Victor-Hugo Montaño: “Colombia is a football nation”
As the French men’s football team prepares to take on Colombia in a friendly match this Sunday, we gave one of the most famous Colombian players to have played for MHSC a quick ring: the legendary striker Victor-Hugo Montaño. Smiling, sharp and emotional, as the footage from our video call shows, ‘Vic’ is still ‘Vic’: passionate, cheerful, sincere and devoted to ‘his’ MHSC.
I’m making the most of the opportunity I’ve been given to do this job, and I try to give back to football everything it has given me
First of all, how are you getting on, Victor?
I’m fine, thank you very much. I’m enjoying life and spending time with my family, and as long as we’re in good health, that’s what matters most. I ended my playing career seven years ago and became a coach. I’m currently in my second season as coach of the U16s at Leyendas Del Valle, a club based in Cali. It’s a young club, founded just three years ago, which has teams across all age groups, from the U6s to the U16s. I’m making the most of the opportunity I’ve been given to do this job and I’m trying to give back to football everything it has given me; to pass on everything I’ve learnt throughout my career, particularly during my time in France… And I think it’s going rather well! (smile)
What is Victor-Hugo Montaño like as a coach, and who does he remind you of?
Even though I’m a striker and I work on every aspect of the game, I have to admit that I place a bit more emphasis on the defensive side than the attacking side. I’m a coach who likes his players to fight hard on the pitch. With the ball, we try to play, to link up a lot, and without the ball, I want to maintain a certain balance and give everything to win it back. When it comes to intensity and giving it your all, there’s no negotiating with me. Without the ball, you have to be intense, committed and aggressive, without being nasty. I’m a bit of a mix between Rolland Courbis and Frédéric Antonetti, whom I knew in France. La Grinta is the foundation of our work! (smiles)
By the way, how did you find out about and cope with the death of the coach, Rolland Courbis?
I’ve stayed in touch with Grégory Lacombe, and it was he who broke the news of his passing to me. It hit me hard, just as it affected my wife and children, because we were very close to him. It’s a huge loss for French football. Coach Rolland helped me improve the way I make the right move in front of goal to finish my moves effectively; He gave me confidence. I improved a lot under him. In training, when I got in front of goal, he’d say to me: ‘Stop doing everything at 200 miles an hour; try shifting down the gears: 5th, 4th, 3rd, and when the engine’s calmed down, think and place your ball just right! “Play it flat with your feet, into the bottom corner, and that’s it!” These are memories I’ve always kept in mind. Rolland helped me enormously and meant a great deal to me. His passing made me cry a lot. It’s part of life, unfortunately. I’m happy and lucky to have crossed paths with him.
When it comes to intensity and giving it your all, there’s no room for compromise with me. Even without the ball, you need to be intense, committed and aggressive, without being nasty
Was he the one who gave you the nickname ‘Pépito’?
No, it’s Greg Lacombe, because my daughter used to eat a cake with that name all the time in France. I don’t know if it’s still around! (laughs)
Rolland (Courbis) was a huge help to me and meant a great deal to me. His passing made me cry a lot.
Almost 10 years after you left, what memories do you have of your two spells at MHSC?
The promotion to Ligue 1 in 2009 is obviously the memory that springs to mind first. Being able – along with my teammates, of course – to bring such joy and excitement to all the fans, and seeing the Stade de La Mosson packed to the rafters, was magnificent. Helping this club return to the top flight was a truly memorable moment.
MHSC was a wonderful footballing and personal adventure
Then there are many other memories that spring to mind, including that famous goal that secured our place in Ligue 2 against Grenoble two years earlier (a 1-0 win from a penalty on 25 May 2007, Ed.), which was an exceptional moment. In both cases, my joy and the common thread between these two events was the pleasure of seeing the people around us happy. MHSC was a magnificent footballing and human adventure. When you retire, you start to take it all in and realise what you’ve actually achieved. Back then, the teammates, the staff, the directors, the club staff – we were all one big family, and I think that’s what gave us the strength to go and secure that promotion.
How did you feel when MHSC were relegated to Ligue 2, almost a year ago now?
It hurt. It’s hard to accept, but now I think the recruitment team has signed the right players for this competition. I hope that, either this season or by the end of next season, MHSC will return to the top flight, because its place is in Ligue 1.
Speaking of which, as someone who’s played in Ligue 2 – even if it was 20 years ago – what does it take to get back into Ligue 1?
We must believe in hard work, in the value and importance of that word. It’s also important for the players to be like a family, because MHSC is a family. We must stand together and believe in it right to the end.
We must believe in work, in the value and importance of that word
How did you feel last season when you stepped onto the pitch at Stade de La Mosson again as part of the club’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, and what does MHSC mean to you?
Pour ce qui est du fait de rejouer au Stade de La Mosson, je me sentais comme la première fois, lorsque j’ai joué mon 1er match avec Montpellier. J’étais sur le banc avec Greg Lacombe et je lui répétais : « J’ai envie de jouer, je veux jouer, je veux jouer » J’avais cette émotion, cette boule au ventre et ce bonheur en même temps de retrouver ce stade et ce public avec lequel j’ai vécu tant de bons moments. Quand je revois ces supporters, cette ambiance et cet anniversaire magnifique, je me dis qu’en fait, même 10 ans plus tard, c’était comme si je n’étais jamais parti. En plus, le fait d’avoir marqué, j’étais comme un gamin. J’ai pris du plaisir et j’étais très content… profondément heureux même. Je suis né à Cali, et Montpellier c’est ma deuxième ville. Ça représente beaucoup pour moi. Je n’ai que de très bons souvenirs de mon passage au MHSC.
On sent beaucoup d’émotions quand tu en parles.
Oui, beaucoup parce que mes enfants sont Montpelliérains ; ils sont nés là-bas, à la clinique Saint-Roch. Pour moi, Montpellier c’est tout ! J’apprécie beaucoup la ville, j’y ai laissé de nombreux amis… J’ai été profondément marqué par mon passage au MHSC.
On Sunday, the French team are playing Colombia in a friendly match. What are your thoughts on this fixture?
I’m expecting a very good match. The French team has some excellent players – top-class, world-class players. For us Colombians, this match will be a good test, as we’ll be facing such a tough opponent ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
There are also some very talented young players in Colombia, and we will need to find the right balance and the right timing to gradually integrate them into the national team, so as to build their confidence and, little by little, restore a team that is as competitive as the one that shone at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Frenche National Team has this ability to constantly renew itself with talented players, and that is also the challenge facing Colombia today. We still have players who shone in previous World Cups and who will no doubt be playing in their final World Cup this summer, such as James Rodríguez and goalkeeper David Ospina, to name but a few. There are also some very good young players in Colombia, and we’ll need to find the right balance and the right timing to gradually integrate them into the national team, so as to build their confidence and, little by little, restore a team as competitive as the one that shone at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Colombia is a footballing nation. Here, the beautiful game is a true passion for everyone in the country, from the youngest to the oldest. We have a unique, intense and passionate way of experiencing football.
