Kolodziejczak: The Perpetual Renaissance

Timothée Kolodziejczak's professional career mirrors the story of the phoenix, the bird from Greek mythology that burns and is reborn from its ashes. The journey of Timothée Kolodziejczak has been punctuated by lows from which some would never have recovered. Finally, at 34 years old, after 17 years of professionalism, the left-footed central defender has managed to return to the forefront on the occasion of the two matches played against PSG: a 2-1 defeat in Ligue 1 on January 4 and a 1-0 victory on the 12th, synonymous with qualification for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.

A Decisive Presence

While the achievement is obviously collective, the presence of "Kolo" in a five-man defense was a decisive factor. As his captain, Maxime Lopez, acknowledged: "Hats off to him, it wasn't easy. He hadn't played for a long time, even though he played against Raon-l'Étape (3-0 in the Coupe de France round of 32). There's nothing worse for us than not playing matches consecutively, playing once every two weeks or every month. For Otavio and Mus (Mbow) against PSG, it did them good to have Kolo behind them, he drove them. On the field, he has that leader's temperament."

A Career of Ups and Downs

The Franco-Polish player has experienced several "air pockets" in his playing career. In 2014, he joined Sevilla FC where he won two Europa Leagues under Unai Emery but decided to leave after his second season - "A decision I regret" - to join Borussia Mönchengladbach where he only played two matches. "The coach told me in the first training session that it was a long game, which wasn't my characteristic. I admit I gave up a bit at that moment and decided to go to Mexico," he explains. "I needed a change of scenery. It didn't go very well either, but I discovered another culture, and when I signed for Saint-Étienne (August 2018), I was like a bomb and I had a great season."

The club finished 4th, but in his last year with Les Verts, he was vilified by the public and unjustly accused of all the team's woes. He attempted a comeback at Schalke 04 in 2022-2023 where he played only one match, eventually signing for Paris FC in Ligue 2, with whom he achieved promotion to Ligue 1 in May 2025.

Inner Strength and Resilience

Where does this strength of character come from? "When I'm a bit buried, mentally I can pick myself up. That's my strength. I never give up, even if you don't start me, even if you sideline me. I'll always be there," he asserts. "I was 16 when I arrived in the Lyon dressing room, there was (Karim) Benzema, Juninho, Cris, John Mensah, (Jean-Alain) Boumsong; training was a war. That's where I really learned what top-level football and competition were. I had Claude Puel; he's the one who trained me mentally and physically, who got into me. We had friction, but without him, I wouldn't be the man I am today."

Until the Christmas break, Kolodziejczak was mainly confined to a role as a dressing room leader for the younger players, having played only six games, two as a starter: at Angers (0-1) in Ligue 1 and in the Coupe de France against Raon-l'Étape. Last summer, his one-year contract extension took time to materialize, leaving him fearing that Paris FC no longer counted on him, even though Stéphane Gilli, his coach, wanted to keep him.

"In these cases, you have to put your ego aside a bit. I try to bring my experience to training. After that, it's a bit more difficult when you don't play. But I try to always be positive, to have the same desire, to arrive early in the morning, to be professional. I never lost faith in being able to play this season. I proved it against Paris, but we know very well that you have to be consistent over several matches. I'm happy to have worked hard during the first part of the season, it gave me the strength to play those two matches." And a third this Sunday afternoon in Nantes?