Goalscorer against Le Havre and in great form over the past few weeks, Ronald Zubar has silenced his critics in the best possible manner. "I can only thank the people who criticised me" he says without resentment.
Ronald Zubar has, over the last few weeks, rediscovered the form that was his last year, that of a great defender. His season has encountered low and high points. The low points would be the home games against Lille or Liverpool. During the Lille game, a misunderstanding between the defender and Steve Mandanda allowed OM’s opponents to get back on level terms. Against the English, a foul in the box when the score was at 1-1 gave the Reds a penalty, which they had no qualms about converting and taking the lead … The supporters and the Media started making him the scapegoat for OM’s woes. Taking a lot of criticism at the time, the native of Guadeloupe threw himself into his work and was shielded by his friends.
The high points of his season were the return match against Liverpool and the games against Toulouse, Nice and Atlético. The metamorphosis was sudden, proof that his talent had not deserted him. During these matches, we often saw Ronald Zubar move forward at corners or free-kicks in order to try and score. This tactic finally paid off last week-end against Le Havre where is headed goal sealed OM’s win. «The first people that came into my mind were the coach, my friend Nico who is no longer with us, my family, especially my mother who suffered a lot while I was being criticised. I have a tattoo on my fore arm which is dedicated to her, when I kiss the tattoo it’s her that I am kissing. Afterwards I ran to the coach to thank him ».
Even in the most difficult moments, Erik Gerets has always defended his player and has never hesitated putting him in the starting line-up, despite the criticism. «When you are being criticised and the coach still puts you in the first eleven, it’s not easy for him as he is taking risks. But he knows all about my strengths and weaknesses, he knows that I am mentally strong and that I could fight back. He kept telling me : “play like you know how to and show everyone what you are capable of “».
While the club had, for a moment, thought about recruiting a defender during the transfer window, the return to form of Ronald Zubar has convinced the OM staff that this is not necessary. « Ronald Zubar’s goal seems symbolic of his career , stated Pape Diouf. He has had a few problems over the last few weeks. I’m very happy for him and the team. Ronald is showing all of his potential and is proving that the coach was right when he said that he hadn’t done this up until now. Now, with this confidence boost, he will be able to play more freely ».
His team-mates, who were always behind him, share this opinion. «I’m happy for him. He’s had a tough time and scoring a goal is always important for your confidence. We’re all delighted for him» confirms the captain Benoît Cheyrou.
«Ronald is very strong, a tidy player and on top of that he has scored , adds Karim Ziani, who played in the pass for Zubar’s goal. What more can you ask of him? He has shown his true value and I hope that will continue as it does us a lot of good ».
From now on, the defender just wants to concentrate on the rest of the season and the different objectives, the league, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Cup, without another thought for this dark period. «I’m not mad at anyone ,because they must all have been disappointed to see me playing badly, and not seeing the real Ronald Zubar. I can only thank the people who criticised me. You get over it and the truth is only ever seen on the pitch ».
