Dave Mussard Seychelles chubby keeper

Photo: Screengrab

Afcon 2019: Dave Mussard, Seychelles’ keeper, becomes internet sensation vs Nigeria [video]

Seychelles goalkeeper Dave Mussard became a viral sensation during the Afcon qualifiers over the weekend. The majority of the national team works full-time jobs and Mussard, who works as a pastry chef, caught the internet’s attention.

Dave Mussard Seychelles chubby keeper

Photo: Screengrab

Dave Mussard has two jobs. He plays in goal for Seychelles and he also works as a pastry chef at Hotel Pataran on La Digue island. The island nation took on Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the 2019 tournament this weekend and the preparation for the fixture wasn’t easy.

Because the squad is made up out of players who do not earn a living from representing the national team, they all have part-time jobs.  Players had to beg for time off and, in some cases, could not get time off and had to miss training. Not great.

Still, the internet doesn’t sleep and when Mussard stepped out in goal for his country against Nigeria, people noticed.  But they weren’t talking about his two jobs. Instead, his figure took centre stage.

Chitter-chatter on the internet was all about the 31-year old being a tad on the large side for somebody playing international sport.

Seychelles keeper Dave Mussard goes viral

The Super Eagles won easily, 3-0.  Tough gig.  Gavin Jeanne, who coaches the national team, shared some insight in an interview before the fixture, saying:

“We have all sorts of jobs among the players,” Jeanne told KweséESPN. “It will be difficult for me to tell you all of them. I know we have drivers, masons, a stevedore [dock worker], a tourist guide, people who do causal labour. Everything.”

Defender Bertrand Esther works as a driver while Winger Colin Bibi is a messenger. And Mussard, of course, the pastry chef.  Combined, the squad earns just $635 per month. There are small allowances for training, but not enough to make it a job.

Prior to the fixture, Jeanne shared the struggles of trying to prepare for a fixture when his squad is working.

“We are trying to prepare as much as we can. It has been a little bit difficult for us because our players need to go to work before they come for training,” he says.

“The players did not get released from work. Some of them are from the other islands. We train in the morning, they go to work and come back in the afternoon.

“Some of them cannot make it to the morning session because they have to take the flight at five in the morning so it is quite difficult. But we are quite used to it so we have to manage as much as we can.”