I’m ready to be Brighton’s rock star
Neal Maupay’s career stalled... now he’s making up for lost time
‘Playing in the Championship first was my best decision, I needed games’
FOUR words sum up Neal Maupay’s journey. They speak to last summer’s move to Brighton, his longawaited return to the spotlight and, more recently, last week’s winner at Arsenal: better late than never.
‘Everyone has their own path,’ Maupay says. ‘I wasn’t in a rush, I knew I was going to make it, I knew I was a really good player. It just takes time.’
Still only 23, Maupay has talent in spades. The French striker met
Sportsmail on Brighton seafronttwo days before his 80th-minute header gave Graham Potter’s side victory at the Emirates Stadium, Three days after that match he netted again in their 2-2 draw with Wolves.
This week seven years ago Championship side Brighton drew 0-0 with Nottingham Forest. On the same day, Maupay scored his first senior goal — a last-minute winner for Nice against Evian.
At just 16 years old he was the second-youngest scorer in Ligue 1 history. ‘Everyone was expecting me to be a star,’ he remembers. ‘I wasn’t ready for it and I didn’t really want all these media and people around me talking about me. I just wanted to be like a normal guy.’
There were comparisons with Wayne Rooney and Eden Hazard. ‘I was still in school, I was only 16, I didn’t know anything about professional football or life, basically,’ Maupay adds. ‘I had a lot of stuff to learn. But on the other side you don’t have time because you’re playing with men — they know everything.’
Soon his career began to stall. He dropped down to Ligue 2 before quitting France for a new start — and some shelter. ‘Nobody knew me here and that’s what I needed,’ Maupay adds.
Now Maupay is making up for lost time. Against Wolves he netted his sixth goal in 16 Brighton appearances. Yet only three summers ago he snubbed a ticket to the fast lane. In 2017, both Brighton and Brentford came calling but Maupay chose Brentford in the Championship.
‘I didn’t say, “No, I don’t want to sign for you (Brighton)”. I said, “I need to go to a club where I’ll be able to play and improve my game”. I think they actually thought I made the right decision.’
Maupay netted 41 goals in 95 games for Brentford and has since called the move the best decision of his life. So does joining Brighton second-time round rank as No 2?
‘I think so, I’ll tell you in a couple of years,’ he smiles. ‘I needed to make that step back to go further the next time. That’s what I did and I thought this summer was the perfect moment to make that step forward. I’m convinced I’ve made the right decision.’
The early signs are certainly encouraging for Maupay and Brighton. Last summer the club ditched former manager Chris Hughton’s pragmatism in favour of Potter’s more expansive style. The win at Arsenal was the finest illustration of the strides they have made since.
Potter was a big reason Maupay chose the south coast over Sevilla, Sheffield United and Aston Villa and the striker believes his belated move is a ‘win-win’. ‘I wouldn’t be the same player if I had signed for Brighton then,’ he insists. ‘I’ve improved everything, my confidence, my ability to score goals.’
He adds: ‘You improve in training but you improve most in games, by playing every week. I played nearly 100 games in two years with Brentford so it’s been huge for me.’
The rewards of that second-tier education are obvious. But for Brighton, the costs are clear too. Brentford took the striker from Saint-Etienne for just £1.6million. This summer, they sold him for 10 times that. It symbolised his progress but also how highly he is regarded.
Still, the big fee could prove a bargain for a striker who is settled here. His wife has just started a job around the corner and after two years in west London, these are more familiar surroundings for a son of the French Riviera — even if it doesn’t feel like it. ‘It’s been more than two years that I’ve been in England, I can’t get used to the temperature,’ he laughs.
Maupay has been using the lyrics of Drake and Adele to improve his English. ‘Hipster’ is not a word he has come across but it’s a style he instantly n recognises in hi his new home. ‘Definitely no not like Nice! In Brighton th there is a vibe, there is so something and I feel go good in this city,’ he sa says.
‘A ‘As a footballer you have to be ready to go anywhere wh but obviously when you have a good manager, a club l that really wants you and a nice city on top of it, it makes your decision really easy.’
WHEN we meet, the sun is still bright as it dips over the English Channel. Maupay has come to local coffee shop Lazy Fin to support American Express’s ‘ Shop Small’ campaign.
His homeland is only a few miles away but his roots are much further south. His mother is Argentinian and although he played for France’s youth teams, he could still represent either side. As a kid, Maupay idolised Carlos Tevez and Zinedine Zidane, two players who symbolise the countries’ different footballing philosophies.
The French side of his game? ‘Maybe the ability to score goals,’ he says. What about his Argentinian influence? ‘My behaviour on the pitch,’ he claims. ‘I like to fight, I never give up and I am not scared by anyone.’
He adds: ‘It’s crazy, I’ve always hated losing, even when I was a kid, I was fighting, competing, every single time. Playing cards, playing video games, playing everything. I just wanted to be the best every time. I think if I didn’t have that I wouldn’t be the player I am now.’
It’s a trait Brighton will need this season. Survival would provide the springboard the manager needs to take forward his south coast revolution. For Maupay, meanwhile, there is less need to gaze beyond the horizon.
A journey can change a lot in two years, after all. ‘I don’t like to set targets, that’s where you get lost a bit,’ he says. ‘I’m just living dayby-day, just trying to do my best. I’m just trying to be good at Brighton first and see what will happen next for me.’
Neal Maupay supports the American Express Shop Small campaign. For information visit americanexpress.co.uk/shopsmall