Chelsea’s new £40million signing Tiemoue Bakayoko resprayed his pink Porsche black when he turned his career around
French ace's head was turned during early days in Monaco until his old coach set him right
MIDFIELD powerhouse Tiemoue Bakayoko has become one of the biggest stars in world football after his £39.4million move to Chelsea.
But less than three years ago, his career was going very much in the opposite direction.
And it took a dressing down from a former coach about his outrageous pink Porsche to turn things around.
Bakayoko came through the academy at Rennes, making his debut in August 2013, and caught the eye with his power and presence.
He even played one game against his new team-mate N’Golo Kante, then of Caen.
Bakayoko did enough to impress Monaco who snapped him up for £7million.
But the transfer threatened to derail his career before it had properly started.
Bakayoko struggled on the pitch. He was substituted after just 32 minutes of his debut for Monaco in August 2014 and spent most of the season on the bench.
"I took too many risks, but when you play in this position, you have to be calm and effective. He helped me channel myself."
It worked. Bakayoko enjoyed a breakthrough season as Monaco landed their first league title for 17 years, and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
The next stage now is a move to Makelele’s former club Chelsea.
The former Blue believes his one-time protégé can get even better in England
Makelele told Goal: "He’s not one to get scared. He makes the decisions all the time, sometimes it’s wrong, but this kind of player will make mistakes in order to get better.
"He has quality as a dribbler, passer, the timing of the pass. He’s good, very good.
“Now he needs one manager that will make him a big player."