Former Montpellier defender Victorino Hilton left MHSC in 2021 after a decade at the club and 320 league appearances. Incredibly, over 100 of those came after his 40th birthday. Longevity is becoming increasingly common in Ligue 1. In his late thirties, centre-back Jose Fonte’s high-level performances led Lille to the 2021 title while Ismaël Traoré has successfully returned to the top flight this term with Metz at 37. Now 36, Reims captain Yunis Abdelhamid is showing no signs of slowing down either.
This year has been one of Abdelhamid’s strongest across his career to date. The defender was nominated for the Marc-Vivian Foe award in April, which highlights the best African players in France, while August saw him recalled to the Morocco national team with January’s AFCON on the horizon. His employers, Stade de Reims, have also been on the up.
Coach Will Still’s dynamic, progressive style has made the Champagne club a notable force in Ligue 1 since his arrival last season, opening with a 17-game unbeaten run. Building on a rapidly improving, and increasingly prolific, academy system and previous manager Oscar Garcia’s keenness to deploy youth, much of Still’s success has been based on young players. Abdelhamid has been a clear, and crucial, exception, however, as Reims chase Europe.
Abdelhamid possesses invaluable experience
Balance, especially in overtly young and inexperienced squads, is usually key to their success. Abdelhamid’s experience, calmness and authority offer stability and street smarts that are rare in his teammates. The Moroccan international guides his colleagues through tough moments and is a reliable source of example setting, holding his side together. Japanese international forward Junya Ito and new man, attacking midfielder Teddy Teuma, are the only other Reims players in their thirties.
Although admittedly more exposed by Still’s more forward-thinking approach, the last two seasons have seen Abdelhamid’s statistical output jump under the Belgian coach. He’s making more tackles (2.21 per 90mins over the last two seasons, compared to 1.63 over the previous four league Ligue 1 campaigns according to FBRef) and winning more tackles (1.34 compared to 1.00 in the same periods) while his block numbers have similarly increased. Impressively, Abdelhamid, despite his age, is revelling in that increased workload and is only more forcibly imposing himself on games. Underlined by his stats, he’s carrying the ball more, receiving more touches and completing more passes.
Even in Ligue 1, Hilton’s post-40 renascence made him unique. But Abdelhamid’s 2023 suggests he could yet be capable of matching the Brazilian’s feats. Given his performances, Reims and Still will be hoping he does.
