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FOOTBALL was probably the only chance for Nicolas Pepe to transform the fortune of his family into poverty.
A good chance, he added, because the striker is about to become the signing record of Arsenal at the end of his £ 72 million transfer from Lille.
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Born of Ivorian Muslim migrants in the north-east of France, life was not lenient for Pepe in his early days.
His mother took a job as a housekeeper while Father Célestin became a prison guard to make ends meet.
Not having money to buy toys, he was able to keep him busy outside school hours while growing up in northeastern Paris.
But in hindsight, Pepe probably thinks his modest beginnings were only blessings in disguise.
It gave meaning to his life.
THE GREAT QUESTION
A school teacher asked him what he wanted to do at the age of six.
And there could be only one good answer: playing football professionally.
Oddly, Pepe, known for his deadly pace on the field, spends his first days between the sticks.
It was only after his family moved to Poitiers, in the west of France, that his potential was recognized and he hung up forever.
Pepe joined a local club ranked fifth in France, where he dazzled coaches with his skill at the ball.
While his father, the prison guard, Celestin – who used to play football, has never been a professional – put his work aside to train Nicholas and help him out. realize your potential.
He wanted to "live his own dream" through his son.
But that would not have been possible without the hard lessons that Pepe was about to face in Angers.
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Hard love
Even if the talent was there, it was not enough for the club's academy officials when he joined the organization in 2013.
Abdel Bouhazama, who ran Anger's youth program, told Bleacher Report of his tough love for the teenager.
Pepe had to learn the hard way that football is not just "fun", but also the goals, the badistance and the discipline he lacked on the field.
At 5 o'clock in the morning, he watched the local binmen work and learned to appreciate the fact that he could play football for a living.
And Pepe learned his lesson.
STRONG MEETING
Lille's sporting director, Luis Campos, told France Football that it was love at first sight when he saw him play in a 1-1 draw against Rennes in November 2016.
Real Madrid scout Campos was not even there to watch Pepe – but he stumbled upon a jewel.
Someone who, he felt, could finally make his entrance into the legend of the club, Eden Hazard, at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
And now, two years after arriving in Lille in 2017, Nicolas has just finished the most impressive season of his career.
He scored 23 goals and 12 badists – statistics similar to Hazard's – in his first Ligue 1 match – while their rivals were in tatters on the right flank throughout the campaign.
Rhythm, dribbling skills, killer instinct and non-stop action have become Pepe's trademark – and have earned him a nickname: "Beep Beep".
Comparing it appropriately to the Looney Tunes cartoon character, Road Runner.
And, although the fun part of his game has persisted, his childish antics have long since disappeared.
Pepe is a true professional and a father who, even if he likes to socialize, considers his personal life as a sacred territory.
He lets his football talk.
Beep Beep, the Coyotes of the Premier League. You must beware.
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