Moroccan Star Sofiane Boufal Rebounds from Injury, Eyes Strong Season with Angers SCO

It was last April that Sofiane Boufal suffered a patellar tendon injury, forcing him to seek treatment outside the club’s facilities. A difficult period for the current midfielder of SCO Angers. In an interview with sofoot.com, he confided that he was happy to have been able to get back in shape and to have started the season with a goal already on his tally.

Reflecting on his troubles last season, he explained that beyond the repeated injuries and the health crisis, there was also his desire to leave Southampton, while the club wanted to keep him. "For me, it was clear, I wanted a new challenge and to see something else. I trained separately and signed for Angers on the last day of the transfer window without preparation and out of shape." He stresses that the transfer market during the Covid period was not easy to manage, but he does not regret returning to the club that trained him.

When asked about the reasons why he chose to join Angers, when he had received several offers, including the possibility of playing in the Champions League, he indicated that it was a return to his roots that he could not refuse, especially with the difficulties encountered last season. "It’s as if I had just signed my first professional contract and had everything to prove to myself."

Sofiane Boufal is returning to Angers at a time when Stéphane Moulin, the coach who launched his career, is being replaced at the head of the club. The Atlas Lion refuses to get into comparisons without giving Gérald Baticle, the new coach, a chance to show what he is capable of. However, he jealously guards the experiences he had with Stéphane Moulin, who was more than a coach, a guide, an educator for the player.

Even if the last few years have not been very beneficial for his career, he remains optimistic and thinks he will achieve all the goals he has set for himself and has no intention of disappointing his loved ones, those who have always encouraged him to surpass himself. "Honestly, I’ve come a long way. I had to quit school very early to devote myself to football and to help my mother. I never lacked anything, but I wasn’t a young person like the others. I already knew what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. I had a family behind me, I couldn’t afford to do anything," he says.

The Moroccan player confides that his sporting prowess is above all for his mother, who made many sacrifices to see him play, even if his five-year contract with Southampton did not prosper. "Southampton’s game evolved over time, and my profile no longer really fit the tactical scheme. I naturally had more trouble expressing what I was supposed to bring, especially since I had arrived still injured. I wasn’t playing, I wasn’t chaining matches, so I was losing my place and especially my confidence. You feel like you can help, but you’re not given a chance. When some players had four or five games to prove themselves, I had one or two," he explained.

During the interview, he discussed his experience with the Atlas Lions and the fact that he was unable to participate in the 2018 World Cup with Morocco. "It’s a disappointment not to have participated. I’m a bit fatalistic, if I didn’t go, it’s because I wasn’t supposed to go. But it’s clearly still in a corner of my mind," he acknowledged.