverpoolNewcastleRennes
Sky News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Classroom crush to face push: Key moments in the Macrons' relationship
French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed a video of him being pushed in the face by his wife as "nonsense". The clip, which shows Brigitte Macron place her hands on her husband's face as they prepare to exit their plane, sparked suggestions that the French first couple were caught in the middle of an argument. But Mr Macron said afterwards it was a case of "simply joking with my wife, as we often do". The pair's relationship has been in the headlines since Mr Macron's political career put him, and his loved ones, in the public eye. Both have been quizzed about their 25-year age gap - he is 47 and she is 72 - as well as their unconventional meet. Use our slider below to look through some of the key moments of the Macrons' relationship. When Emmanuel met Brigitte Mr Macron met Brigitte Trogneux, as she was then known, in 1993 when he was 15. At the time, she worked as a teacher at his secondary school in the French city of Amiens. As a student, Mr Macron was not in the classes his future wife taught, but the pair spent time together while working on a school play and during theatre workshops she ran. She was almost 40, married to banker Andre Auziere and had three children, Sebastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine. According to biographer Anne Fulda, who interviewed the Macron family, the French leader's parents initially thought he had a crush on Laurence Auziere, who was in his class at school. But in fact it was her mum. Mr Macron's mother, Francoise, is quoted in Fulda's book as saying: "We couldn't believe it. What is clear is that when Emmanuel met Brigitte we couldn't just say: 'That's great!'" His parents also allegedly told Brigitte to stay away from their son until he was 18, to which she replied: "I cannot promise you anything." Years later, she would confide in a friend that being with the young French president was like "working with Mozart". 'I will marry you' Defying the orders from Mr Macron's parents, the pair kept in touch, even after he was sent to Paris to complete his education at one of France's finest schools. Now around the age of 17, Mr Macron told his future wife: "I will be back for you. Whatever you do, I will marry you." In a 2017 interview with Elle France magazine, Mrs Macron said there was "nothing between" the two of them at the time he went to Paris, but it "all unfolded very slowly". She said: "The great distances that separated us physically until 2007. But we wrote to each other all the time during that period. "It all unfolded very slowly. I gradually brought my family to realise that. Emmanuel gradually brought his family to realise that." She admitted at the time she was concerned for her children as "spiteful gossip" had been "making the rounds". The couple eventually got married in 2007, a year after she divorced Mr Auziere. At the time of their wedding, he was 29 and she was 54. Life as the French first lady Nearly a decade after tying the knot, Mr Macron made a bid for the presidency, which he won in May 2017. From the moment Mr Macron started campaigning in 2016, his wife was with him on the election trail, during which he said he would "clarify" the role of the head of state's spouse. Shortly after becoming the first lady, Mrs Macron was asked about the relationship with her husband, and their age gap - which is the same as Donald and Melania Trump. She told Elle France that the difference in their ages is a "joke between" them, adding: "Anything anyone might say about the 20 years' difference is just a big nothing." She said: "Of course, we have breakfast, me with my wrinkles, him with his fresh face, but that's how it is. If I had not made that choice, I would have missed out on my life." Dispelling rumours As a couple, Mr and Mrs Macron have had to dispel various rumours that have emerged about them both. In 2017 Mr Macron laughed off rumours of a gay affair outside his marriage, saying: "If you're told I lead a double life... it's because my hologram has escaped." Then in 2022, Mrs Macron launched legal action over the spread of false claims that she was transgender. In September 2024, she was awarded €8,000 (£6,000) in damages by a Paris court after it found two women guilty of spreading the false claims.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who Is Emmanuel Macron's Wife, Brigitte? What Is Their Relationship History?
Wondering who Emmanuel Macron's wife is? The French President's long-standing relationship has often drawn attention, especially due to its unconventional beginnings. From their first meeting at school to their continued public appearances, their story has sparked headlines and debate. Here's what to know about Macron's wife, her background, and their unique journey together. Emmanuel Macron's wife is Brigitte Macron. Born Brigitte Trogneux, she was Macron's high school drama teacher at Lycée La Providence in Amiens, France. Brigitte Macron has been the First Lady of France since May 2017, following Emmanuel Macron's election as President. The couple married on October 20, 2007, after maintaining contact for years despite initial family opposition due to their age gap. Brigitte Macron was born on April 13, 1953, making her 72 years old as of 2025. She is 24 years older than Emmanuel Macron, who was born in December 1977. Brigitte was already married and had three children when she met Macron. Emmanuel Macron met Brigitte when he was 15 years old and a student at Lycée La Providence, where she taught French literature and drama. At the time, she was 39 and married with three children. Although they didn't begin a relationship immediately, they stayed in touch after Macron's parents sent him to Paris to separate them. They reconnected after he finished his education, and Brigitte divorced her husband in 2006. She and Emmanuel Macron married in 2007. In a 2023 interview, Brigitte recalled, 'For me, such a young boy was crippling,' explaining she waited a decade to be with him (via The Independent). Since becoming First Lady, Brigitte Macron has taken on roles in social advocacy, especially in education, disability rights, and anti-bullying initiatives. She launched the LIVE project to help unemployed young adults find training or employment. The couple went viral after a video showed Brigitte appearing to slap Macron during a trip to Vietnam. The French President later confirmed the moment was a joke, calling it 'nonsense' to interpret it otherwise. (via Originally reported by Vritti Johar on ComingSoon. The post Who Is Emmanuel Macron's Wife, Brigitte? What Is Their Relationship History? appeared first on Mandatory.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
How Emmanuel Macron's parents discovered their son was dating his 40-year-old teacher
A new biography of French President Emmanuel Macron has revealed his parents' shock when they discovered their 16-year-old son was having an affair with his married teacher. Much has been made of the fact that centrist Macron is married to Brigitte Trogneux, a woman 24 years his senior he met as a 15-year-old schoolboy when she was a teacher at La Providence, a private school in Amiens, northern France. Writer Anne Fulda, who penned the book Emmanuel Macron: A Perfect Young Man, spoke to the politician's parents about the scandalous affair that began while Ms Trogneux was a 39-year-old married mother-of-three. The schoolboy's parents had believed their son was dating his teacher's daughter, Laurence, until the truth came out through a family friend. Shocked at the illicit affair, the Macrons removed the intellectually gifted teenager from the school. His mother, Francoise Nogues-Macron, told Ms Fulda: 'We just couldn't believe it. What is clear is that when Emmanuel met Brigitte, we couldn't just say, 'That's great'.' But she added: 'What mattered to me was not the fact he was having a relationship with Brigitte but that he was alive and there weren't any problems.' Realising the affair would not be a passing phase, she is said to have told the teacher: 'Don't you see? You've had your life. But he won't have children with you.' His father, Jean-Michel Macron, revealed he 'almost fell off his chair' when he learned about his son's lover: 'When Emmanuel met Brigitte, we certainly did not say, 'How wonderful!' The shaken parents met Ms Trogneux and asked her not to see their son again until he reached adulthood, but she defiantly told them she couldn't 'promise anything'. But the future President's maternal grandmother, Manette, was surprisingly understanding. Francoise recalled: 'My mother, who would never have tolerated such a situation for her own children, showed herself to be much more open and tolerant with regard to her grandchildren's love affairs.' Both parents deny any suggestion that they would have threatened to kick the schoolboy out of the house, and insist he was due to go to the prestigious Lycee Henri IV in Paris for the final year of his studies in any case. The young Macron was not a student in his future wife's French classes but in her drama lessons, which she taught as a second subject. She recalls being in awe of his 'exceptional intelligence, a way of thinking that I had never seen before' and said that when she arrived at La Provence, 'all the teachers were buzzing about Emmanuel'. The unlikely pair grew close when they co-authored a play. Ms Trogneux told a friend years later: 'You know, the day when we wrote the play together, I had a feeling I was working with Mozart. 'The writing became an excuse. I felt that we had always known each other.' The new First Lady of France confirmed to Paris Match magazine last year that a determinedly romantic Macron had vowed to marry her when he was just 17 years old, promising to come back and find her after he was sent to the capital. 'You cannot get rid of me. I will come back and marry you,' he is quoted as having said. Recalling that his parents 'took it badly' when they discovered the affair, Mr Macron said: 'I had to fight in order to live both my private and my professional life as I wish. 'I had to fight and it wasn't the easiest or most obvious, not the most automatic thing to do, nor did it correspond with established norms.' The pair eventually married in 2007 when he was 29 and she was 54 years old. Becoming a very youthful stepfather to her three adult children, he told them at the wedding reception: 'Thanks for accepting us, a not-quite-normal couple.' Mr Macron has become France's youngest ever President at the age of 39 – the same age as his wife, now 64, was when they met. Many commentators have said the obsession with their age gap is an example of deeply ingrained misogyny since men in positions of power are frequently married to much younger women. The details of the role she will play as First Lady are as yet unclear but as a former teacher, Ms Trogneux is expected to concentrate on education reform.
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Guirassy's rise from journeyman to Champions League marksman
Serhou Guirassy - a man with a modest career until two years ago - finds himself near the top of the Champions League goalscoring 28-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker has relegations from the German and French top tiers on his CV - and had never hit a 15-goal season until last six transfers in a journeyman, often injury-hit, career have cost a combined £ now the Guinea international is the Champions League's joint-second top scorer, with 10 goals, going into the last-16 second leg against Lille - a club who previously moved him on after just six Sport looks at the remarkable rise of Guirassy - who has been linked with a host of British clubs throughout his career. Guirassy's early days at Laval and Lille Guirassy, then a France Under-19 international, made his first-team breakthrough at Laval and scored six goals in 29 games in the 2014-15 Ligue 2 and Leeds were both linked to him before he moved to Lille that summer for a reported 1m euros (now £840,000).Herve Renard was the manager who brought him to Lille - but was sacked in November and, after only three Ligue 1 starts, Guirassy was sent on loan to second tier Auxerre in netted eight goals in 16 games but Lille - who host Dortmund on Wednesday after a 1-1 first-leg draw - sold him that summer. Guirassy's first move to Germany Arsenal, still managed by Arsene Wenger then, were reportedly scouting him during that loan spell to instead he moved to Cologne - in a somewhat protracted German side spotted something in his medical and the clubs had a minor war of words before Cologne eventually negotiated a lower fee - understood to be about 4m euros (now £3.4m).Injuries would blight his time there and he managed just 21 Bundesliga appearances, and four goals, in his first two seasons before their to Transfermarkt he has missed 75 games through injury or illness in his career, with 41 of them coming during his time at netted just two goals in the opening half of the 2018-19 German second tier season before returning to France to join Amiens on loan. Guirassy's French reconnection Guirassy netted three Ligue 1 goals in the second half of 2018-19 and Amiens paid about 5m euros (about £4.2m now) to sign him permanently that Ham, Aston Villa, Leicester, Bournemouth, Brighton and Tottenham were all reportedly interested in signing him midway through the 2019-20 season - but he ended up staying at Amiens as they were relegated to Ligue sports director John Williams says Guirassy turned down a move to Chelsea in the summer of 2020 because he wanted first-team guarantees - so instead he moved to French top-flight Rennes for about 15m euros (now £12.6m).He hit double figures for the first two times in his career in all competitions with 25 goals in two seasons - but a return to Germany was calling. Guirassy goes back to Germany Everton were the latest British team to be linked to him when he was leaving Rennes in 2022 - and were supposedly close to signing him at one instead he went back to the Bundesliga, joining Stuttgart in a loan scored 14 goals in all competitions, including one in the promotion-relegation play-off win over Hamburg, as he avoided a third relegation in his made the signing permanent for a fee of about 9m euros (now £7.6m).And then his career really got going. Finding his shooting boots at Stuttgart The 2023-24 season was the year Guirassy really found his shooting all competitions last season he netted 30 goals in 30 games for Stuttgart - in an injury-hit netted 28 Bundesliga goals in as many games - one every 79 minutes - and only missed out on the Golden Boot to Harry Kane's finished second in the table behind Bayer was unfortunate because without Kane, he would have won not only the German top-scorer award but also the European Golden Shoe - awarded to the leading scorer across Europe's top missing several games through injury, he played 2,211 minutes in the league (equivalent to 24.5 full games) - the most in his was at Stuttgart too that he became a senior international for Guinea, having represented France at youth level. Champions League heroics 'no surprise' Manchester United and Newcastle United were among the English teams to be linked to him last he instead moved to Borussia Dortmund, who triggered a release clause to sign him for 17.5m euros (£14.7m).Another injury delayed his debut but he has been prolific since getting into the team - with 24 goals in 34 of those have come in the Champions League, in his debut season in Europe's top competition, where he has outscored everyone apart from Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (10) and Barcelona's Raphina (11)."I understand that my form might surprise some, but I'm not surprised," he said recently., external"I have had two crazy seasons, but I've not changed anything. I'm not working more, I'm not sleeping more, I'm not doing more video analysis. "It's just a question of confidence. And I have understood that at the highest level, talent isn't enough. "You have to push through the pain barrier in challenges, in the effort you put in, in making high-intensity runs again and again, more quickly and more frequently than your opponents. "Perhaps that is where the change has come from."
