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The Bournemouth full-back is known for hitting the ground running. While with Stade Rennais, which he entered as a teenager and stayed with for ten seasons before moving in the summer to the south coast club, his first appearance saw him be introduced from the bench against Monaco. The game finished with him delivering a cross with a powerful left-footed ball and then finding the back of the net for the victory. When he was only 18, Truffert directed his effort underneath the goalkeeper, who now visits Bournemouth with his current club. “I ran off celebrating and dropped to my knees,” Truffert remembers, “like you dream of doing as a youngster after getting your inaugural strike.”

A Seamless Start in the English top division

The defender has shone for Bournemouth from the outset, beginning with a confident team performance at Liverpool where he handled Mohamed Salah. During that game, he also performed better than his predecessor and has featured in all minutes in the top flight so far this campaign.

“Although we lost,” he says of the Liverpool game, “thus it wasn't flawless, but I feel we put in a strong performance. I was very excited because it was my first game and it was a memorable evening. We have started positively, but now we have to maintain and secure victory this week.”

The Secret to Settling In

Listening to Truffert explain his multi-million pound transfer, the maiden switch of his playing days, it is understandable he has adapted so effortlessly. Club staff talk of an smart person and he is evidently switched on. He understood the advantages of joining early in the summer, to integrate in the build-up, and has spent the past two years having English lessons, aware how beneficial they would be if he realized his dream of making it to the Premier League.

“That’s why I can communicate in English,” says the young defender, a modest line given this premier in-depth discussion is entirely in the language. “I think it is vital to have interests beyond the game, to shift your perspective and focus on different matters.” When it was put to him that this is very telling of his personality, he seeks no acclaim. “Perhaps, but it was my family who told me it was important.”

Personal History

Truffert's family, including his junior sibling Florian, a central player at Rennes, were part of his entourage when he signed. It could have been meant to be. Not only because Bournemouth had acquired a player they long admired but because Truffert had spent time in the town as a very young child. He was a native of Liège, Belgium, but when he was six months old, his mother and father moved to Southampton because of his parent's employment as a lab director. They spent two years in the locality.

“My parent claims that I began walking on the seaside in town,” Truffert reveals. “After those two years, we went back to Belgium for six months and then relocated to France.”

International Honors

Truffert has been capped once by Les Bleus, in 2022, and the previous year he was in the France team that won silver at the Summer Games, the award earning him a French knighthood. “I have the papers to show I have Chevalier d'honneur,” he states, showing a proud grin. His colleagues in the squad included several prominent figures, some of whom he also played with at Stade Rennais. His head coach also turned out to be his hero.

“The Arsenal icon, a top French players,” Truffert says. “When I was smaller I played as a wide attacker, so this is the reason I admired him. When I was about seventeen or eighteen I switched to left-back. At the Olympics I played more as a defender, so Gaël Clichy was my main point of contact, but when it was a collective meeting he [Henry] shared valuable insights. His knowledge of the game was amazing, you could detect his expertise and he aimed to impart it to us.”

Philosophy and Approach

The club recognized him as an suitable candidate for the manager's style, which is founded on high energy. “When you apply much more intensity than your opponent, I think it’s the best way to win,” Truffert says. “You have to do other things, of course, but if you commence by coming out on top in challenges than your rival, you have a significantly improved likelihood to win. We sprint frequently because all members seek to push ahead, but all are committed to defending.

“For us it’s not just the backline that defends and attackers who attack. It’s everybody together. We like to do everything together on the pitch – and this is the optimal method to win.”

Captaincy and Know-How

He held the armband at his former club recently and at Bournemouth he leads by example; he trains how he plays and is seen as a perfect professional. He is also very knowledgeable for his years with more than 200 career appearances and has featured in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. In 2022-23, his former side won both matches over a high-profile PSG side. The English division, he comments, was the next logical step.

He consulted colleagues and ex-players, including a current star. “I think he’s a top individual talents I’ve seen. A famous attacker was also tough to play against and you gain valuable experience against such talents because they can flip a game,” Truffert says. “Now at Manchester City, he plays more on the left, but when he was at Rennes he played more on the right so I had to compete against him regularly in training.

“It was good for me to progress. He informed me the pace is very different to Ligue 1. In France, it is maybe a bit more tactical – here every game you have to run a lot, without a break.”

Life Off the Pitch

The free time Truffert has had since moving from a hotel to a home last month has let him investigate the region with his wife and their pet. “We like to {walk around the town|stroll through the area|expl