As far as first goals go, they don’t get much better.
A few weeks ago, Diyaeddine Abzi opened his account in Ligue 2 for Pau FC, hitting a brilliant left-footed effort from the top of the box that curled around the keeper and into the back of the net. The 24-year-old fullback added some further garnish with a fantastic ‘cooking’ celebration popularized by the NBA’s James Harden.
The 77th-minute strike was the lone goal in Pau’s 1-0 victory over Paris FC. The matchday prior, Abzi recorded his first Ligue 2 assist on a late goal in a 2-2 draw with Annecy. It was the height of what has been an impressive start to life in France for the former York United player, who has already made 20 appearances in all competitions, also scoring in a Coupe de France match back in October. For his efforts, Abzi was named Pau FC player of the month for January.
“For me it is a big step in my integration and to feel good in the team, to have more confidence,” Abzi told CanPL.ca of his recent offensive outburst. “It’s hard when you are in a new team, new country, new league, it’s hard in the beginning but it’s getting better and better.”
ICYMI: Diyaeddine Abzi opened his Pau FC account with a bang 💥
After nabbing his 1st assist on the weekend, the former #CanPLer one upped that Tuesday, nabbing the winner in a crucial 1-0 win vs Paris FC
Great hit, too. Finding solid form here#CanMNTpic.twitter.com/CN1ZH0OvLy
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) February 2, 2023
Abzi admits it was a bit of a culture shock on multiple levels when he first arrived in France from York in early July. He says the style in Ligue 2 was a lot more physical and less forgiving of mistakes like misplayed passes or dribbles.
“It is all about time,” he said of the adjustment. “You can’t just come and be the best player in the league, and go somewhere and be the same. It’s very hard.”
Having originally started out as a winger, he says, Ligue 2 has particularly forced him to work hard on the defensive side of his game. Especially for a club like Pau which is fighting relegation, every goal conceded could have huge implications.
Abzi says the adjustment, however, was made significantly easier by the 76 matches of professional experience he received with York United across four Canadian Premier League seasons and the Canadian Championship.
“Without the Canadian Premier League I cannot be here today,” said Abzi. “It is the beginning of everything because I [didn’t play for] an academy or anything, I was just playing for a local team in Québec. The [CPL] gave me the chance to show myself at the pro level and I am very grateful for that and for this league. It was the first step of hopefully many steps in my football career.”
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Choosing the right step after the CPL was incredibly important. Abzi had interest from multiple clubs, but getting playing time and finding the right fit was the priority for him. Thus far, his choice looks to have been the correct one.
“For me, it doesn’t make sense to go to a team that you are just going to stay on the bench and don’t have your minutes,” he said. “Pau FC when they talked to me they showed that they really wanted me and they really trusted me as a player so I thought it is the best option for me to go to join another league and express myself. That is, I think, the big thing that brought me to choose Pau.”
If he continues to express himself, another choice could theoretically be in his future. Born in Fez, Morocco, Abzi moved to Montréal in his youth and could play for both national teams.
His birth nation and the country where he has lived since age nine faced off recently at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Abzi, unfortunately, was training during the match and was not able to watch live, but it was still a special — and surreal — moment for him.
“It is very important for Canada to be at this level, to show everybody that we have the quality to be there,” he said of the World Cup. “It’s good stuff to see. I never thought that I would see a game in the World Cup, Morocco against Canada, I would never have thought about this.”
While he would love to someday get back into the national team picture, having represented Canada at the futsal and Olympic qualifying level. For now, however, he is focused on making the most of his opportunity with Pau.
“My objective for now is to be in the XI, to play every game,” he says. “I am just waiting to prove to everyone that I can be at this level.”
Doing so will continue to make Abzi an incredible ambassador for the kind of quality the Canadian Premier League can produce. Former York teammates Ronan Kratt (Werder Bremen II on loan) and Dominick Zator (Korona Kielce) have already joined him in Europe, with the latter recently being named to the Polish Ekstraklasa team of the week.
If all goes to plan, many more will join him over the coming years, in many ways thanks to the trail players like Abzi are blazing.