Former PSG Prodigy Ruiz-Atil Fights to Shake Off Party Boy Image and Revive Career

What was just a locker room banter, "we were laughing about it" at the time, has turned into a public trial. "It was distorted," laments the midfielder. The impact went beyond social media. "Since it came out, people have been looking at me strangely in the street," he confides. This persistent reputation even caused a transfer to fall through this summer, with clubs thinking "that I’m still like before," he says to RMC.

The young man does not shirk responsibility and acknowledges his past mistakes. "They are right about what they said, I was wrong, but these are things that date back four or five years." The private jet trips, the designer clothes, the parties... He takes responsibility. "I was young, I didn’t want to listen to anyone. I only did what I wanted." Even the warnings from figures in the Paris dressing room, like Kylian Mbappé’s mother, had no effect. "I was too young and immature, I didn’t want to understand."

Kays Ruiz-Atil believes he is paying a heavy price for an early media exposure that has made him an "easy target." He denounces a separate treatment. "People have done much worse and they are there playing on the football pitches. Me, they never give me a second chance," he says bitterly. "It’s as if I’m not allowed to make mistakes. But every human being has the right to make mistakes. And there are many who have made mistakes, who have been forgiven. Unfortunately, they can’t seem to forgive me."

The real turning point came after his departure from Auxerre in 2023, when he found himself without a club. A period when he almost quit everything. "After a while, I told myself I was going to stop," he admits. Pushed by his mother, he radically changed course: no more outings, the circle of friends is now limited to the family to "keep a low profile."

It was at Francs Borains, in the Belgian second division, that he found a "good springboard" to "rediscover the pleasure of playing football." Far from the limelight, he has rediscovered the pleasure of playing under the guidance of coach Karim Belhocine. Subjected to a strict discipline, he participates in defensive tasks and has physically transformed himself, displaying "ten extra kilos of muscle."

Today, the 23-year-old player feels more mature and has only one goal: to make up for lost time. His dream? "To come back where they predicted I would be" and "to be one of the best players in the world." In his sights, a return to a major league like La Liga or the Bundesliga, and the ambition to wear the jersey of the Moroccan national team. Kays Ruiz-Atil now hopes that football will finally grant him the second chance he so desires.