Once of Manchester United fame, David Bellion never quite made it in the Premier League, spending the vast majority of his career in France, playing for Nice and Bordeaux.
Only scoring 49 goals in 282 career games, the striker was never known as a prolific goalscorer, but few could question his desire.
Yet to ‘officially’ retire from football (his career is on ‘stand-by’), Bellion hasn’t actually played a game for Red Star FC, for whom he signed in 2014, acting more as a ‘brand manager’ than anything else, which he explained to Le Parisien on Thursday.
The 33-year-old is now in charge of developing the club’s image, trying to help them regain the status they once held when they were one of the founding members of the French league.
Using his close network of artists such as painters and musicians, the striker tries to communicate with the fans in an ‘alternative manner’ in order to sell the brand.
He’s also in charge of the pre-game music, using the soundtrack of a French film called ‘Bande de filles’, which reminds him of the ‘mythical “Jump” by Van Halen”, used at the Stade Vélodrome.
He explains: “The fan needs to leave with the feeling of having had an experience. Listened to good music, eaten well etc… Even if the idea is not to recreate Disneyland, I feel the Parisian public is quite demanding.”
This certainly not what we expected from the former Manchester United player, but who knows, if this goes well, maybe he’ll be hired to sort out the music at Old Trafford in the near future?
