In memory of Ruben Kutran

Saturday 31st December 2022 will be remembered as a dark day for our club, and particularly our Academy. It was on Saturday that we learned of the tragic death of Ruben Kutran. Ruben was just 20 years old. Ruben was a highly-promising young player and a member of the Academy from 2017 until June 2022. He had immense talent, a great attitude, a sense of hard work and a true love for the Girondins. Unfortunately, physical factors meant that he was unable to pursue a career at the top level of the sport. In memory of Ruben, we spoke to those who knew him best at the club. Starting out with CM Floirac, Ruben played for the Pôle Espoirs in Talence before joining the Girondins Academy. Sylvain Blaquart, who was U15 coach at the time, recalls his "superb attitude. He was very serious, listened hard, wanted to improve and always made the effort. It was always a pleasure working with him." Rio Mavuba first encountered Ruben in the Reserves. He remembers him as an effective player, but also as something more "on top of being a good footballer, he was a charming young lad, intelligent and wise. He was extraordinarily open, kind and humble. An example to us all."  

Matthieu Chalmé concurs: "We've all said it, just how we'll miss his joyful presence, his good spirits and his smile." Having coached Ruben in the Reserves, Chalmé recalls "a respectful lad, a warm and friendly character" endowed with "drive and determination, and a left foot which marked him out as a really promising prospect for the club. But it's impossible to separate the player from the man." Indeed, that will be the enduring memory of Ruben at Le Haillan. His talent on the pitch was undeniable, but his character off the field was just as universally appreciated. As somebody who works with our young players day-in and day-out, Academy supervisor Mohamed Moumtaz recalls a "diplomatic, popular boy, always smiling and always respectful to everybody around him. I use to call him 'the wise man.'" Fellow supervisor Denis remembers Ruben as a great success story: "the goal of the Academy is to produce young players ready to step into the first team, but that's not the only gauge of success. There are other, less obvious forms of success, and Ruben is a good example. Every time he visited it would be smiles all round, a reminder that the Academy is a big family. He was one of the pillars of this generation of young players." Valérie Pédron, Academy coordinator, remembers Ruben as a "ray of sunshine." "Nothing could faze him. Even when he was ill he never lost that internal calm, that serenity which was so astonishing in a young man of his age."

Yannick Stopyra and Patrick Battiston, our head scout and Academy director, also wanted to pay tribute to Ruben. Stopyra describes him as "the player who most impressed me with this kindness, his openness and his personal qualities. He would have made an excellent coach." Battiston neatly sums up what so many of us have been thinking this week: "Ruben had all of the right ingredients to make an exceptional person: respect, passion, hard work, a positive attitude, an impeccable approach to his work.... He was a joy to be around. We will miss his smile." "Sometimes the good die young": the old saying is true, and terribly, terribly sad. Everybody at the club would like to express their most sincere condolences to Ruben's family and friends, and all those who were lucky enough to know Ruben Kutran. He will forever remain a member of the Girondins family, a proud and worthy representative of our club.