All Whites midfielder Ben Old remains excited about his future at Saint-Etienne, despite the club’s relegation from the top tier of French football.
Old made history last season – becoming the first New Zealander to start a Ligue 1 match – and went on to make 13 appearances for Les Verts. His season was almost ruined by a severe knee injury, and that pain was compounded when the demotion was confirmed last month, meaning a quick return to Ligue 2.
That was a major blow for everyone associated with the club – in such a football-mad city – given the high hopes since Saint-Etienne was taken over by Kilmer Sports Ventures, the conglomerate behind Toronto FC, the Toronto Raptors (NBA) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL).
This time last year, Old was hot property after a breakout season with the Wellington Phoenix. His performances and the data analytics derived from them saw interest from England (Championship and League One), Denmark, Holland and the United States (MLS). He eventually opted for Saint-Etienne and says that relegation doesn’t change anything.
“I signed not because they were in Ligue 1 but because of the project that the owners are [behind],” Old tells the Herald. “I’ve got full faith and belief in what they’re going to achieve and be able to get this massive club and city back to where it deserves to be.”
“It’s definitely a step back going to Ligue 2, but we’ll be able to rebuild, really show our class in that league, and hopefully get back to Ligue 1 and be a lot more prepared for it. I’m definitely in for the long run, and it’s a great place for me to develop as a footballer.”
Old’s trailblazing move was always going to be a challenging one. He was jumping several rungs of the ladder, from Australasia to one of the premier leagues in Europe. There was also new language and culture, while Saint-Etienne isn’t a major metropolis like Paris, Lyon or Marseille.
But Old dived in, taking on French lessons and using the pre-season to build a stronger physical base. That paid off, as he was rewarded with starts in the first two matches, while impressing both local journalists and those club insiders. It wasn’t easy, because the club lost four of their first five games, but Old felt like he was turning a corner, starting in an away draw to FC Nantes then a home win over AJ Auxerre, which pushed the team up to 13th after seven rounds, their highest position of the season.
“That was, without a doubt, my best performance as a player,” recalls Old. “It was our [second] win for the season. It was really cool for me to have a performance like that in front of the fans and enjoy it with them.”
Then came the turning point of Old’s campaign, with the awful injury suffered in mid-October, ruling him out for more than five months.
“It was just a very unlucky injury that happened in training,” says Old. “I was dribbling in a game and the player just came across me and just as I’ve planted my foot to go past him, his legs came through my knee.”
Initially, Old didn’t realise how bad it was.
“I was probably a bit naive because I was in a very good space with my football and the game was the next day,” says Old. “So all I was thinking about at the time was, ‘Oh, please allow me to play the game’. But then I got in with the doctor and he tested it out and where your leg can’t normally bend, it was able to bend. That’s when I saw his face and I knew this was very serious.”
Old had ruptured both his medial collateral ligament and his meniscus. The rehabilitation process was the most difficult of his career, a long way from home and throughout the European winter. A six-week visit from his father made a big difference – “I was in a knee brace and crutches, so I needed someone over here” – as did a subsequent trip home to work with New Zealand Football staff.
Still, it was a hard time, especially given the gains he had made on and off the field. Going to the first couple of training sessions had been daunting, but Old quickly adjusted.
“The challenge for me was probably just the confidence,” says Old. “The initial thing that I had in my head was adapting to the level, but I was able to adapt quite well. But just having the confidence in myself that I can play at this level; you’re playing against people you watch on TV and all these amazing players.
“New Zealanders have a reputation for being the underdogs and having this tall-poppy syndrome [so] it is having the confidence to perform. [The way I started] was definitely eye-opening for me and gave me a lot of confidence in my game.”
Despite losing a massive chunk of his season, the 22-year-old is happy with his progress.
“Putting aside the injury, I don’t think I could ask for anything more,” says Old. “It was a great taster for me to be playing at a high level.”
Aside from the Auxerre match, the other standout moment was taking the field against Paris Saint-Germain, who recently destroyed Inter Milan 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League final.
“I don’t need to explain why that is such a memorable memory,” says Old. “It was obviously a difficult result (6-1) – they are unbelievable right now – but to be able to play against a team that won the Champions League, playing against some of the best players in the world … I’ll hold that memory for the rest of my life.”
In the New Zealand context Old is a rare talent, with his raw pace, close control and ability to dribble past players. That’s why his return is so important, offering a point of difference for Darren Bazeley’s All Whites squad (world No 86) as they build towards the 2026 Fifa World Cup. That starts on Sunday (11am NZT) with the match against Ivory Coast (world No 41) in Toronto, followed by the clash with Ukraine (25) on Wednesday (9am NZT).
“They’re going to be a very strong, physical side, with a lot of quality,” says Old of the African team. “[But] this All Whites squad we’ve got now is building stronger and stronger. We’re all coming in with a very good mindset ... I’ve got the expectation to win these games, and that’s the expectation of everyone here.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.