Financial‑political demotion at QPR leaves Paul Nardi on the bench
Former Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Paul Nardi, aged 32, has opened up about the night he truly feared death while fighting a chronic intestinal illness diagnosed in 2020. The Frenchman explained that the condition left him terrified and physically weakened.
Illness and early setbacks
He told L’Équipe the diagnosis came just months after he helped FC Lorient secure promotion to Ligue 1. The chronic intestinal inflammation forced him to lose 10 kg and endure periods of severe struggle, he recalled.
“I lost 10 kg, and I went through times of severe struggle. There was even an evening when I thought that I was going to die,” Nardi said. Despite the ordeal, he managed to return to the pitch in April 2021.
He added, “I was told that the only way to beat it was by playing sport and I was told that it would have no impact on my career, despite the life‑saving treatment that I had to follow.”
Injuries and QPR demotion
At the end of 2023 Nardi suffered a severe double shin break, describing the sight of the exposed bone as the moment he believed “football was over”. The surgery that followed went well after a tense waiting period.
He expressed gratitude to Hein Vanhaezebrouck, his former Gent manager, who gave him the chance to return and enabled his move to QPR in the EFL Championship. “I am very grateful to him,” Nardi told L’Équipe.
Nardi explained that his second season at QPR was spent largely on the bench because of a “financial‑political” decision by the London‑based club, even though he had been the No.1 goalkeeper the previous season. “I found myself in the stands, even though I was their best goalkeeper,” he said, adding that he still enjoys a great relationship with the club’s fans.
Return to Ligue 1 with Auxerre
Now with AJ Auxerre, Nardi has started the side’s last four Ligue 1 games after beginning the season on the bench. Under manager Will Still the team have recorded one win, one draw and two defeats in that period.
This article is a repost from Get French Football News and can be found HERE.