After having his contract terminated at OGC Nice, Lamine Diaby-Fadiga has explained why he stole Kasper Dolberg's R1.2 million watch from the changing room.
Diaby-Fadiga, 18, was sacked by the French club this week after coming out to admit he stole the luxury item worth a staggering €70,000.
READ: Nice sack Diaby-Fadiga for theft
Questions were quickly raised why the promising academy graduate, who has represented France at youth level, decided to steal and sell the watch of the Denmark international.
And he's now come out to reveal it was down to jealousy after his high-profile arrival from Ajax Amsterdam in the off-season, pushed him further down the pecking order.
Scroll through the gallery above to see six other players who were sacked for bizarre reasons
"After several days of an unprecedented media storm for me, I have decided to give myself a voice via communication," he said in a statement via Twitter.
"I would like to first of all apologise to the fans and those who love Le Gym. A lot of them supported me and showed me kindness since I made my professional debut, as a youngster from the local region who joined the club when I was 14. "Their reactions embody the level of disappointment that they feel towards me and I owe them an explanation. "I proudly wore the club of my childhood's shirt last season in Ligue 1. I was unfortunately injured for several months and my return to competitive action was further delayed following a red card I picked up whilst playing for the U19s. He added: "That affected me mentally and my difficult situation contrasted starkly the success and aura of Kasper, my team-mate. I took it out on him without having any reason to do so, maybe a bit because of jealousy. Instead of trying to battle on the pitch to provide him with competition for places, I reacted stupidly towards him. "My actions were not taken out of an appetite to gain something from it, but out of disappointment, frustration and feeling discredited. Of course, I am only 18, but my age excuses nothing. I therefore owned up to what I had done to Kasper, Mr Fournier, the Director General of the club, Patrick Vieira, my coach and Dante, my captain. One by one, I apologised to each one of them. "I also took on the responsibility of reimbursing my team-mate fully, which I have now done. I wish him a lot of success at OGC Nice and in his career. Maybe one day we will come across each other on a pitch and this affair will be merely a bad memory." The teenager has since joined Ligue 2 side Paris Football Club as he looks to restart his career after the controversial incident.?? Lamine Diaby-Fadiga s’engage avec le Paris FC !
? L’attaquant international français des moins de 18 ans s’est engagé jusqu’en juin 2023 pour les 4 prochaines saisons.
Plus d'infos ?? https://t.co/DlDREHjH9M pic.twitter.com/PUDJDWq7S9Related tags